Entries Tagged 'Career' ↓

Just recently I read about a case of salary discrimination where a female worker found out that she was paid less than her male counterparts for 19 years. She found out by accident because she was about to retire and a memo was sent to her containing three of her male coworkers’ salaries. She was more senior than most of them and was paid anywhere from 20% to 30% less. This reminded me of one of the companies I worked for because my coworker and I found a list of everyone’s salaries on that company’s shared drive under a folder named Public/Company. If you sorted the list by salary and position it was pretty clear all the women got paid the least in their roles compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, new hires were paid quite a bit more (10 to 20%) than people who have stuck around the company ever since the lean years of 2001 to 2003. When I was leaving the company I made it clear to my manager that I and my cubemate knew this information since it was on a public shared drive where we store our collective files and he was pretty pissed because he found out that a brand new guy a couple levels below him was paid more than him. So he packed up and left soon after me. After we both left nearly everyone in the engineering organization of that company got a raise. It felt like a lot of drama at that time, but I think in the end everyone was better off because the salary information was public (even though it may have been unintentionally public). The people who stuck around got a “market adjustment” and mostly caught up to their new peers, and those of us who left found better opportunities.

So having gone through that incident, I have thought a lot about the pros and cons of public salary information in a corporation. Here are my conclusions:

Pros of public salary information:

1. Companies can’t secretly discriminate against workers if salary information were all public. This will pretty much eliminate lawsuits where employees do find out discriminatory compensation.

2. There is no secrecy between coworkers so there is no speculation as to who is getting paid more, and so everyone can just focus on work. If salaries were posted by position then there wouldn’t be an incident where newcomers with the same positions are paid a lot more just because they joined at a more prosperous time.

3. There would be better accountability for a company as to where their money is going. For example, public companies disclose the pay packages of executives because shareholders like to know the information. Also, the government gives detailed salary information on all positions because they are spending public money. If everyone in a company knew what others were making, then it’s easier to trim the fat when needed.

4. Employees would be more aware of their worth to a company and the career and promotion paths would be more clear. This gives employees direction and something to work towards. In the government they basically state how many years of experience or education you need for a certain pay grade. This makes it easier for people to figure out what they need to do.

Cons of public salary information:

1. Workers may be more complacent in knowing that they will get paid a certain amount as long as they stick around. They may not work to their max potential because they already know what raise and bonuses they would get.  However, I think companies could avoid this complacency by giving out performance based raises and bonuses and clearly state what the rates are for each performance level.

2. Companies would have to shell out a lot more to hire people from competing firms during great economic times because they would have to raise the rates for everyone.  I do think this is a good thing for the employees, but it can be costly for employers.

3. Companies with posted salary information may give  regular but smaller raises and bonuses because they need to make the most amount of people happy.   This is how it is in the government, but it doesn’t have to be always true.

I know that in America people believe that salary information should be confidential, but I really think that open salary information could be beneficial to employees and employers. Since I am Chinese I do discuss salary information with my friends and it is actually very helpful to know what the market rate is for my position.  I think ultimately public salary information has a stabilizing effect in a company because those who are comfortable with what everyone else is being paid are probably happy with what they are being paid.   Since employees often leave companies due to their thoughts about their salary, a company can benefit from workers who are content with their salaries.

What do you think?  Do you work for an agency with public salary information?  Do you wish you worked for one?

Share This

Some time ago I wrote an article about crazy bosses and how they could drive you crazy. I haven’t had any super crazy boss, but I have had some nice bosses. Today I want to discuss the phenomenon when nice bosses actually encourage me to work harder voluntarily.

My current boss is really nice. He is really easy going and trusts people to work on their own. He wants us to get things done, but he never pushes extremely hard. He always allows people to take care of their personal hardships first and seems to truly care about his team. This week I asked for a day off for Friday because of the hubby’s bonus Vegas trip. So I asked if he would sign my vacation form, and he said don’t worry about it and just go. Then he told our entire team that we could take the whole week off because we just finished our release. This is actually the second time he negotiated with upper management to give us a week off. When our team is on a deadline we do work pretty hard and put in time late at night or on weekends so the days off are like a release bonus for all of us. Now the hubby says that I can use the time to clean the house and lose some weight. I’m not sure if that will really happen, but I could try.

I think nice bosses actually encourage me to work harder. When I am left alone and not prodded constantly I tend to finish my tasks faster. The key takeaway here is that if a boss leaves you alone to do your tasks it shows that he or she trusts you. Having that trust allows me to do the best I can do. I think if I had a crazy boss that looked over my shoulders constantly while I worked I would be pretty annoyed and just try to get him or her off my back as soon as possible.

Another thing is that by being nice, a boss actually instills loyalty in his or her reports. I know that in a previous article about Gen-Y and the workplace I wrote that there isn’t much loyalty between employees and companies these days, but there I believe loyalty still exists between people. For example, my team at work all share the same goal when we are working, and we all want our product to be the best so that everyone on the team can look good in the company. Having a nice leader makes me want success for the entire team because in a way I don’t want to disappoint them.

Finally, I believe that having a competent and nice boss is really better than having a higher salary because to me a friendly working environment is more important than money. What do you think? Do nice bosses naturally encourage you to work harder?

Share This

My short life has taken place in three distinct places separated by oceans. They are China, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In terms of income, my family has made more money in the Bay Area than any other place in the world. However, I am not sure that our quality of life has drastically improved from the times when we were dirt poor. It is a bit mind boggling, but here is a side by side comparison of the places I have lived, and how my experience of life isn’t really vastly improved by money.

When I was young, China just opened up to the west, but most agencies were still state owned. My parents were college professors so we lived a pretty middle class lifestyle. We lived in a condo provided by their employer and had enough for all of our basic needs. The biggest purchase my parents made was a color television, and it worked quite well for many many years. I remember watching Ninja Turtles, Denver the Last Dinosaur, The Smurfs, and lots of other American cartoons from the eighties. The government also provided health care and schooling so everything seemed quite fine to me. The education I got in Chinese public schools was quite excellent and definitely gave me an advantage in school later. I knew that my parents didn’t have much money, but for the most part I felt that we had everything we needed. As far as I know, apparently many American people my age had the same kind of middle class suburban childhood as I did, and even watched the same cartoons.

Then we moved to Hawaii, and my parents were students and had no money at all. However,we always had a place to live and I qualified for the free lunch program at my school so I don’t remember ever going hungry. Hawaii is also a beautiful place and I loved living there. There was a kid in my class who came from Los Angeles and he hated Hawaii. I didn’t understand why he hated Hawaii, but he said it was because it is an island and it is so damn small. Since my family didn’t own a car, I felt that the island was huge. I didn’t understand why anyone would hate Hawaii, and I still don’t.

After my parents graduated from school we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area because my aunt already lived here and the economy in Hawaii isn’t that good. They both found jobs and we got a nicer apartment, and then a house, and cars to get to work.  In terms of material wealth, we did have more.  However, the entire Bay Area lifestyle was just so much more stressful than any other place we have ever been. People are just much more competitive and aggressive here and even after ten years I don’t think I am used to it. My parents made more money, but I don’t think our family became happier because of money. Instead, I think money actually created a lot more stress and worry for my parents and me. As they say, “mo’ money, mo’ problems”.

So now my husband and I both pull in decent incomes, and to some people it may seem that we make a lot of money for our age, but I feel that our quality of life is perhaps a little lower than my childhood in China. We have to deal with driving on crazy highways, the lack of job security, and potentially substandard education for our future children. We do live a comfortable life, and we are thankful, but I still long for a simpler and less stressful place to live. Perhaps my memories of China and Hawaii are a bit idyllic because I was still a child, but I would seriously give up my income to live in a place where things didn’t move so fast and the basics of quality education, health care, and housing are not so hard to come by.

Share This

This is a continuation of my family’s immigration story as told by my dad. In this chapter my dad chooses a major in college at the age of 38. If you missed the previous posts please check out the series’ category here:

Fifteen Years in America

Kapi’olani Community College’s Admissions Office is in a building with the backdrop of Diamond Head. I found it quickly and an administrator named Alice started to talk to me. I told her my background, including my experience as a college professor in China, but my English was quite poor and I wanted to repeat college. She listened to my stuttering English and often stopped me and said, “Excuse me, could you repeat? I don’t understand you.” After a bit of explaination, she understood what I was trying to say. She told me that it’s great that I want to attend the school and there are many older adults attending. There are even seniors studying courses of their choice. Additionally, there are some international students. With her introduction, I found out more about the University of Hawaii system. University of Hawaii is a public school system created by the state government, and includes three universities. The largest of the universities is the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It has over 20000 students and has masters and PhD programs for many different subjects. In addition to the three universities, there are seven community colleges on the major islands. These colleges generally have lower requirements for entry and also cost significantly less. At that time, each semester credit only cost 19 dollars and the max you had to pay was 228 dollars per semester. There are many subjects you can study and you have a choice to take classes you are interested in. After two years, you can get an Associate Degree and you can use the degree to find jobs or transfer to a four year university. I personally think that this system of higher education in America is commendable because it suits the needs of different types of students and saves resources for the society as a whole.

After Alice told me the information, she asked me what my English score was. I told her my TOEFL score and she said that I already qualify for the school. So she took out several different forms from a drawer and told me to fill it out. As long as I turn them in within a week I could enter college the next semester. I was extremely excited and took the forms she gave me and hopped out of the school like a little sparrow. As I walked home, my thoughts were like the turbulent waves of the nearby Pacific Ocean. I thought of the words of one of Helen’s friends, “Be not afraid of being slow, but be afraid of being still”. These words contain a deep wisdom.

After I got home, I started to busily fill out my application forms. In addition to the basic application, I needed to prove that I had economic support. In the application there was a section about high school. When the Cultural Revolution began, I was only in the 4th grade, and the schools shut down after I finished two years of middle school. When I was 15 I was sent to work in a factory, so I have no record of attending any high school. Fortunately, I had my TOEFL score and my college diploma, so it didn’t matter. Helen already had a graduate teaching assistant scholarship so she is considered an employee of the University and we had medical coverage. At that time, the most important question is what major I should pick. A Chinese proverb says, “men are afraid of picking the wrong profession, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man”. From the point of view of a traditional Chinese person, I was already in a stage where I couldn’t turn back. However, I had to rekindle my fire, and I really needed to pick the right career.

I chose to study finance and accounting based on my skills. The main reason is that my English was horrible, but my mathematical skills are quite decent. Second, I already had a background in economics and law, and that could be important in a financial career. Third, many people think that being an accountant is quite boring and tedious so there is a shortage of accounting professionals. In general, accounting jobs are easy to find because accountants are needed everywhere. Recently America added many financial legislation so that auditors and accountants are needed in larger quantities. It is very different from China because in America financial professionals are paid quite well and they are generally respected individuals. Recently, I saw a paper which listed the 25 highest paying professions in America. The first 10 spots were taken by various types of doctors, and the top median salary is around $160,000. CEOs were placed at number 14, and accounting managers are placed at number 25 with an average salary of $100,000.

The things I experienced later proved that choosing to be a financial professional was correct. The year before last I was invited by my alma mater in China to do a series of lectures about nonprofit companies in America. So I created a course based on my personal experiences and successfully delivered a special lecture. Afterwards, I saw one of my old assistants, who is now the dean of the business school. When we had dinner together he asked me what I do in America for a living. I told him that do some financial consulting and accounting. He said, “it’s such a shame that talent like you is being an accountant!” After I have been in America for so long my thoughts and prejudices have changed quite a bit. I remember that the great author Lu Xun once said, “if you don’t have that much talent, just pick something small to do.” I do not regret my choice for a bit. If I didn’t leave my position as a professor, my life would have stood still and living for one day would be the same as living for one year, and perhaps I would still be the same after ten years.

A friend left a comment in my blog that said, “when you are studying you find joy in work. I have once said that if it were possible I would spend my entire life at school, but reality would not allow you to do so.” It is true and I agree with her view. I am extremely lucky and glad that I was able to make a new choice, have a new goal, and live a new life. In fact, when I started college once again, I felt so much younger since my classmates were teens and tweens. How many people have a chance to return to that period of their lives?
To be continued! If you don’t want to miss a thing, please subscribe to the full feed!

Share This

Several years ago, many of my classmates graduated into a recession and had hard times finding jobs. It seems that this situation may repeat itself again in the next couple years. There have been studies that state graduating in a recession sticks with a person’s career for a long time. Those who start off their careers in a recession generally has lower pay because they started at a lower point. Here are some tips for my younger friends who may suffer the misfortune of getting a diploma in an economic downturn.

1. Don’t devalue your time - In a recession, I have seen people accept jobs at firms who paid very little or jobs completely outside of their field of study just because it is the only jobs they could find. I don’t think it is necessary to devalue yourself just because the general economy is in the ruts. Your time could be used to learn things or start your own ventures. If you are not desperate for money it is probably best to continue searching for a job that you want and a company that would value you for your services.

2. Consider graduate school or professional training – Recessions are popular times to get more schooling because jobs are scarce. However, a full graduate school program can be extremely costly and you need to consider carefully if it is worthwhile. It may be cheaper and quicker to get professional certificates. I know there are many different certifications in IT and finance that could enhance a young person’s career without costing an arm and a leg.

3. Be frugal - A lean economic period is probably the best time to learn to be frugal and use your money wisely. You may have to be a boomerang kid and move back home with the folks or eat 50 cent spaghetti, but you may be unemployed for a while and learning to survive on a shoestring is essential.

4. Keep your eye on the economy – Make sure you keep yourself informed about the general economy. The reason is that if you did accept a lower payrate during the recession you should know when your pay should be adjusted to the market rate. Otherwise, new grads who graduate after you may be paid more than you, and that may seem unfair, but you need to be aware when this happens and ask for a change. Otherwise, companies are happy to pay you less.

5. Do your own thing and forget about looking for a job – There are some people who started their own businesses and never needed to find a job. For example, Ben Chui of Ben’s Bargains was class 2002 or 2003 at my school, and he never needed to find a job amidst the recession because of the success of his website. If you want to start your own company you should go for it while you are young and have nothing to lose. It takes a lot of work to succeed and make a living, but it is definitely possible.

The bottom line is, don’t let what you can’t control discourage you and cut down your future. As long as you are flexible about what you want to do and have a drive to improve your life, you will beat any economic downturn and graduating in a recession would not matter at all.

Have any more advice for new graduates? Feel free to comment!

Share This