Have you ever been even just a little curious about what your coworkers are paid? If you haven’t, I commend you. But for most of us, it’s an age-old curiosity. How much money does the person next to me make? More, less or the same as me? Should I have negotiated more? Did I totally miss my opportunity? The questions in your head go on and on. Well, the Wall Street Journal recently published a fascinating article that shared a growing phenomenon in some private firms: total transparency. And, by that I mean – every person in the company has access to all the info – from company financials to employee information (a.k.a. salary). Can you imagine?
How Do You Feel About Total Transparency at the Office?
From the standpoint of a business owner, I have to admit – I’m not exactly sure what I think or where I stand. I’m all for transparency, but I also feel strongly about traditional business practice (I mean it’s worked for many, many years, right?). This article uses a few small companies with the open models as examples and it sounds like it really works. Employees know where they stand in relation to everyone else and if they feel like they are being underpaid, they are able to voice their concerns. It’s a pretty cool and forward thinking way of doing business – what do you think? Would this work for you?
