I think that telling your workers not to discuss pay is BS.
I also think publicly posting pay is BS as well.
They are opposite ends of the spectrum of extreme secrecy to extreme openness.
I have a few friends in the industry that candidly discuss compensation, and it's great to understand where one stands/what is achievable.
Besides pay for performance, experience and seniority..
Compensation is very path dependent.
PersonX stayed in a job paying low raises for 10 years keeping their head down until they got cut, then took the first job they could find.
PersonY actively manages their career, moves every 5-7 years, moving proactively when a new firm entices them with better pay.. not when they are desperate to get out of current role / in between jobs.
Of course if these two people land in the same firm in a similar role, they are going to come in at different salaries.
It's more than just negotiation. PersonY may value themselves, in terms of compensation, more than PersonX because the path they've taken them has lead to higher salary. They therefore require an even higher salary to be enticed to move.
I have a few friends in the industry that candidly discuss compensation, and it's great to understand where one stands/what is achievable.
Besides pay for performance, experience and seniority..
Compensation is very path dependent.
PersonX stayed in a job paying low raises for 10 years keeping their head down until they got cut, then took the first job they could find.
PersonY actively manages their career, moves every 5-7 years, moving proactively when a new firm entices them with better pay.. not when they are desperate to get out of current role / in between jobs.
Of course if these two people land in the same firm in a similar role, they are going to come in at different salaries. It's more than just negotiation. PersonY may value themselves, in terms of compensation, more than PersonX because the path they've taken them has lead to higher salary. They therefore require an even higher salary to be enticed to move.