Glassdoor, the world's most transparent jobs and recruiting marketplace, today unveiled the results of its Global Salary Transparency Survey which reveals almost half of employees globally (47 percent) say their employers still do not share pay data internally. Furthermore, the majority of employees in the UK (69 percent) wish they had a better understanding about what fair pay actually is for their position and skill set at their company and in their local market. More than half of employees in the UK (57 percent) believe they must switch companies in order to make a meaningful change in their compensation. The Glassdoor survey polled 4,300 adults employed full-time/part-time in seven countries (the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland).
"Even in 2016, most employees—especially women—remain in the dark about what is fair pay for their particular role. The majority of employees report their companies do not share pay data internally even as most employees believe salary transparency is good for business and employee satisfaction,” said Dawn Lyon, Glassdoor vice president of corporate affairs and chief equal pay advocate. “Employers need to understand that perpetuating salary sharing taboos can ultimately impact retention. More than half of employees around the world feel that in order to get a significant raise they need to jump to a new company. Our data shows by helping employees understand fair pay and providing clear pathways for advancement, employers can increase employee satisfaction, engagement and retention.”
Employees Believe They Need to Change Jobs to Earn More Money
Perception among employees may be that the grass is greener elsewhere, as many believe they could earn more at another company—an important message to employers. More than half (57 percent) of UK employees feel they must switch companies in order to get a pay rise. Older employees aged 55+ (43 percent) are less likely than their younger colleagues (65 percent of those aged 18-24 and 62 percent of those aged 25-34) to feel they must switch jobs for meaningful compensation changes.
Most Employees Report Their Companies Do Not Share Salaries Internally
Times are changing, but sharing salary information among employees at a company is still not the norm. Less than half (45 percent) of employees in the UK say they know their company discloses salary information internally. This is higher than in France (33 percent), Germany (28 percent) and Switzerland (25 percent), although not as high as in the Netherlands (50 percent).
The majority of UK employed adults (74 percent) believe salary transparency is good for employee satisfaction and approximately the same percent (76 percent) believe it is good for business.
Lack of Understanding Persists Around How Pay is Determined
The survey also uncovers that globally, employees have a lack of understanding about how their pay stacks up in the market: More than two-thirds of employed adults in the UK (69 percent) wish they had a better understanding of what fair pay is for their position and skill set at their company and in their local market. More than a quarter (28 percent) indicated they do not have a good understanding of how people are compensated at all levels within their company.
Clarity around compensation practices is divided along gender lines in the UK, where significantly more employed men than employed women believe they have a good understanding of how people are compensated at all levels in their company. In the UK, more men (64 percent) than women (55 percent) say they have a good understanding of how people are compensated at all levels in their company.
Glassdoor currently holds approximately 12 million workplace reviews, ratings and insights, including millions of salary reports, on more than 500,000 companies[1] around the world. Glassdoor has also recently conducted several research reports and surveys diving deep into the topic of pay and salaries.
ADDITIONAL GLASSDOOR SALARY RESEARCH & REPORTS:
- Demystifying the Gender Pay Gap: Revealing The Gender Pay Gap
- 25 UK Jobs Where You Can Earn More Than £50,000
- Does Money Buy Happiness? The Link Between Salary and Employee Satisfaction
COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS: Complete results are available in the Glassdoor Global Salary Transparency Survey Supplement, which details employee perceptions of salary transparency at their company, whether employees have a good understanding of fair pay for their job, and how salary transparency may impact employee satisfaction and retention. This includes breakdowns of survey results by gender, geography and age, as well as survey methodology.