Not exactly on topic but in the spirit of this post have a funny story. Hired a young lady recently entering the work force. She had been working about a week when we did our payroll run. This entailed printing out all the checks with pay details etc. Is done in an administrative office that is obviously kind of private. Not some place you would wake in without permission. Anyhow we started the payroll print and my manager stepped out briefly to get a coffee. When she came back this new employee was flipping thru everyone's pay check. Of course my manager immediately asks what she is doing to which she responds 'oh I'm just wondering what everyone is being paid'.
She honestly thought it was just fine to not only start flipping thru paperwork in the managers office but to also look over employee payroll checks. She simply had no idea and just stated what she was doing like it was just fine. Actually that was her saving grace. While we made it quite clear how inappropriate it was, being it was her first job, we chalked that down to immaturity and didn't let her go on the spot. Had she been older that likely would have been her last day.
Mind you she only last a week longer for a myriad of other reasons. Little common sense.
it was just fine to not only start flipping thru paperwork in the managers office but to also look over employee payroll checks
Hey so believe it or not but she was right; people should have the right to know what their coworkers get paid.
Stop pretending it's supposed to be secret.
Workers should be allowed to discuss their pay if they choose. They shouldn't be able to access peoples' private financial information because they feel like it.
Fuck no. People have the right to keep their wages secret if they want. It is up to them to disclose that at their choice only. I certainly as their boss would not disclose the hours or wages someone gets without permission. Are you for real?
I don't like this weird culture of paying people different wages for the same jobs.
Ideally people would be paid the value of their labour. People with the same job often have different labour values. So that's a good reason for people to have different pay for the same job. A roofer that can lay more shingles, waste less material to bad cuts, and build roofs that don't need leak in the warranty period deserves to be paid a lot more than one that is slow, wasteful and sloppy.
But there are also bad reasons for people to get paid more for the same job. Eg Skin colour, height, corporate bullshitting, gender.
I agree compensation transparency is good but I don't think the answer is new hires snooping on people's pay stubs.
Sure- but it's not something for you to be able to look at just because you want to. If I don't want you to know something about me you don't have the right to know.
Bullshit. People get various wages because typically they have different skills and some are definitely more motivated or at a different point in their careers. The new hire that is not fully trained for their job, comes with no experience and has yet to master skills should get the same wages as the person that has been there for twenty years? That is mental.
You’re a fucking moron for believing this. It is literally only advantageous to the owners and investors in everyone keeping their wages secret. Obviously the activity described by OP is pretty dumb but to the larger point everyone should openly discuss how much they earn, only detriment is showing how unequal and stagnant wages are.