Jobs

By Fred Ouma

IN today's office culture, many traditional rules no longer apply. It is common, for example, to call your boss by his or her first name, dress casually all the time and work a flexible schedule that could include some hours spent on personal errands.

But one convention remains firmly in place in most workplaces: It is not considered a good idea to discuss with co-workers how much you make. However, different people have varying views about the issue.

"It is one of those touchy subjects," says Fagil Mandy, who worked for the Government and is now in private practice with FAMECON, an educational and leadership firm. "It can cause ill will and feelings of inequity among employees," he says.

People, not packages
The main reason to keep your salary to yourself, according to human resource professionals is because varying levels of experience and skills make for an apples-and-oranges comparison. This can be true, even for people with similar job descriptions.

"I might be an accountant and my salary could be different from yours for a variety of reasons," says Silvia Nandera, a human resource and management consultant. "They could include time with the company, industry time, performance, specialties and additional training. People in the same job could have different salaries," she says.

The case for transparency
However, Patrick Okee, a workplace management consultant, advocates a democratic workplace where salaries are discussed openly. He believes offices function better if decisions, including those about compensation, are shared by bosses and workers.

"Everyone gossips about how much people earn and everyone is wondering. It is very toxic and wasteful," he says. "When you're open, it cuts down on the noise and allows people to be more efficient."

"If workers have the same job and they're adding value and you create an open system that acknowledges and rewards them, that's so much better."

Know your worth
According to human resource professionals, workers with legitimate concerns that they are being underpaid can get a sense of their worth through professional organisations or mentors without having to ask a colleague.
"You can research your own market value and address it with your manager directly without mentioning anyone else," Mandy suggests.

When managers learn that their salary figures are being exchanged, they should consider this an opportunity to review with their human resource departments how their payment systems rank with the marketplace.
"Most companies will track their pay against the marketplace on a regular basis ," Nandera says. "This is just another reason to initiate an analysis, if one hasn't been done in the past."

Tell the boss
Salary discrepancies often crop up for long-time workers, who may have started at a lower pay scale than recent college recruits.
Whether or not a raise is warranted, managers should make sure employees understand the rationale behind their pay. Still, it's not always possible to meet someone's salary needs. "At some point, the answer gets down to, 'We feel your pay is appropriate,' and if the individual says, 'I don't,' then, 'we can't do much more,' concludes Nandera.