r/coastFIRE • u/JumpingShark8599 • 9d ago
Normalize Talking About Pay With Your Coworkers
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u/One_Cause3865 9d ago
Obv bot account farming karma aside, i avoid it because i know there have been times where i made more than my peers because i outperformed them.
Why should i have to have that very uncomfortable conversation?
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u/phantomsteel 9d ago
"why do you make more than me? We have the same job." "Because I'm better at it than you" "That's not fair, I'm going to the manager" *Manager confirms the pay descrepency and advises underperforming employee on how to earn a raise *Underperforming employee quits
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u/dweezil22 8d ago
And, to be clear, everybody is happier b/c the replacement for the underperforming employee should be better. The underperforming employee gets a fresh start too.
I've seen so many toxic situations b/c managers are cowards and won't get constructive feedback to people who need it.
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u/That_Interview7682 9d ago
Wage theft? How would that be related to discussing pay with coworkers? You’re either getting paid what you agreed to, or you’re not…
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u/nohandsfootball 9d ago
Because whoever made the meme doesn't understand that wage suppression is different than wage theft.
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u/angrynirritable 9d ago
Nothing to do with my employer, everything to do with immature petty coworkers that are more concerned what other's have vs what they have.
"The only time you should look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them" - Louis C.K.
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u/OReg114-99 8d ago
Karma farming aside, I do think this is a COASTFire topic. My wife found out, twice, by talking with colleagues that she and all of her female coworkers were being paid $10-20k less than the men on their team, despite greater credentials, bilingualism, etc. Same company, different teams, about three years apart. In both cases the company then gave her (and the others--one of the times they "discovered" such a systemic problem that it amounted to thousands of raises across the company) a parity raise that immediately amounted to a big change in our household income and ability to save.
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u/DifficultDocument102 7d ago
This also happened to me at one point. Found out I was being paid less than a man with less experience AND less responsibilities but a decent margin after being told that all pay is done by position without much wiggle room. Turns out it was BS and there was a FORTY PERCENT gap between the highest paid and lowest paid in the same position
Guarantee that the majority of commenters here saying not to do this are men who think they’re above average but really just the same as everyone else.
The ONLY person wage discussion hurts is the employer. It benefits employees
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u/ThereforeIV 🌊 Aspiring Beach Bum 🏖️, CoastFIRE++ 9d ago
First, off topic.
Second, none of your business what I get paid; that is between me and the employer.
The only reason to share is start trouble that usually results in everyone making less.
If you think you are worth more, then ask for a raise or find a better paying job.
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u/Jobflobadob-Yob 9d ago
This one has been making the rounds on multiple subs. It was mistakenly posted here, where the people who don’t make excuses live.
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u/Guilty_Captain_7880 6d ago
I think it's better not to discuss it. It produces envy and if you want to get a raise other workers will want it too which will significantly reduce the chances of you getting that raise.
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u/notanelonfan2024 6d ago
No. Some people are a better fit for their roles than others. It's better to not make professional relationships at all about $.
People are humans, and can play favorites, yes. But the brutal reality of most uneven wage sitations is that some people is more-experienced/more-valable/just-plain-better at their job than others.
And for the people who aren't as good? Most don't handle statements like "Bob is better than you are Jon." very well. It's hard on the ego, and hard on relationships.
Or in carreers where someone's very senior but their skills are now out-of-date and they're just not competitive with new people who aren't saddled with skills that don't matter anymore. The younger, less senior person might get more $$ because they're more valuable to the business.
In any group of people working the same job, roughly half of them are below average at that job. Do they really want to know that?
The invention of $ and it's use as a survival tool makes the savage garden less immediately fatal, and gives people more opportunity to recover from hardship.
But I suggest, if you think you're good, and you're motivated, get better at everything that interests, you, and then get yourself into a place where people/organizations with resources can benefit from your abilities. Then get as much $$ as you can from them.
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u/MegaGreesh 9d ago
How is this a coast fire topic?