Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

To add on top of that, who says that this kind of transparency breeds trust? Transparency is great in some areas, terrible in others. Take away bathroom stalls to find an area where this isn't as true (extreme example).

I trust co-workers when they do what they say they will, when they are respectful & smart, when they show up on time, when they tell me when I screwed up in a nice way, etc. I could care less what they make--to me it would be a distraction.




>I could care less what they make--to me it would be a distraction.

Are you 100% sure that you've valued yourself accurately?

I played "show me yours and I'll show you mine" with a coworker once and he discovered that we were both working the same position but he was paid $8K less than me. The difference was that I negotiated my salary like crazy and he didn't.

Information asymmetry is the best way for companies to ensure their employees are underpaid. While it could cause a bit of awkwardness between peers, at the end of the day I think it's better to know what others are making & let them know what I make, because it strengthens everyone's position.


If I am one on a team of 20 engineers and I want an extra $10,000 p.a. for all my colleagues, I need to persuade the company to spend $200,000 p.a.

If I negotiate for myself, I only need to persuade the company to spend $10,000.

A proven ability to keep your mouth shut could strengthen your negotiating position if you're using a quantifiable value-based approach.


How did your coworker _feel_ when he got that information? Was he happier?




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: