Why you should know how much your coworkers get paid | David Burkus

譯者: jim 陳哲民 審譯者: JiYuan Zhang

How much do you get paid?

你有多少薪水？

Don't answer that out loud.

不必大聲回答。

But put a number in your head.

但在腦中想一下。

Now: How much do you think the person sitting next to you gets paid?

現在，你認為坐在你旁邊的 這個人有多少薪水？

Again, don't answer out loud.

同樣地，不必大聲講出來。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

At work, how much do you think

在你的工作中，你認為多少薪水，

the person sitting in the cubicle or the desk next to you gets paid?

是坐在隔壁或隔壁桌的人 應該要得到的？

Do you know?

你知道嗎？

Should you know?

你應該知道嗎？

Notice, it's a little uncomfortable for me to even ask you those questions.

注意，問你這些問題 甚至都讓我有點不舒服。

But admit it -- you kind of want to know.

但不得不承認你想知道。

Most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of broadcasting our salary.

我們大多數人對說出我們的薪水 這個想法感到不舒服。

We're not supposed to tell our neighbors,

我們不應該告訴鄰居，

and we're definitely not supposed to tell our office neighbors.

我們也絕對不應該 告訴我們的同事。

The assumed reason is that if everybody knew what everybody got paid,

假設的原因是如果大家 互相知道誰得了多少薪水，

then all hell would break loose.

那麼就會天下大亂。

There'd be arguments, there'd be fights,

會有爭論與戰鬥，

there might even be a few people who quit.

甚至可能有幾個人辭職。

But what if secrecy is actually the reason for all that strife?

但如果實際上保密是 所有爭鬥的原因會如何？

And what would happen if we removed that secrecy?

如果我們去除那個 保密的潛規則又會發生什麼？

What if openness actually increased the sense of fairness and collaboration

如果實際上在一個公司裡， 開放可以讓人覺得公平和協作

inside a company?

又會如何？

What would happen if we had total pay transparency?

如果我們將薪資透明化會發生什麼？

For the past several years,

過去幾年，

I've been studying the corporate and entrepreneurial leaders

我研究了公司和創業領袖

who question the conventional wisdom about how to run a company.

關於如何運作一個公司的共同看法。

And the question of pay keeps coming up.

薪水的問題不斷出現，

And the answers keep surprising.

但是他們的回答一直很讓人驚奇。

It turns out that pay transparency --

事實證明，公開工資，

sharing salaries openly across a company --

跨公司分享工資資料，

makes for a better workplace for both the employee

能為每位員工還有組織

and for the organization.

製造一個更好的工作環境。

When people don't know how their pay compares to their peers',

當人們不知道相比於同事 他們的薪水情況如何，

they're more likely to feel underpaid

他們更有可能覺得自己的薪水太少，

and maybe even discriminated against.

甚至可能感到受到歧視。

Do you want to work at a place that tolerates the idea

你想在一個容忍 這個想法的地方工作嗎？

that you feel underpaid or discriminated against?

你覺得太少或歧視？

But keeping salaries secret does exactly that,

但保持薪水秘密就是這樣，

and it's a practice as old as it is common,

這是一種很普遍的古老做法，

despite the fact that in the United States,

儘管事實在美國，

the law protects an employee's right to discuss their pay.

法律保障員工討論薪水的權益。

In one famous example from decades ago,

在幾十年前的一個著名例子中，

the management of Vanity Fair magazine

《浮華世界》雜誌的管理者，

actually circulated a memo entitled:

實際上分發了一份備忘錄，題為：

"Forbidding Discussion Among Employees of Salary Received."

「禁忌的討論 。」

"Forbidding" discussion among employees of salary received.

其中禁止討論員工的薪資。

Now that memo didn't sit well with everybody.

這條規則不是所有人都接受得了的。

New York literary figures Dorothy Parker,

紐約作家圏知名人物 Dorothy Parker、

Robert Benchley and Robert Sherwood,

Robert Benchley、 Robert Sherwood，

all writers in the Algonquin Round Table,

還有在阿爾岡昆圓桌文人會的作家，

decided to stand up for transparency

決定堅持薪資透明。

and showed up for work the next day

並在第二天現身工作時，

with their salary written on signs hanging from their neck.

將他們的薪水寫在 掛在他們脖子的工資牌上。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Imagine showing up for work

想像現身工作時，

with your salary just written across your chest for all to see.

你的薪水寫在牌子上， 讓所有人都看到。

But why would a company even want to discourage salary discussions?

但是為什麼公司會想要 阻止工資討論？

Why do some people go along with it, while others revolt against it?

為什麼有些人喜歡它， 而其他人反對它？

It turns out that in addition to the assumed reasons,

事實證明除了假設的原因之外，

pay secrecy is actually a way to save a lot of money.

工資保密其實是節省很多錢的方式。

You see, keeping salaries secret

你看，保持薪資秘密，

leads to what economists call "information asymmetry."

導致經濟學家所說的 「信息不對稱。」

This is a situation where, in a negotiation,

在這情況談判的雙方，

one party has loads more information than the other.

一方比一方有更多資訊。

And in hiring or promotion or annual raise discussions,

在招聘、升職、加薪的討論中，

an employer can use that secrecy to save a lot of money.

雇主可以使用這種保密方式 節省很多錢。

Imagine how much better you could negotiate for a raise

想像一下如果你知道每個人的薪資，

if you knew everybody's salary.

你會要到多少加薪。

Economists warn that information asymmetry

經濟學家警告說信息不對稱

can cause markets to go awry.

可能會導致市場出差錯。

Someone leaves a pay stub on the copier,

有人在印表機上 不小心遺留一張工資表，

and suddenly everybody is shouting at each other.

然後大家突然互相喊叫。

In fact, they even warn

事實上，他們甚至警告，

that information asymmetry can lead to a total market failure.

信息不對稱可能導致整個市場失靈。

And I think we're almost there.

我認為我們正處在這個邊緣。

Here's why:

這就是為甚麼：

first, most employees have no idea how their pay compares to their peers'.

第一，大多數的員工不知道 自己的薪酬與同事相比是如何。

In a 2015 survey of 70,000 employees,

在 2015 年對 70,000 名 員工的調查中，

two-thirds of everyone who is paid at the market rate

三分之二按標準敘薪的員工

said that they felt they were underpaid.

表示他們覺得自己工資不高。

And of everybody who felt that they were underpaid,

對於所有感覺到 自己沒有得到足夠薪水的人，

60 percent said that they intended to quit,

60％ 打算辭職，

regardless of where they were -- underpaid, overpaid

不管他們的實際工資── 是少拿，是多拿

or right at the market rate.

或是拿標準薪資。

If you were part of this survey, what would you say?

如果你是這調查的一部分， 你會說甚麼？

Are you underpaid?

你會感到不舒服嗎？

Well, wait -- how do you even know,

等一下──你如何知道？

because you're not allowed to talk about it?

因為你不被允許談論這話題？

Next, information asymmetry, pay secrecy,

其次，信息不對稱，工資保密，

makes it easier to ignore the discrimination

使其更容易忽略已經存在於

that's already present in the market today.

目前就業市場的歧視現象。

In a 2011 report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research,

2011 年，一項研究所的 婦女政策的報告指出，

the gender wage gap between men and women

男人和女人之間的工資差距

was 23 percent.

為 23℅。

This is where that 77 cents on the dollar comes from.

這就是一美元與 77 美分的出處。

But in the Federal Government,

但是在聯邦政府，

where salaries are pinned to certain levels

薪水按照等級劃分，

大家都知道自己的薪等是多少。

and everybody knows what those levels are,

性別工資差距則收縮至 11％。

the gender wage gap shrinks to 11 percent --

and this is before controlling for any of the factors

這還沒有控制其他變數，

that economists argue over whether or not to control for.

而經濟學家爭論是否應當控制。

If we really want to close the gender wage gap,

如果我們真的想減少性別工資差距，

maybe we should start by opening up the payroll.

或許我們應該從公佈工資開始。

If this is what total market failure looks like,

如果市場失靈，

then openness remains the only way to ensure fairness.

那公開薪資會是 確保公平的唯一方法。

Now, I realize that letting people know what you make

現在，我意識到讓人們 知道你賺多少

might feel uncomfortable,

可能讓你感到不自在，

but isn't it less uncomfortable

但不會超過

than always wondering if you're being discriminated against,

總是想知道你是否受到歧視，

or if your wife or your daughter or your sister is being paid unfairly?

或你的妻子或女兒或姐妹 是否被苛扣薪水的不自在。

Openness remains the best way to ensure fairness,

公開是確保公平的最佳方法，

and pay transparency does that.

薪資透明也是其中一種。

That's why entrepreneurial leaders and corporate leaders

這就是為什麼商界領袖和企業領導

have been experimenting with sharing salaries for years.

多年來一直在嘗試公開工資，

Like Dane Atkinson.

像 Dane Atkinson 一樣。

Dane is a serial entrepreneur who started many companies

Dane 是開創過很多公司的企業家，

他在薪酬保密狀態下發工資，

in a pay secrecy condition

and even used that condition to pay two equally qualified people

甚至對兩個同等資格的人

dramatically different salaries,

開出顯著不同的薪水，

depending on how well they could negotiate.

一切取決於他們多會談判。

And Dane saw the strife that happened as a result of this.

Dane 看到了結果導致的衝突，

So when he started his newest company, SumAll,

所以當他成立 SumAll 公司，

he committed to salary transparency from the beginning.

他一開始就把薪資透明化，

And the results have been amazing.

效果比預期的好。

And in study after study,

在大量研究中，

when people know how they're being paid

當人們知道他的薪水

and how that pay compares to their peers',

和同事相比處於什麼水平，

they're more likely to work hard to improve their performance,

他們會更加努力來提升業績，

more likely to be engaged, and they're less likely to quit.

更多參與，更少辭職。

That's why Dane's not alone.

這就是為甚麼模仿 Dane 的人越來越多。

From technology start-ups like Buffer,

從類似 Buffer 的初創科技公司，

to the tens of thousands of employees at Whole Foods,

到有數萬員工的超市 Whole Foods。

where not only is your salary available for everyone to see,

不但大家的薪資都透明化，

but the performance data for the store and for your department

且每個分店、每個部門的業績數據，

is available on the company intranet

可在公司網頁上查得，

for all to see.

供所有人查看。

Now, pay transparency takes a lot of forms.

實際上，薪資透明有很多種方法，

It's not one size fits all.

並不是一成不變的。

Some post their salaries for all to see.

有的公司把薪資向所有人公開，

Some only keep it inside the company.

有些只在公司內部公開。

Some post the formula for calculating pay,

一些公開職位薪水的計算公式，

and others post the pay levels

另一些公開薪資分級

and affix everybody to that level.

並告知每個人所處的等級。

So you don't have to make signs

所以你不需做薪資牌，

for all of your employees to wear around the office.

以便員工在辦公室穿著。

And you don't have to be the only one wearing a sign

你也不必是唯一一個 穿著標誌的──

that you made at home.

那是你在家裡做的。

But we can all take greater steps towards pay transparency.

但我們都可以 更大步地走向薪酬透明。

For those of you that have the authority

對於那些有權利

to move forward towards transparency:

推動薪資透明化的人：

it's time to move forward.

是時候向前邁進了。

And for those of you that don't have that authority:

對於沒有那個權力的你們：

it's time to stand up for your right to.

現在是時候為你的權益站出來。

So how much do you get paid?

所以你得到多少薪資？

And how does that compare to the people you work with?

跟你的同事比你的薪資如何？

You should know.

你應該知道，

And so should they.

他們也應該。

Thank you.

謝謝你

(Applause)

（掌聲）