It turns out the general workplace edict to not discuss compensation and salary details is only a “hard-and-fast” rule some of the time.
When asked how likely they were to share details about their compensation with their co-workers, just 21% of respondents said they would never do it, according to the latest reading of an ongoing survey by Comparably. More than 10,000 people, predominantly in the tech sector, participated in the survey.
Younger people who have spent less time in the workplace are more likely to share salary details.
The data implies that younger and less experienced workers are more likely to poke around for compensation details. For age brackets 18-25 (29%) and 26-30 (28%), the most common answer to the question was “it depends,” implying a more mutable ethical take on the issue.
18 to 25
26 to 30
The same is true for those who have spent less than six years in the workplace, implying that certain codes of conduct may have to be ingrained by experience. In fact, 32% of entry-level employees agreed that such discussions were in some cases okay to have. That percentage shrinks to 21% for those who are 10 or more years along in their work life.
Entry-level
10 years or more
Among departments, HR and executive are the least likely to talk compensation.
Respondents from the executive and HR departments were the most likely (each with 26%) to reply that they would never discuss compensation with coworkers under any circumstances. Among departments surveyed, design (15%) and engineering (17%) were least compelled to answer similarly that salary and compensation discussion were always off the table.
Executive
HR
Design
Engineering
The latest reading is as of March 20.
