Imagine a workplace where, contrary to the norm, each employee can know the salary of his colleagues. This is the bet that the telecommunications company oxio has been making since the end of April.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Marc-André Campagna, co-founder and CEO of oxio, implemented an internal compensation register on April 28. This is part of its new policy of “salary transparency”, which comes to counter the “opacity” of wages found in the majority of companies. A concept that, since they have more information on hand, would give employees greater bargaining power.
“There’s a lot of fear and dread of challenging the status quo,” he said. Not publishing salaries gave the greatest power to employers, who could pay as they saw fit. »
So far, this measure has been very well received by the hundred or so employees of Oxio. “We have excellent comments. People are super excited, says Marc-André Campagna. I was even surprised to see team members revealing their salaries publicly, even though they hadn’t been asked. »
The pay transparency put forward by oxio remedies a problem of “salary secrecy” traditionally present in companies, according to Stéphane Renaud, full professor at the School of Industrial Relations at the University of Montreal.
Often, employees are asked not to reveal their salary, precisely to discourage comparison between workers. When there is no point of comparison, they tend to compare themselves with people higher than them. It generates dissatisfaction and inequity.
Stéphane Renaud, full professor at the School of Industrial Relations of the University of Montreal
Already, Marc-André Campagna’s payroll has enabled oxio employees to improve their working conditions.
“We realized that Caroline, our marketing director, was earning $40,000 less a year than what we could offer her depending on the market,” he says. She presented her research to us and we increased her salary. »
Break the mold
Denis Morin, professor in the organization and human resources department of the School of Management Sciences at UQAM, would personally be less inclined to openly reveal his own salary. “Unless it’s to close friends, you’re not going to tell your annual salary systematically. Especially not. Determining your personal salary depends on many factors that your colleague does not necessarily know,” he says.
This is precisely what needs to be corrected, according to Denis Morin, who recommends that employers provide their workers with tools to improve their understanding of compensation.
“How often do you review salaries? Are job descriptions up to date? Do you link job performance to salary? Who will answer employee questions about compensation? […] Make sure employees have everything they need to fully understand your compensation policy,” he advises companies.
It is important to know not only the salaries, but also the mechanisms behind them. The ultimate goal of this is to establish a work environment where there is as little disparity as possible.
Stéphane Renaud, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM
Improving fairness is precisely what oxio wants to do. The company and its CEO believe it is beneficial to “open the discussion about who will earn how much” by presenting arguments for why X remuneration is associated with Y position.
It is likely to continue
Marc-André Campagna, 29, is a young business leader. Putting forward his policy of pay transparency, but also his preference for teleworking, he prides himself on having a “new way of doing things”. And according to him, there is also a significant gap between “old and new” ways of running a business.
“We want to be the most transparent company in the world,” says the young man. We have the only telecommunications company that says how much it costs us to provide you with a plan for such a quantity of GB. Eventually, our board meetings and the company’s various expenses will also be public. »
An employee placed in a fair situation will be more loyal and will feel more valued, concludes Professor Stéphane Renaud.
“It’s something that will grow, because of the expectations of young workers. For them, the first factor demanded in a job is recognition of their contribution. They no longer live to work, but they work to live. »
Learn more
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- $250,000
- Salary that Marc-André Campagna receives annually. This information is publicly available, as part of his company’s “pay transparency” effort.
SOURCE: oxio