Research indicates talking about pay may be less taboo than in the past
Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of employees feel discussing salary with colleagues is an appropriate thing to do.
Thirty-seven percent say it’s more acceptable than it was five years ago, according to a new survey of workers in North America and Europe.
However, even though a number of employees believe sharing salary information is OK, and a quarter report their coworkers have told them what they make, the majority (84 percent) say they have not actually disclosed their pay.
More than half (55 percent) of survey respondents believe finding out a colleague made more would result in them asking for a salary increase without mentioning what the person makes. Fifteen percent would reference their coworker’s salary and ask to be compensated at the same level.
If their employer refused to increase their pay to match what a comparably situated coworker makes, 32 percent of employees say they would then leave the company. Nearly half (43 percent) say they’d become less engaged.
To find out more about employees’ thoughts on discussing salary with colleagues, view the results from Korn Ferry’s survey.