Thoughts on Salary Transparency

I Accidentally Learned a Colleague's Salary

At a team dinner, a colleague had a few too many drinks and mentioned their salary. Same title as me, 8 million won ($5,800) more per year. Likely negotiated better when they joined mid-cycle. Walking home that night, the feeling was strange. Not exactly anger, but a hollow sense of something. (Okay, I was a little angry.)

"We do the same work -- why the difference?" That thought stuck for a week.

Korea Has a Culture of Salary Secrecy

In Korea, "how much do you make?" is considered rude to ask. People often don't tell even family the exact number. Employment contracts include "salary is confidential" clauses. Most people don't know these clauses aren't legally enforceable.

The reasons: companies don't want to manage complaints about pay gaps. Among employees, higher earners fear jealousy, lower earners feel embarrassed. Everyone stays in the dark, consoling themselves with "I'm probably not the lowest."

Other Countries Are Different

Some US companies publish salary tables openly. Buffer posts every employee's salary on their website. GitLab is similar. "This role, this location, this salary range" -- fully transparent.

Colorado passed a law requiring salary ranges in job postings. California followed. The EU passed a pay transparency directive too.

But open salaries aren't a magic fix. Even Buffer reportedly had conflicts early on. "Why does that person earn more than me?" questions exploded.

What I Did After Finding Out

Two things.

First, I requested a raise. I didn't say "my colleague makes this much." Instead, I compiled my performance and argued "my compensation seems below market value." Result: 4 million won increase. The 8 million gap shrank to 4 million. (Still annoyed about the remaining 4 million.)

Second, I started researching market rates. Developer communities, salary-sharing spreadsheets, Blind (a Korean anonymous workplace app). Understanding where I fall relative to the market reduced anxiety. Uncertainty is what fuels the most anxiety.

I'm Not Sure Transparency Is Clearly Better

Logically, I believe transparency is good. Equal pay for equal work is fair. Research shows salary disclosure is the most effective way to reduce pay discrimination.

But emotionally, it's complicated. If I were the highest-paid on the team, transparency would feel uncomfortable -- other people's stares would be a burden. If I were the lowest, my self-esteem would take a hit.

And salaries varying within the same title can have reasons. Experience, skill set, negotiation ability, timing of hire. Ignoring these variables and forcing "same title, same salary" could actually reduce motivation.

Developer Community Salary Sharing

On Blind and Korean developer forums, anonymously sharing salaries is common. Posts like "Big Tech, 5 years, backend, 72M won." It's basically an unofficial salary table.

It's useful. When considering a job switch, you can check "am I being paid fairly?" But there's a bias: people who post tend to be at least somewhat confident in their compensation. It's a skewed sample. The posts that catch your eye are always the ones earning more than you.

What I Actually Want

Full disclosure feels unrealistic. "Range transparency" seems more practical. "This title's salary falls within this range" -- published by the company. Then I can see where I sit within the range, and if I'm below, I have grounds for a conversation.

My current company has nothing like this. Probably won't anytime soon. So I take responsibility for understanding my own market value. At least once a year, I look at the job market. Not necessarily to leave -- just to calibrate.

And I still get along fine with that colleague. It was awkward for a while after learning the number, but ultimately it's the company's issue, not theirs.