Are you being paid fairly? Young workers share salary information as pay transparency gains steam...

Depends. Have stayed @ some places for less $ because it was a great place to work. Have also left some good places because I couldn’t afford to stay. Recall once when a co-worker acquired (sic) a list of the department’s salaries, raises and bonuses and posted it on the bulletin board. HR wasn’t pleased; however, it sure exposed a lot of shenanigans that had been going on. And —> as for exec pay, benefits and golden parachutes for (non) performance, that = another story.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHaq7roKRy4

Lot of personal choice and accountability involved. You can chase responsibility and money will follow, or chase a comfy cubical decorated with little purple gnomes and angels. I've had sales staff and HR teeny weinies in my office complaining about salary and told them it is what it is here. Followed shortly by a visit from an over the top HR Director claiming I told his people to quit. If they're compensated fairly - on a par with - the universe of their skillset, they know it and their satisfier becomes quality of leadership.

Before I get into the meat, I want to acknowledge that I am speaking from a place of privelege. I have the luxury of owning two homes (one of which is rented out), having a retirement income - and incredibly cheap health insurance for me and mine - from the Army, and receiving good disability pay. Most Americans are not in that situation. For many Americans, especially those in the lower and lower middle classes, the difference between $15/hr and $16/hr is INCREDIBLY significant.

But for myself, and others similarly situated in the upper middle class, pay isn't everything. If it was, I would have never made it to retirement in the Army. And I would not now be a social service worker.

So, no, pay isn't everything. But it's not nothing either. I am pretty much at the bottom range of what I am willing to accept for a wage. If I go down more than $2K / year, I will not be able to support my current standard of living (comfortable, but not extravagant.). I also could not afford to take my current low wages to a high cost area like Boston, NY, LA, DC, or SF.

But... As long as a job makes it up to that minimal threshold, money no longer matters to me. I am due a raise for longevity. I am not worried; it will happen when it happens and it isn't worth ruffling feathers. Plus the lump sum back pay will be nice. I have turned down advancement opportunity because I do not want the added stress. I am not seeking a different job, because I am comfortable where I am at. Etc.

Up until a job takes me beyond the current threshold and into a new tax bracket (I'm talking a $18K+ / year difference), then no job will entice me away with money. And even then, I will have to like the work. I could have gone and done contracting work for 6 figures when I retired. But that would have meant more wear and tear and more deployments. No thank you.

Far more important than the $ is the environment. Good people, supportive management, opportunities to grow and learn, clear expectations, pleasant work area, etc. are all HUGE deciding factors.

But, in line with the article, fairness is also HUGE. If I am getting paid less than my peers, but expected to do more, it's a problem for me. Currently, where I work, it is very similar to the Army - paid by grade and longevity. I am a "CM2.". I make more or less the same as all CM2s. Those who have been around longer make a little bit more than me, but understandably so. And my job is WAY easier than theirs, just because of the unique niche I fill. I am VERY aware of the resentment this could cause, so I am always the first to volunteer to help out the other CM2s and CM1s. If I were to do JUST my job, rather than my job plus help out with theirs, it would quickly and easily make for a hostile or tense environment. And if I were doing the work of my boss (a CM4) for my current pay, I would not be around for more than 3 months - and those 3 months ONLY if I was supposed to be getting the higher pay and I was just waiting for the system to correct itself (and pay me back pay).

Long post, but in a nutshell, pay matters. But not as much as some employers think.