The Wide Majority of You – A Whopping 92% – Try to Keep Employee Salaries Confidential Citing Potential Discord Among Staff

Question:

Do you or don’t you make a conscious effort to keep salary and compensation levels confidential?

Yes: 92%

• It is never a good idea to share your personal information with others as far as salary and compensation. NEVER!! Chris A. Clark, Advanced Eye Care, Panama City, FL
• Everyone makes their own deal when starting with the company, based on their experience and self-worth; plus raises and bonuses are based on merit. Miguel Rodriguez, Fava & Maria Eye Associates, Lebanon, PA
• Compensation is a personal matter. Steve Burek, Metro Eye, Milwaukee WI
• It’s truly no one else’s business. Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South Georgia, Valdosta, GA
• It is personal. Chris Gregg, IGH Family Eye Clinic, Inver Grove Heights, MN
• Some team members put in more effort and deserve to be compensated for their effort. Amie Robinson, Spring Hill Eyecare, Spring Hill, TN
• First, so it doesn’t become a competition amongst my employees. Secondly, it isn’t anyone else’s business what anyone else makes. Katie McDowall, Northside Vision Center, Spokane, WA
• When people are doing the same job everyone is paid based on their experience and skill levels. Danielle Doniver, Heritage Optical, Detroit, MI
• Even if we try to keep this information confidential, the staff talks so they probably know what the salary rates are. We like to keep it confidential because there isn’t a lot of range to work with and salary has always been something you don’t talk about. Kaleena Ma, MK Vision Center, Forest Hills, NY
• Salary should and always remain confidential. This is between you and your employer. When this leaks out it only causes riffs between people. Scott Felten, Fox Valley Family Eye Care, Little Chute, WI
• Different people with different skill levels make X dollars per month; then we have raises. We also offer commission to anyone who wants to sell or do extra work. It has been working very well. BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
• Many staff do not understand the full number of factors that affect a wage and knowing other staffs wages rarely boosts team dynamics I have found. Anonymous
• It’s only an employee’s info, very private. Ken Weiner, OD, Livingston, NJ
• There is simply no other way to be. Steve Nelson, Eye Candy Optical, Westlake, OH
• I don’t discuss compensation with anyone but my office manager; however the staff is a different story because everyone seems to know everyone’s business. Marc Ullman, OD, Academy Vision, Pine Beach, NJ
• It just makes for less issues among employees. Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• It’s no one else’s business how much everyone else makes. Vicki Thompson, Arsulowicz Eye Care, Walker, MI
• We have several employees at different levels of pay. We do not want resentment to be the reason employees stop getting along. Heather Aites, Family Vision Center, Westminster, CO
• None ya. Jeff Grosekemper, Casa De Oro Eyecare, Spring Valley, CA
• In my experience, it is a source of contention among staff members that know what each other makes. Keeping it confidential keeps the peace. Star Taylor, Richens Eye Center, St George, UT
• Why does anyone have to know who makes what? Publicizing the pay scales can only lead to trouble. Pablo E. Mercado, Optima Eye Care, Alpharetta, GA
• Skill level, experience, among other factors, all go into someone’s salary. Knowing what others make can cause jealousy and competition that works against the team approach. Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
• Often times salaries are deals made by people that are willing to take the risk, ask the hard questions, and work harder to earn extra. Some are not willing to go to these lengths and don’t deserve the extra that goes along with it. Amie Robinson, Spring Hill Eyecare, Spring Hill, TN
• The value one person brings to the office may not be understood by all employees. Adam Ramsey, OD, Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
• If an employee is hired based on a specific skill set and level of experience others in their field do not need to know what that individual is compensated. If that employee shares that info then that is their choice. As an owner or manager it is between that individual employee and management/ownership. William Chancellor, Eye Can See Eyewear, Forsyth, GA
• To ensure staff feels good about what they’re paid when they compare themselves to their past pay rather than what their fellow employees make who may have more certifications, experience, seniority etc. Tiffany Firer, Lifetime Eyecare, Jenison, MI
• Staff knowing other people’s salary has caused issues in the past. Dorothy Reynolds, Eyes on Fairfield, Fairfield CT
• To avoid problems in the office. Alissa Irons, BLINK, Albuquerque, NM
• The staff does not need to know what others make. It can cause issues with certain personalities. Kristina Jordan, The Eye Site, Mishawaka, IN
• We try really hard to compensate based on performance. While everyone understands this, we don’t go around waving pay rates of our higher-performing staff in front of other staff members. Plus, with the recent inflation and cost of living spikes in our region, we’re having to hire for more than we used to. Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• Salary talk can get nasty among staff. Each member thinks they should be making more than they already are anyhow. They never take into account the total compensation package. If each staff member starts comparing their salary to others, then someone is not happy. Ann-Marie Weaver, Optimal Eye Care, Lewis Center, OH
• So many variables account for compensation and each person has the chance to negotiate. Chris Dudley, Independent Optician, Central Florida
• It’s nobody’s business but your own. Scott Keating, OD, Vision Trends, Dover, OH
• Nobody’s business. Richard Frankel, OD, Atlantic Cape Eyecare, Wildwood, NJ
• I think if employees know each other’s salaries they might wonder why someone makes more money than they do. Tom Brillante, OD, Decatur Eye Care, Decatur, GA
• I prefer to keep salary discussions confidential. Sonja Franklin, OD, Modern Eyes, Austin, TX
• Some employees don’t understand the principles in compensation levels or how other employees are reviewed by management. We don’t need a mutiny. Mark Perry, OD, Vision Health Institute, Orlando, FL
• That’s just how it’s been. However, the employees all know that there is one employee that gets more for their birthday and holidays than the other employees. Judy Scheuerell, Fox Valley Family Eye Care, Little Chute, WI
• My pay is my business, not anyone else’s. Ron Catterson, Clear View Optix, The Villages, FL
• We don’t feel that the staff would benefit from knowing what their coworkers make, it would only cause resentment. And we base pay on their hard work and contributions to our office. No two employees are the same. Susan Kantor, Central Phoenix Eyecare, Phoenix, AZ
• That’s private information. If the staff member wants to tell that’s their business. Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South Georgia, Valdosta, GA
• I feel it promotes harmony and reduces jealousy for a happier office. I’m under no illusions that the staff honors this all the time. Douglas Holle, OD, Sunset Eye Care, San Angelo, TX
• It’s nobody else’s business of what each employee makes. Employees who work hard, who are team players, who work smart, who show up on time, and who show dedication to the practice are compensated more. It is grounds for dismissal from our practice if salaries are discussed among employees. Robert M Easton Jr. OD, Oakland Park, FL
• It has caused problems before when employees with less experience feel like they deserve more. Kathryn Collins, OD, Kissel Eye Care, Lititz, PA
• It’s no one’s business except the employee and me. Laura Miller, OD, Northwest Hills Eye Care, Austin, TX
• To prevent discord among staff. Stephanie Crowley, Sie Eyecare, Charlotte, NC

No: 8%

• I have an open book policy concerning profit and loss for the office and salaries and bonuses. Texas L. Smith, Dr. Texas L. Smith & Associates, Citrus Heights, CA
• Family business. Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
• While we expect and hope that it’s not something that comes up, we can’t do anything to keep it from being talked about. It can become a contentious issue but we do make an extremely conscious effort to keep pay fair and include bonuses and regular raises. Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT