Intergenerational Conflict: It's No Longer Taboo to Talk about Salaries with Your Co-Workers

By Dr. Marie Gould Harper
Program Director, Management at American Public University

One evening while I was in the grocery store, I saw three men at the courtesy desk. Two of them I guessed were millennials, and the third was a Baby Boomer.

The Baby Boomer wanted to buy a Powerball ticket. When he started to talk about what he was going to do with his winnings, one of the millennials walked away while his friend looked on in disgust. Finally, he asked, “Are you telling me that you would spend all of the money on yourself? Wouldn’t you give anything to someone else?”

The ticket-buying Baby Boomer asked me to explain to the two younger men how even a billion-dollar lottery winning wasn’t a lot of money once the taxes were taken out.

At that point, I was mediating a conflict between generational values. The Baby Boomer was concerned about taking care of himself (i.e., the me-first mentality), whereas the millennials felt it was gluttony to want to spend all of the winnings on himself, especially when there was enough money to spread the wealth.

You Have to Be Comfortable With Others Not Having the Same Perspectives as You

Sometimes, we have to be comfortable with gray and recognize that others might not have the same perspectives as we do. Also, you have to consider what types of events led to someone having different beliefs than yours. For example, how many times have you told someone why you do things differently? I have met people rebelling against their parents and embracing values, perspectives and mores that are different than those they were taught as children.

That thought came to my mind when I participated in a discussion about how millennials openly talk about their salaries, a practice that tended to be taboo among previous generations. I remember when it was company policy not to talk about your salary with your co-workers.

Baby Boomers Did Not Come Up through the Ranks of Organizations that Were Transparent, Authentic and Trustworthy

Why do some of us have a problem with this practice today? Baby Boomers did not come up through the ranks of organizations that were transparent, authentic and trustworthy. Instead, our experience might have been based on secrecy, a position of power and deceit.

In the past, some companies preferred to keep their employees in the dark. They wanted them to come to work and get the job done, not participate in the running of the organization.

However, there’s been a paradigm shift for some of the succeeding generations. While earlier generations might have lived in fear of being exposed when speaking about salaries, millennials have no problem asking peers about their salaries. One of their justifications is they want to ensure that they are competitively positioned within their job ranks.

Mary Ann Sardone, who leads the workforce-rewards practice at benefits consultant Mercer, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos., tells the Wall Street Journal that, “Pay and promotions are not secretive topics anymore.”

So what’s wrong with consenting individuals having a conversation about their salaries? The reality is the practice has been around a lot longer than the arrival of the millennials. People just did it privately.

About the Author

Dr. Marie Gould Harper is the Program Director of Management at American Public University. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Wellesley College, a master’s degree in instructional systems from Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate in business from Capella University. She is a progressive coach, facilitator, writer, strategist and human resources/organizational development professional with more than 30 years of leadership, project management, and administrative experience. Dr. Gould Harper has worked in both corporate and academic environments.

Dr. Gould Harper is an innovative thinker and strong leader, manifesting people skills, a methodical approach to problems, organizational vision and ability to inspire followers. She is committed to continuous improvement in organizational effectiveness and human capital development, customer service and the development of future leaders.