> In every org I've seen with open salaries, I've seen the opposite. That it raises all boats because everyone demands to get paid the same as the highest salary on the team.
That's not an ideal result either.
A better result would be that people get more comfortable with conversations about "here's why they make more than you, and here's what you could do to provide more value and earn more salary".
Someone shouldn't get paid more because they're a better negotiator. But they should get paid more if they provide more value.
I've heard a few stories from people at companies open about salaries that involve such conversations, but not nearly enough such stories.
Yeah, that's the second part of the convo that I didn't mention. Step one, everyone demands to get paid as much as the highest salary, step two, we have a discussion about why that person makes more, step 3, sometimes they might get a small raise.
But the point is that it doesn't revert to the mean, but it reverts to the max.
That's not an ideal result either.
A better result would be that people get more comfortable with conversations about "here's why they make more than you, and here's what you could do to provide more value and earn more salary".
Someone shouldn't get paid more because they're a better negotiator. But they should get paid more if they provide more value.
I've heard a few stories from people at companies open about salaries that involve such conversations, but not nearly enough such stories.