Honest Salary
Web and SaaS
salary transparency
SHOW HN2016
314points
191comments
#55of 2,264 in 2016
Top 3%of 2016 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
5 positive, 34 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 27 critical, out of 68 comments about the project. Thread score -0.37.
Idea: 4 for, 10 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 8 againstDesign: 0 for, 6 againstExecution: 0 for, 3 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful idea for salary transparency and data nerds
From 2 comments
My company had a similar spreadsheet internally that was self-selected and it was incredibly useful. I found that I had come in at the low range for my pay band and got a $10K…
CydeWeys on HNChecked the "whois" data, the website was put together today I bet in an hour or two , and it's already on HN frontpage, well done. What's next?
victorantos on HN
Objections
Self-selected data is biased and not representative
From 3 comments
Just posted this to the other discussion, but it bears just the same. This is just going to be a collection of anecdotes from people who self-select to report because they feel…
TheRealDunkirk on HNIt's not actually that bad. First, even in your version, the "feel goods" (high salaries) and the "complainers" (low salaries) would cancel each other out, and (assuming equal…
coldtea on HNLet's look at what someone would believe to also believe that sharing their salary is a good idea. 1. that if enough people share their salaries, it will cause salaries to revert…
batz on HN
Submitting a salary with job title and company could identify people
From 4 comments
Okay, before you all start adding your data there, consider the fact that it's all made public. In the UK, post codes are usually very specific (sometimes to a single building)…
mpeg on HNAm I the only one that feels shaky sharing my salary? I work at a start up and if I share my position and company it won't really be anonymous, as I am the only person at the…
nhumrich on HNpretty sure that if i put my job title, and years of XP there would be ZERO question as to WHO at my company was making that amount. hell, if i just put my job title... The…
masukomi on HN“Anonymized” data really isn’t—and here’s why not http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/09/your-secrets-live-online-in-databases-of-ruin/ So if you answer this, don't answer…
a3n on HN
Glassdoor and similar sites already do this
From 4 comments
Glassdoor already has a bigger pool of salaries and a longer history - consider contributing there.
Paul_S on HNWhy, just why? Besides Glassdoor, there's now comparably.com (which I also question), plus Quora and mobile apps like Blind. Imho, Glassdoor is actually pretty accurate and you…
eitally on HNThere is already a ton of websites to check salaries. Glassdoor is the most famous one and I made http://data.jobsintech.io last year.
negrit on HNAs well noted, Glassdoor and other places already do this. Why do software developers feel compelled to constantly "invent" things we already have plenty of. Do something unique,…
LorenzoLlamas on HN
Salary is negotiated, so pay is already fair and sharing may hurt negotiation
From 3 comments
The assumption here is that salary is set by forces beyond the employee's control, and it's either fair or unfair. I would argue that everyone's salary is fair, b/c it's set at…
xofer on HNIf I were making a good deal more than my peer what do I gain by being fair and honest. What makes it fair? Why shouldn't I make more or less by the skill of negotiation? I've…
sosuke on HNI really don't understand this. Just in the tech industry, salaries can vary drastically worth the job title even within a company. For example, as a senior front-end developer I…
codeddesign on HN
Requests
Add currency field and support non-US salaries
From 3 comments
> Please use US dollars, thanks! Free currency converter http://www.xe.com/ Ah, too late. And I don't think that's a good idea. Exchange rates vary. Comparing within a…
hocuspocus on HNNeeds: 1) A currency field to make this globally applicable. 2) Clarification text that salaries are gross, not net. 3) Ability to select some base benefits: health, eye, dental,…
buro9 on HNVery US centric. No currency field? Not everyone expresses wages in amount/year. Are these amounts before tax? After tax?
Tharkun on HN
Use HTTPS
From 1 comment
I'd make this site more focus about apples to apples comparison within the same company. I.e 'Share your salary at X and invite your colleagues to do the same'. So people could…
siliconc0w on HN
Group salaries by company and department or level instead of exact title
From 1 comment
I'd make this site more focus about apples to apples comparison within the same company. I.e 'Share your salary at X and invite your colleagues to do the same'. So people could…
siliconc0w on HN
Clarify whether salary and bonus are annual and gross
From 2 comments
The biggest problem here is that you don't specify whether "Stock Value/Bonus" is annual. It should be. Otherwise you're going to get all sorts of inconsistent results. Signing…
CydeWeys on HNNeeds: 1) A currency field to make this globally applicable. 2) Clarification text that salaries are gross, not net. 3) Ability to select some base benefits: health, eye, dental,…
buro9 on HN
Make form fields optional and add gender option beyond binary
From 2 comments
Hey if the creator is here -- you should write "optional" or mark which fields are compulsory ... or somehow indicate it's all optional. I was hesitant to enter the "Employer"…
malux85 on HNAs a transgender person, I won't fill it out unless I have the option to opt out of gender identification or select "other" for gender. I'm not alone.…
transman on HN
Questions
How do they ensure submissions are honest?
From 1 comment
How do they ensure that their submitters are being honest?
GigabyteCoin on HN
Why should people share their salary at all?
From 2 comments
Take aside legal aspects, why wouldn't any employee share their salary with their peers? All the secrecy just create noise, how could transparency be bad? I only see some…
a_imho on HNIf I were making a good deal more than my peer what do I gain by being fair and honest. What makes it fair? Why shouldn't I make more or less by the skill of negotiation? I've…
sosuke on HN
Alternatives named
Glassdoor
From 3 comments
Just posted this to the other discussion, but it bears just the same. This is just going to be a collection of anecdotes from people who self-select to report because they feel…
TheRealDunkirk on HNGlassdoor already has a bigger pool of salaries and a longer history - consider contributing there.
Paul_S on HNWhy, just why? Besides Glassdoor, there's now comparably.com (which I also question), plus Quora and mobile apps like Blind. Imho, Glassdoor is actually pretty accurate and you…
eitally on HN
jobsintech.io
From 2 comments
There is already a ton of websites to check salaries. Glassdoor is the most famous one and I made http://data.jobsintech.io last year.
negrit on HNComparing glassdoor and jobsintech (data.jobsintech.io), glassdoor seems to be on the low end for the few companies I reviewed. Jobsintech uses h1 visa filing data.
Gratsby on HN
Blind and Quora
From 1 comment
Why, just why? Besides Glassdoor, there's now comparably.com (which I also question), plus Quora and mobile apps like Blind. Imho, Glassdoor is actually pretty accurate and you…
eitally on HN
AngelList salaries
From 1 comment
For start up employees, what we really need is compensation tagged with company stage (seed, series A, series B, and so on). I know private entities that maintain such a…
gkop on HN
talkpay_anon Twitter account
From 1 comment
https://twitter.com/talkpay_anon provides similar information in tweet form. People can post anonymously to this account through http://talkpaybot.com/. Disclaimer: A friend and…
alecmgo on HN