It used to be considered taboo, but “salary chatter” has become a staple in the modern workforce, especially among younger staff.
The Robert Half 2020 Salary Guide finds 73% of employees report checking their salary online against market rates in the past twelve months, and more than half talked to other people in the office about their compensation package.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s very important that managers, i.e. companies and hiring managers, be aware their employees are investigating and researching this information, and it’s being discussed more than thought,” says Jacob Shupe, Metro Market Manager for Robert Half in Houston.
The survey looked at employees across the country, finding 82% say they are well informed about what they are worth in their industry, and 73% admit going online to research what similar individuals in their field are being paid. Two years ago it was 54%.
“The survey found there has been a little bit of a generational shift,” says Shupe. “It’s probably being discussed more often now than it ever has been. Here in Houston specifically, 41% of the workers admitted that they’ve compared notes on salary and compensation with colleagues.”
Men are more likely to compare notes than women employees, and younger workers more likely than older. 61% of respondents said they don’t do anything with the information, while 28% say they asked for a raise based on what they discovered and 17% said they used it to negotiate a new job offer. Of those 55 and older 88% say they kept it to themselves, as 65% of those 35 to 55 and 45% of those under 34 say they’ve found knowing what co-workers make helpful.