> On the whole disclosure topic... How many out there have freely shared
> your salary, bonus, and benefits information with your co-workers? With
> your underlings? With peers who make less than you do, yet do essentially
> the same (or comparable) jobs?
I always disclosed the entire salary structure for any of my direct
reports, or anyone who asked me (including hourly people and senior
management). If they asked, I told them what level I was, but I never told
them my compensation. I still think everyone's compensation is a personal
thing, and not something to be casually shared.
Of course, at every company (except our former employer, Symbolics), this
was complete heresy, and I always got into trouble. Not very big trouble,
but enough. On the other hand, I never had salary troubles with the people
I wrote reviews for. The other managers had lots of trouble. I figured
there was only one boss, but 20 employees, it was easier to keep 20 people
motivated, and work on my boss than the other way around.
At one point, I was the peer making substantially less money than the
others (all men!) at the position. I requested salary structure
information, and asked where I was in the range, and what the average pay
for the range was. When I found out the answer (I was in the first 5%,
everyone else was in the top 80%), I asked why. My boss did not have any
reason, and when he was replaced, I received a $10,000 raise, to bring my
salary into some sort of parity. It took me about 6 months to arrange my
total package to something that was comparable to my peers, but after my
experience, the company took this parity thing much more seriously.
As far as I know, there were never again such large discrepancies.
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Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
jr@world.std.com URL:http://world.std.com/~jr/
Management Consulting for High Technology Product Development