Pay Ranges, Yes. Everyone's Salary in Public, No

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1. 01Pay Ranges, Yes. Everyone's Salary in Public, No

   Good morning. I run a small design studio in Singapore with twelve employees. Some people say every company should publish every employee's salary. Today, I'll argue that this goes too far, even though some openness is good.

   早安。我在新加坡經營一家有十二名員工的小型設計工作室。有人說，每家公司都應該公佈每位員工的工資。今天我要論證的是：雖然一定程度的公開是好事，但這樣做就太過了。

2. 02Where I Agree

   Let me start with where I agree. The EU's Pay Transparency Directive says applicants have the right to know the starting pay or range, and employers can't ask about pay history. I think those are good rules.

   我先說說我同意的地方。歐盟的《薪酬透明度指令》規定，求職者有權瞭解起薪或薪資範圍，僱主也不能詢問過去的薪資情況。我認為這些都是很好的規定。

   Source: Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Pay Transparency Directive), Article 5, EUR-Lex

3. 03Where I Disagree

   Where I disagree is the next step: publishing each person's exact salary with their name for everyone to see. That's a different thing, and I see three problems with it.

   我不同意的是下一步：把每個人的具體工資連同名字一起公佈，讓所有人都能看到。這是另一回事，我認為這裡面有三個問題。

4. 04Problem 1: Privacy

   First, privacy. Someone's pay can reveal personal things. Maybe they asked to work fewer hours to care for a parent, or they accepted lower pay for more flexibility. They shouldn't have to explain those choices to the whole office.

   第一，隱私。一個人的工資可能會透露出個人的事情。也許他們為了照顧父母申請了減少工作時間，或者為了更靈活的工作方式接受了較低的工資。他們不應該被迫向整個辦公室解釋這些選擇。

5. 05Problem 2: Numbers Without Context

   Second, numbers don't show context. A salary list doesn't show who has rare skills, who brings in big clients, or who joined during a difficult year. Without context, people may draw the wrong conclusions.

   第二，數字無法說明背景。一張工資表看不出誰擁有稀缺的技能，誰帶來了大客戶，或者誰是在困難的年份加入的。沒有背景，人們可能會得出錯誤的結論。

6. 06Problem 3: Less Flexibility for Small Teams

   Third, in a small company like mine, I sometimes need to make special arrangements, like a raise to keep someone who got another offer. Fully public salaries could turn every decision into a team debate.

   第三，在像我們這樣的小公司，我有時需要做一些特殊安排，比如給拿到別家錄用通知的員工加薪來留住他。如果工資完全公開，每一個決定都可能變成整個團隊的辯論。

7. 07A Better Middle Path

   So what's the alternative? Publish pay ranges and explain how pay is decided. Let workers share their own pay if they want to. But don't force every name and number onto a public list.

   那麼，替代方案是什麼呢？公佈薪資範圍，並說明工資是怎麼決定的。員工如果願意，可以自己分享工資。但不要強制把每個人的名字和數字都放到一張公開的名單上。

8. 08Conclusion

   In conclusion, I believe in transparent rules, but private details. Openness should protect workers, not expose them. Thank you.

   總之，我主張規則要透明，但個人細節要保密。公開透明應該是為了保護員工，而不是讓他們暴露在眾人面前。謝謝大家。