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It's evolved into something that's rude for particular reasons that I'm not going to get into but the bottom line is that most of it stems from one thing:
The very real possibility of jealousy and resentment.
You see it everywhere, even on these forums. People post all the time about how they have a certain degree but aren't making as much as others. Or how young people are making more than they are or whatever else. I think it's better kept unsaid.
If I found out certain coworkers of mine made more money, I would be very upset. A few in particular have been here 3x longer than me, but they do 3x less than me. I know that they make more than me due to seniority, but the specific amount would be something to fixate on. So, not only would I be upset because they were getting paid more for less and inferior work, but I would also be upset with myself because I am letting my employer take advantage of my efficiency and work ethic. I have enough issues to worry about.
Also, it's just rude to talk about money with ANYONE. Certainly there are better things to talk about.
I have a very different view. It's everyone's job to actively manage their compensation. You can't do that if you don't know what your peers in your company and your peers in other companies are making. If you don't make a point of collecting that information, you are at a huge disadvantage. Nobody is going to give you a raise to bring you in line with somebody else if you don't negotiate for it. When you're interviewing, if you put down the wrong number for salary requirements, you can easily come in 25% low and be stuck there for many years. No employer is going to voluntarily give you more money. They give you more money to prevent you from leaving and they give you more money to get you to leave your current job. I've had the "my compensation is low compared to...." conversation many times. Early in my career, it was an every-year conversation. If you want the raises and promotions, you have to ask for them from a position of strength.
Of course, if you're mediocre at your job and do the bare minimum, it's pointless to do any of this. You're not in a position of strength. If you make a stink about pay, it lands you on the layoff list since you're flagging yourself as someone who needs to be replaced/upgraded.
If I found out certain coworkers of mine made more money, I would be very upset. A few in particular have been here 3x longer than me, but they do 3x less than me. I know that they make more than me due to seniority, but the specific amount would be something to fixate on. So, not only would I be upset because they were getting paid more for less and inferior work, but I would also be upset with myself because I am letting my employer take advantage of my efficiency and work ethic. I have enough issues to worry about.
Also, it's just rude to talk about money with ANYONE. Certainly there are better things to talk about.
And I've actually been in the situation where a co-worker (with much less seniority, who handed their "difficult" cases over me) was whining about their pay, and making more than me.
The lesson learned was that whining can be just as "valuable" to employers as skills or seniority. Great skill, the ability to whine effectively & seniority are all part of a "package" & they'll all get you paid more.
People in this country generally have an aversion to talking about finances. It seems to be viewed as immodest or putting people on the spot.
Companies do this to keep relations between colleagues smooth. When I moved from Tennessee to Indiana, I went from $11/hr to $50k a year. I did see that entries on Glassdoor that said the salary was $78k, but figured that was just a COL difference between HQ and here. With such a big salary difference, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and ask for more. Once I was there, some of the folks in my role said "they couldn't make it" on $50k, which really made me feel small. We all had similar professional backgrounds with four year degrees.
The salary difference between HQ and here was 30%, and what is $78k 130% of? $60,000. Once I had a better idea of what everyone was making, I could go in and negotiate based on my value to the team, not that "Johnny makes 20% more, so I should to." By then, I was already in the market for other employment for more reasons than the pay gap, but the pay gap was one of them.
Companies will always pay the minimum they need to keep competent staff on.
Honestly don't understand how those like the OP think that an individual's pay isn't common knowledge. Many years ago I was a helicopter pilot/mechanic. My pay was published. Went to Saudi Arabia and did the same thing for three years. My pay was published. Fast forward; was in auto sales for the last 24-years until I retired in January. Everyone in sales sees what others make monthly and yearly. Impressive $numbers indeed. Its customary, and is an incentive to do better.
I actually don't want to know what my colleagues make. I once found a file on our company's shared drive at a past job that the HR baffoon had mistakenly stored there that contained everyone's salary in the company. While I was one of the highest I was still angered when I found out that a gal who had just been hired at a non-managerial position (I was a manager) had a higher salary than me.
It's no good for anyone other than sheer curiosity.
I will never understand why our society feels that discussions about pay have to be so secretive and an unspoken topic. Why all the hush hush? Ask someone what they make and they give you a look of horror. It's considered one of the most rude things to do. WHY? I talk openly about my pay and I couldn't give a damn, whether it's terrible or great. Public employees have all their salaries posted online and the positions advertise exactly what the payrange and pay scales are. Why the heck can't we talk about pay more openly?
THIS IS WHY.
FRIENDS WOULD QUICKLY BECOME ENEMIES.
Classic government job doing NOTHING on MY TAX DOLLARS.
You think it's cool and envy him. I think it's disgusting.
Then we'd have a fight about being lazy versus being productive and why it's repeatedly proven that government does everything WRONG and destroys people's values and value to the community.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_grimace
This reminds me of a job one of my friends has that always makes me envious. He works as an Engineering Tech for a government defense contractor. His department's job is to test circuit boards used in tanks. He said that all they do is take a board out of a box, insert it into this big machine that runs diagnostics, then write a brief report when the diagnostics are done running. (Basically a checklist type thing as the machine prints its own detailed report too). He said the test takes about 2 hours, so the techs just play games, watch movies, surf the web, etc while the tests are running. He said the actual work is about 5 minutes loading and starting the test, and 10 minutes unloading and writing the report. He gets paid 70K a year last I checked with really good benefits and the stability of a government job... He's been there 6 years. What a life.
For the same reason that men have been wearing loincloths since the beginning of time. Some folks got a little more than others, and we all get along better when it's not always clear exactly who has more than who.
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