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A Pretty Good Argument for Telling Your Co-workers What You Make

Updated 6/19/2020
A Pretty Good Argument for Telling Your Co-workers What You Make
Do you know how much your co-workers make? If so, how did you find out? This video explains why it's important to know what your co-worker's salary is.

Do you know what your co-workers make? If so, how did you find out? Did you ask them point-blank, “What’s on your paycheck?” Or, did you find out through lunchtime gossip? If you don’t know, have you considered asking?

Lots of questions, I know!

But I’m curious after watching author David Burkus make the case for salary transparency in the TED Talk below. Truth be told, coming from a career in the military, I never wondered this. The pay scale is based on rank (which is displayed on your uniform), so there was never a question of how much your peers made—it’s all public knowledge that you can find online.

But, most workplaces don’t share employee salaries, despite some evidence that transparency improves company performance. Burkus makes a compelling case below and it’s defintely something to think about.


Photo of co-workers talking courtesy of Jetta Productions/Getty Images.

Photo of Nina Semczuk
Nina understands the struggle of a major career change. After snagging her first job at fourteen, she continued down the path of employment by pursuing a motley assortment of vocations. Ask her about her time in the Army, or her stint as a Harvard research guinea pig. Say hi @ninadawdles or ninasemczuk.com.
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A Pretty Good Argument for Telling Your Co-workers What You Make | The Muse | The Muse