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Kathleen Martin

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In the D.C. area, it’s easy to find out how much the president makes, but do you know how much your co-worker takes home every payday?
Trying to figure out whether your salary is on par with your peers requires a delicate balance between transparency and privacy. For some workers, it’s hard to ask the question, “How much do you make?” and even harder to answer it.
“We’re not very good in our society about having conversations about money and personal finances. It’s something that’s taboo in many households,” said Mark Hamrick, Washington bureau chief for the financial services company Bankrate.
“America is a very individualistic culture,” said JR Keller, a professor of human resource studies at Cornell University. “People tend to focus on what they’re getting and what they’re making, and less [about] how that fits into a broader picture of everybody else.”
People don’t always want to talk about it, but they listen when other people do. Hannah Williams, 25, of Alexandria, Virginia, a data analyst for a government contractor, started asking people on the street last year how much they made and what they did for a living. She posted what she did on TikTok and soon launched the Salary Transparent Street series. Since last April, it has racked up more than 850,000 followers.
Continue reading: https://wtop.com/business-finance/2022/10/how-to-and-why-have-the-awkward-conversation-about-pay-transparency/
 
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