Website makes salaries more transparent

More specific income data can help negotiate a raise. It may also hurt working relationships.

By Marilyn Gardner | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the September 15, 2008 edition

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"How much do you make?" has long ranked as an impolite question in polite circles. Salaries remain shrouded in secrecy, reigning as one of the last taboo subjects.

Now that "Shhh, don't tell" attitude is beginning to crumble as the Internet offers new ways to gather and post information. With a few clicks of a mouse, Web users can browse salary sites to find general salaries for various positions. A new entrant, Glassdoor.com, allows anyone to find and anonymously share salary details about his or her job at a specific firm and location. Launched in June, the website went global last month, providing salaries in more than 100 countries.

"It's a level of transparency that hasn't existed before, so it's initially uncomfortable," says Robert Hohman, CEO of Glassdoor. "But it's empowering. Being paid fairly for our work affects us emotionally, and having that income affects our life. People want to know, 'What am I worth as a software engineer with five years' experience?' "

So far, the site lists 88,000 salaries at 11,000 companies in 90 countries. To gain access, users must submit a salary or review a company. Glassdoor researchers check all material, Mr. Hohman says. "If it doesn't look right, we contact the user and challenge it."

For employees, the information can be useful in negotiating a salary for a new job or getting a raise in an existing position. For employers, Hohman says, it provides a way to see what a competitor pays. Noting that most employers conduct an annual salary survey, he adds, "Once that information is public, it can only help. If there's a large gender gap, it'll be laid bare. It'll be harder to continue with unfair practices."

Traci Fenton, who as CEO of WorldBlu advises companies on how to run more democratically, calls the website "controversial" but adds, "It's also a really great idea.... Salary transparency is a great way to inform employees about how committed the company is to fairness."

But not everyone favors full transparency. "Although we generally want to know if we make more than a colleague, bitterness sets in when we find out otherwise," says J. Max Barger, an attorney in Bethesda, Md. "When the American Bar Association publishes an average starting salary for beginning associates, we hear nothing but grumbling for weeks following the publication. It still just isn't appropriate to talk about money with others. You either come off as a braggart, or you turn sour. Rarely does such a discussion improve relationships, work efficiency, or self-confidence."

Many corporate executive salaries are already on record in proxy statements, and top salaries at nonprofits are available on websites that post IRS Form 990 data. At the bottom of the pay scale, entry-level salaries often appear in ads. That leaves workers in the vast middle wondering where they stand.

Many factors determine compensation, says Steve Gross, global compensation consulting leader at the consulting firm Mercer. These include tenure, performance, location, performance of the business, and supply and demand.

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