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I made the mistake of answering my sister when asked what my income was. . . she immediately said I was a loser and that she made SO MUCH MORE than I did. Gee, thanks Sis.
From that point on, my income was my business.
Do some people ever have a hard time defining what a loser is.
I am one of the highest paid people on CD not because of the amount of money I make, it's enough for a good upper middle class way of life where I live, but because I like going to work doing what it is I do.
For me work is fun and I actually get paid decent enough money to do it.
I've done this work for over 40 years now and I've never dreaded a Monday, never viewed Wednesday as hump day and Friday is a day of the week like any other day. It is now Friday afternoon, so?
Twenty years ago I was in management by virtue of owning a large portion of the company and I grew to hate it. Money wise I earned about double what I earn today but you couldn't pay me triple what I earn today to go back and do that job again. Of course I could do it, I've received job offers to do it but no way, no how.
I'm 68 and looking back I see where money was important to me when I was 30, 40 and 50 because I mistakenly thought it defined what I was worth as a human being. I was wrong, the money wasn't worth it.
We live in a class society but nobody is really sure what class others belong to. The unemployed guy down the block could have a trust fund bigger than your salary. The single mom could have a huge monthly child support check. The young good looking guy in the business suit and convertible could be a telemarketer living in his childhood bedroom. We really dont know. And its better to keep it that way. Its not my business what you make and vice versa.
What Katie 45 said happens a lot. People will ask someone their salary so they can compare and then define the person as "loser" based on their salary. This seems to be the main reason people ask such a personal question. They are simple minded and want to categorize someone based on their income level. Again, it's pure nosiness and no noble reason for wanting to know. People who go around asking other people what they earn really gross me out.
What Katie 45 said happens a lot. People will ask someone their salary so they can compare and then define the person as "loser" based on their salary. This seems to be the main reason people ask such a personal question. They are simple minded and want to categorize someone based on their income level. Again, it's pure nosiness and no noble reason for wanting to know. People who go around asking other people what they earn really gross me out.
Exactly. Besides, I don't want my coworkers to know how much better paid I am than they. They already think I don't work hard enough.
But then, my job is about working smart, not hard. That is something they will never 'get'.
Anyway - the whole income salary thing is really only taboo here in US/Canada - go to other countries in the world and they honestly are pretty open about it.
I noticed the same thing, and it's the exact opposite with talking about one's occupation itself (as opposed to how much you get paid) - open and almost a part of one's identity in NA, a "personal" detail (akin to one's religion) in EU.
As for pay transparency, I think that companies ought to be required to make statistical information (where no individual employees are personally identified) on their employees' pay public. However, it should be up to the employee themselves as for sharing their personal finance story.
I was talking recently to a co-worker and he was telling me about an incident that happened at his previous company (where I also worked with him).
On the company intraweb site, some weird glitch or maybe it was plain stupid human error, but what was supposed to be a link listing the organization chart, instead listed the salary of every employee in the company when you clicked on it.
Needless to say it didn't seem to go over well with people there. Some supervisors that worked there far less than others, were making a lot more. And I'm talking well over 6 figures, an astounding figure for a basic supervisory position. It's a salary that I'm used to seeing senior managers make. I know that these supervisors weren't very well liked in the first place, so this could only add more animosity to the mix.
Based on what I gleaned, when I was working there my salary was a lot higher than what others were making. I'd be highly upset if something like this happened, because it only creates resentment from my experience.
Unless you are in some sort of protected class, you can fired for any reason or no reason.
What Makes 'Pay Secrecy' Illegal?
Under the National Labor Relations Act, enacted in 1935, private-sector employees have the right to engage in "concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection."
Because it is not anyone's business. It is considered rude because it is rude.
An employer doesn't want the employees discussing each others pay because he might be bonking one of the employees and paying her well for the bonking.
I noticed the same thing, and it's the exact opposite with talking about one's occupation itself (as opposed to how much you get paid) - open and almost a part of one's identity in NA, a "personal" detail (akin to one's religion) in EU.
As for pay transparency, I think that companies ought to be required to make statistical information (where no individual employees are personally identified) on their employees' pay public. However, it should be up to the employee themselves as for sharing their personal finance story.
Many small and mid size companies may only have a handful or even single person at even staff level roles. It would be easy to pick out who is making what.
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