The Compensation Conversation

There are a few things you aren’t supposed to talk about at Thanksgiving dinner. Politics, religion, and certainly how much money you make. We’ve always been told that it is inappropriate to talk about salary among family and friends, and especially among co-workers. Earlier this year, we did a survey that found more than 60 percent of us were discouraged from talking about their salary openly. 

At Blind, we want to give people a safe place to learn about compensation and other sensitive topics without fear of judgment. We believe bringing more transparency to compensation will mean more fairness. 

Would you be willing to tell your co-workers how much money you make? 

This month we did a survey to ask people about their willingness to share their compensation with others. We found that about half would, as long as it was a two-way conversation. Fifty percent of people say they would share their salary with co-workers, but only if co-workers were willing to do the same. Our survey also found that one in three people think their salary is lower than others who hold a similar position at their company, something that can be incredibly demotivating. 

We also found that thirty-five percent of people say they’ve told at least one of their co-workers (besides their manager and HR) how much they make, so it seems that people are starting the conversation. Salary and compensation is becoming a more normal part of the workplace conversation. We encourage people to continue to challenge the idea of being secretive about salary and sharing more with their co-workers on Blind.  

Full Survey Results Below:

• Show Me Yours: 50% of people say they would share their salary with co-workers, but only if co-workers were willing to do the same
• 10% of people said they aren’t afraid to tell others what they make because they are happy with how much they are bringing home
• 27% of people said compensation should not be publicly discussed, so they wouldn’t be willing to share their salary
• 8% of people said they wouldn’t share their salary because they aren’t happy with how much they are making
• 35% of people say they’ve told at least one of their co-workers (besides their manager and HR) how much they make
• Grass is Greener: 1 in 3 (33%) people think their salary is lower than others who hold a similar position at their company
  19% think it is higher and 36% think it is about the same (12% said they are unsure)