I always thought the best system would be to tell people what their boss makes, including options and other non-salary compensation. This eliminates the proble

I always thought the best system would be to tell people what their boss makes, including options and other non-salary compensation. This eliminates the problem of people comparing themselves to their nominal peers on incomplete information. It really tells you everything you need to know about compensation. But the most valuable part of the buffer system is the formula. You have a framework for calculating what is fair. One of the dangers at small busy startups with well-intentioned leaders is that you basically forget to give people raises and your employees don't get you to correct it until they are pissed enough to quit. That's part of why I left my original company and it cost me a good employee recently.