7 ms·

I think this is too cynical, yes. To me, this is just the free market. If folks can see Bob gets paid way more and see he doesn't do anything, they can leave.

by diob 5y ago

I think this is too cynical, yes. To me, this is just the free market. If folks can see Bob gets paid way more and see he doesn't do anything, they can leave. Right now they just keep trucking with blinders on. The thing is, even if someone demands to get paid more, it won't necessarily happen. It's still going to be a negotiation. This is basically a shift to give workers power again, since most unions are gone. It's a lot easier for me to point to a stellar performance review AND salary band then negotiate blind.

sokoloff 5y ago
If folks can see Bob doesn’t do anything, why wouldn’t they walk already? Whatever money Bob is siphoning away from the company is hurting them whether it’s more, less, or exactly the same as what they make.
- diob 5y ago
  I mean, walk away to where? Everything needs context or it's hard to answer why. It could be a matter of needing insurance, obligations to taking care of family members, to cost of living, to lack of knowledge of where is better. By showing salaries, folks could have the knowledge to see other positions that match their current job but pay better (or at the least have the possibility of paying better given the range).
WalterBright 5y ago
Or maybe it gives the workers less power, as their offer will be limited by the salary range top end.
- diob 5y ago
  I mean, most companies already have salary ranges (they're just invisible to employees). So the process of promoting to a new "band" or "position" would stay the same. That and companies can adjust their ranges, they're not set in stone. Or go the exec route and just pad with equity and other benefits. Lot's of options.
NikolaNovak 5y ago
I'm not worried about the situation where Bob the slacker is getting top dollar. I agree that market can and should solve that (if it doesn't already). My cynicism is other way around: What happens when Bob the slacker, and also all the people along all parts of bell curve, demands to get same as Fatima the rock star? Or worse, make aspersion and assumptions that she is in fact Bob the slacker? In other words, my cynicism is specifically focused on my perception of our general societal lack of, and interest in, self-awareness :-/
- llbeansandrice 5y ago
  > demands to get same as Fatima the rock star? Fatima likely gets promoted, and you get transparency into paths to become someone like Fatima. In the case of Emily who toils away tirelessly holding up the backbone of the company, but isn't as visible as Fatima, now Emily has a clear path to advocate for higher compensation and if the company decides she isn't worth it, she can leave and that company will immediately feel the pain. I don't really follow the logic that this pushes salaries to the bottom of the bands. Companies want to push them to the bottom, employees want to be at the top, if in a single instance a company and employee can't agree there's a more transparent market for the employee to explore. If they apply for jobs in a certain band and have zero success, they will need to adjust their expectations to find a job at all and should search out lower-bands or improve as an asset or be out of the job entirely.
- triceratops 5y ago
  Bob the slacker can demand it. But unless Bob is unable to find another job that pays him what he demands, he has no leverage over his current employer.

by diob 5y ago

sokoloff 5y ago

If folks can see Bob doesn’t do anything, why wouldn’t they walk already? Whatever money Bob is siphoning away from the company is hurting them whether it’s more, less, or exactly the same as what they make.

diob 5y ago
I mean, walk away to where? Everything needs context or it's hard to answer why. It could be a matter of needing insurance, obligations to taking care of family members, to cost of living, to lack of knowledge of where is better. By showing salaries, folks could have the knowledge to see other positions that match their current job but pay better (or at the least have the possibility of paying better given the range).

WalterBright 5y ago

Or maybe it gives the workers less power, as their offer will be limited by the salary range top end.

diob 5y ago
I mean, most companies already have salary ranges (they're just invisible to employees). So the process of promoting to a new "band" or "position" would stay the same. That and companies can adjust their ranges, they're not set in stone. Or go the exec route and just pad with equity and other benefits. Lot's of options.

NikolaNovak 5y ago

I'm not worried about the situation where Bob the slacker is getting top dollar. I agree that market can and should solve that (if it doesn't already). My cynicism is other way around: What happens when Bob the slacker, and also all the people along all parts of bell curve, demands to get same as Fatima the rock star? Or worse, make aspersion and assumptions that she is in fact Bob the slacker? In other words, my cynicism is specifically focused on my perception of our general societal lack of, and interest in, self-awareness :-/

llbeansandrice 5y ago
> demands to get same as Fatima the rock star? Fatima likely gets promoted, and you get transparency into paths to become someone like Fatima. In the case of Emily who toils away tirelessly holding up the backbone of the company, but isn't as visible as Fatima, now Emily has a clear path to advocate for higher compensation and if the company decides she isn't worth it, she can leave and that company will immediately feel the pain. I don't really follow the logic that this pushes salaries to the bottom of the bands. Companies want to push them to the bottom, employees want to be at the top, if in a single instance a company and employee can't agree there's a more transparent market for the employee to explore. If they apply for jobs in a certain band and have zero success, they will need to adjust their expectations to find a job at all and should search out lower-bands or improve as an asset or be out of the job entirely.
triceratops 5y ago
Bob the slacker can demand it. But unless Bob is unable to find another job that pays him what he demands, he has no leverage over his current employer.