Are your peers making more than you are?

June 16, 2008 1:04 PM

Glassdoor: an inside look at companies from those who know them best.
posted by allkindsoftime (25 comments total)

I would never post to such a site. (Do you hear that Mr. HR-person-sniffing-my-traffic?)
posted by tkolar at 1:10 PM on June 16

Hasn't vault.com been doing this for years...
posted by SweetJesus at 1:28 PM on June 16

I have nothing to add other than a very old friend had a big hand in this.
posted by jdfan at 1:31 PM on June 16

How do they verify that someone really works where they claim they do? Emailing a contributor at a work address is not likely to be popular, so what's to prevent me from signing up claiming to work for a competitor and then talking about how the toilets are always clogged in the mens room and all of the offices smell like mildew?
posted by cmonkey at 1:32 PM on June 16

Knowing what your coworkers make is old hat if you're a public employee.

The Asbury Park Press has been publishing salary information for NJ State Employees for about two years now. They now have school teachers (NJ & PA), faculty at NJ higher ed institutions, federal employees, and civil services retirees & their pensions.

It lacks the ability to post reviews and comments, but for public servants, it's probably the most honest assessment of how well or poorly compensated your coworkers are.
posted by johnjreiser at 1:48 PM on June 16

I chose the wrong lifetime to give up working for the man, apparently.
posted by maxwelton at 1:52 PM on June 16

How do they verify that someone really works where they claim they do?

They don't. From the FAQ:

We make it clear reviews and salaries must be posted by a current employee or someone who was employed by the company within the last three years. Since our service is anonymous, we require our users certify that they actually work at the employer when they submit their review or salary. We trust our users to be honest about their employment, and we also happen to believe that it's easier to tell the truth than it is to make up lies.

I think they could easily and safely verify the status of current employees. When a user registers, they would be told to look out for an email from a randomly generated "[e-mail]" or similar. The email itself would be an innocuous personal email. Easy-peasy.
posted by jedicus at 1:52 PM on June 16 [1 favorite]

Knowing what your coworkers make is old hat if you're a public employee.

Hell, the Boston Herald regularly exposes the salaries of public employees, supposedly in order to highlight waste (even when the salary is really quite low)
posted by mkb at 2:08 PM on June 16

FYI - you have to register and submit a report of 100 words or more to actually be able to see anything useful.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:11 PM on June 16

It seems like you have to either sign up or write a review of your own before it lets you get down into the nitty gritty stuff. I'll just stick to picking the locks and rifling through my co-workers desks. It's worked great thus far.
posted by quin at 2:13 PM on June 16

Ah, I love the reviews of my company.

"Beats unemployment"

F*ck
posted by The Power Nap at 2:26 PM on June 16

FYI - you have to register and submit a report of 100 words or more to actually be able to see anything useful.

I had to register and give a little info, but no report of 100 words was necessary to see what my colleagues are making.
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:40 PM on June 16

quin: why is posting a review of your work environment akin to picking locks and rifling through co-workers' desks?
posted by phliar at 2:52 PM on June 16

"Ample opportunity for one to achieve self-directed success while participating in a world-changing company.…”
— Cashier in Dallas, TX (from Whole Foods)

Nice way to earn a $10 gift certificate from HR. Just copy from the brochure and hit post!
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 2:55 PM on June 16

"Beats unemployment"

Are you kidding me? That's an incredibly positive review. Have you ever been on unemployment? It fucking RULES.
posted by dersins at 2:57 PM on June 16 [4 favorites]

A friend of mine found a site like this when she was looking for work, but it was a bit more web-1.0. What was interesting was reading reviews from people who worked for companies like backwater and Halliburton.

I read a post from one young woman talking about how the sexual harrassment wasn't as big of a problem as people said, how she had a six figure bank account after working a year (since she had no expenses, nothing to buy, and a huge salary) and that the sporadic mortar fire kept things interesting.
posted by delmoi at 3:00 PM on June 16

It's not the review aspect so much, phliar, as it is the see how your salary stacks up against your peers thing. It's the idea of being able to compare anonymously with others, something that most people won't discuss face to face in the office.

And really, the lock-picking part is nothing more than a hobby. I hardly ever get good information out of it, though it is a handy time to plant evidence implicating them in all sorts of nefarious plots against the government.
posted by quin at 3:05 PM on June 16

So can someone post a login for those of us who don't feel like creating an account?
posted by hincandenza at 4:29 PM on June 16

hincandenza: "So can someone post a login for those of us who don't feel like creating an account?"

Username: not2bugme
Password: dontbugme
posted by octothorpe at 5:00 PM on June 16 [2 favorites]

People reviewing my company say the pay is low. I'm making 15% more here than I was at my old job. What does that say about my previous employer?
posted by backseatpilot at 5:11 PM on June 16

Maybe it's you, backseatpilot....
posted by dersins at 5:11 PM on June 16

Come on, it's gotta be worth something that I could stick so many pencils in the ceiling tiles.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:13 PM on June 16 [1 favorite]

Are you kidding me? That's an incredibly positive review. Have you ever been on unemployment? It fucking RULES.

I've run out the maximum benefit period. twice.
posted by ninjew at 5:16 PM on June 16

...and that the sporadic mortar fire kept things interesting.

You just pray Ballmer will retire or find a hobby.
posted by hal9k at 6:10 PM on June 16 [3 favorites]

The number one reason to be able to pick desk locks is FREE CANDY. I don't care how much you make. I don't want your stapler. I just want your candy. Look, just hand over those butterscotch disks and whatever chocolate or mocklate you have hidden back behind the hanging file drawer and I won't read your email. Much.
posted by loquacious at 9:20 PM on June 16