Sharing Pay Details At Workplace Taboo In India; 61% Say They'll Only Share It With Family Member: LinkedIn Survey

Sharing pay information at the workplace is considered taboo in India with just 1 in 10 professionals or 13 per cent saying they would discuss their salaries with coworkers they trust.

Compared to the national average, younger generations in India are more likely to share their pay information with family and friends.

Sharing pay information at the workplace is considered taboo in India with just 1 in 10 professionals or 13 per cent saying they would discuss their salaries with coworkers they trust and nine per cent saying they would discuss with peers they trust in other companies, a new report said on Thursday. According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn between June to September 2022, 61 per cent of professionals in India are more comfortable sharing their pay details with a family member while 25 per cent would share them with their close friends.

Compared to the national average, younger generations in India are more likely to share their pay information with family and friends. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn's latest edition of "Workforce Confidence Index" report shows data from 4,684 professionals surveyed in the country. 

“Professionals are still not comfortable having conversations about pay in the workplace, however, our LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index data reveals that a generational shift is at play. Family and friends remain India’s closest confidantes when it comes to sharing the size of their paychecks, but the current generation of young professionals are more willing to share pay information with their coworkers and industry peers as compared to other generations. In fact, Gen Z professionals are found most likely to share their pay across their whole network as compared to any other age group,” Nirajita Banerjee, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn News, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, around 72 per cent of Gen Z and 64 per cent of millennials in India say they are comfortable sharing their pay information with family members, while 43 per cent of Gen Z and 30 per cent of millennials are also willing to confide in their close friends. The LinkedIn report also states that 23 per cent Gen Z professionals are most likely to share their pay information with co-workers they trust, distantly followed by 16 per cent millennials and 10 per cent Gen X.