Hacker News Reader

Comment by MontyCarloHall | Hacker News Reader

I’d love to see a law that goes a step further and also mandates that everyone’s salary be public knowledge to everyone else within the same company. If this generates resentment, it means the company is poorly managed. The company would therefore either be compelled to fix their pay discrepancies (thereby allaying the resentment) or risk losing resentful employees to other companies.

It would also be great if this current law forced companies to disclose accurate ranges (e.g. ±1σ from the median pay for a given title). Otherwise, they can specify arbitrarily huge ranges and make the whole thing meaningless.

View on HN

Even if you didn't give specific dollar per person. I agree. There should be known ranges for a position and years of service as minimum

Similar to military if you know someone's pay and years. You know their minimum. But they might get additional amount for other reasons.

I think a good starting place is say position x pays between 35k and 40k for 1 to 5 years in position.

Its removes a little burden on jealously of knowing exact amounts. And the range must be small enough to be reasonable. It can't just be between 30k and 300k. Or as GP said. Give a +- from median.

I know its be easier for some to say they make higher end of their range or above max than it is to share specific dollar amount.

> There should be known ranges for a position and years of service as minimum

Because value production is an exact function of job title and seniority?

There can be 'levels' that is semi-independent from 'job title'. As this is commonly the case in many companies.

Many companies have multiple levels for a given job title. Everywhere I've worked in software has had 'levels' with a finite range, and as you reach the upper bound of the range, you move to the next 'level'. There is some overlap in the level's ranges. Also as I originally stated, this is the 'minimum' for simply a starting talking point, it will still allow some to be hidden/obscured. There is always 'additional bonuses/awards' on per project basis. e.g. Project ___ grants an additional $$$ either 1 time bonus on start, on complete, or recurring.

If someone's value production is greater, than they should be promoted to the next 'level' which comes with increased compensation.

In Norway, everyone's tax returns are public information.

https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/search-the-tax-lists/

I'd like to see a law forcing companies to pay everyone $1,000,000/year. Then we'd all be rich. It's so easy, I can't believe no one has thought of it before. Just force people to do stuff.

This is a pretty lazy dismissal that doesn't even make clear the connection you're trying to make.

How is open salary information the same as paying everyone $1M/year?

This might backfire on employees that ask for a raise, but won't get it because the employer feels like they'd have to give everyone else raises.

Then the employee can go work for someone else who will pay them more.

Such a law would seem unconstitutional. It is one thing to regulate commercial speech to the public -- as Colorado is doing -- but another altogether for the government to compel private speech about private individuals.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com