Knowing how much your co-worker earns wonât close the pay gap.
Salary transparency will address inequalities but exchanging your pay grade will only make the environment more competitive and brutal.Â
Employers donât want to emphasize the gap between menâs and womenâs earnings as they know itâs a numbers problem and a far deeper issue.
Advertising those numbers publicly wonât heal only harm the feeling of jealousy.
Americaâs overall raw wage gap was 17.7% in 2020, though itâs far larger for Hispanic and Black women. This gap is usually attributed to the fact that women make up 2/3rds of the countryâs low-paying jobs and the fields dominated by men tend to offer higher wages designed for white-collar workers in freezing cold offices all day in high cost cities of New York and San Francisco.
What if it was an equal playing ground?
Would there still be discrepancy?Â
Unfortunately yes.
 If women and men worked the same jobs, men would still earn more. The reason being is women are less likely to negotiate higher pay and afraid they will loose their job although majority of the time when they do, it goes their way.
If a women asks for what they deserve, they are seen as greedy and ungrateful. When they ask for nothing, they are seen as not doing enough.
The most logical means to closing the pay gap is to make salaries public yet do women really want to know how much their male counterparts earn?
They will get in a cat fight and companies will feel pressured to explain to workers how their salaries are determined which is sure an awkward topic.
Some companies such as Buffer publicly release every employeeâs salary based on title and started using a formula to set pay, entirely on the personâs role and cost of living, not gender, age or other factors of who knows what goes into them.
Since most companies donât publish compensate totals for the public, itâs only estimated, I canât even image how they are valued. Who knows, it could be based on how likable the employee is or if they are known to leave a little earlier on Fridays, if they tend to snag all the snacks at the cafeteria bar or are more attractive or taller?
Co-Talk
Disclosing compensation can flatten pay, cause people to flee and find organizations that instead pay for performance.
Creating a culture where people are constantly comparing themselves and inflate their sense of accomplishment is dangerous. Companies need to create a healthier environment banning titles and positions through a system of hierarchy.
Through research, pay transparency has not allowed employees to feel more committed to the company and in fact the complete opposite. Companies ignorantly believe money is still an age-old taboo.
Beyond Pay
Promotions via a 2k person email chain to shout-outs in the team meeting can make team members feel horrible.
Almost every single employee must feel jealous at one point or another since corporate culture is all a based on a hierarchal system. We are judged based on performance, gender, KPIS, likability, competitiveness and timing.
But spending time in this environment for the rest of your career can be extremely draining and no comfortable sane way to live.
So how do employees move past these feelings of envy, anxiety, comparison and anger and still not let it sabotage their career?
#1: Take Notice Of Your Emotions
Instead of letting them go, let them be. Everything in moderation is key. From ice cream to competitiveness. A healthy dose of it will help you stay motivated and cross that finish line yourself.
Acknowledging your feelings is the first step and realizing that life is unfair is part of the game. Who knows, maybe she got the job because sheâs simply more attractive or belongs to the same country club as your boss?
Read here how attractiveness relates to success.
Youâll be surprised.
You canât control that so focus on your personality, how you react/deal with situations and move on.
Attacking someone because they are better at accounting or doing pitch decks isnât a smart move either.
#2: Make Work Exciting and Remember Why You Are There
You should never have to tolerate a toxic workplace. We spend 50%+ of our lifetime working. Make it an engaging space by staying in your lane and showing up, the most underrated skill you can posses. Itâs not about outworking someone, itâs about enjoying the process, being there with co-workers and learning from them.
#3: Just Talk It Out
I canât tell you how to manage your emotions and take care of yourself becuase Iâm not you.
You do you.
Iâm not a mediation gal but I like therapy and expressing to strangers (therapists) whatâs going on. This keeps me grounded, realistic and get a 3rd eye view on whatâs really going on.
Most of the time, itâs over exaggerated.
Why do bullies target innocent victims?
Because they are jealous and insecure in themselves.
As hard as it may be, be proud of otherâs successes because this should be a team effort, never a competition, only between companies or when competing in a step challengeâŚ
If youâre jealous of everyoneâs success, youâll be miserable forever.
Make it clear how youâre feeling. You canât change others actions or force them to be worse.
The best way to strive to follow someoneâs footsteps is to learn from them.
Donât be shy. Ask them how theyâve achieved X,Y,Z. They know no one knows everything and they are just human after all.
Work should be a safe, comfortable, fun and innovative space where you feel you belong and are treated fairly. Itâs your second family not prison.Â
Unfortunately life isnât 100% fair but with what you have control over which mainly evolves around your mindset, you can go really far.
Learn, listen, stay in your lane, be a little selfish and take care of yourself to stop ruminating over mistakes and being jealous of everyone.
Someone always has something you donât have.
Life is too short to focus on what you donât have. Make work as exciting as possible otherwise they donât deserve you to be there.