GlassDoor.com: Click Quick Before HR Blocks the Site

In a salary negotiation, information is power, and usually HR has a lot more of it than you do. It’s always beneficial to know what colleagues in the same role are making. If you make more than they do, you can be all proud inside. If you make less, you can use this info in negotiating for a new job or a raise.

I got my power at a previous employer when someone left an excel spreadsheet of what everyone was making on the copier. Ooops. Advantage: me.

Naturally, HR doesn’t want you to have access to such info. Secrecy means they hold the cards – they can tell you that you are at the top of your grade, or that no one is getting raises this year, and you are stuck having to believe it.

And of course there are other kinds of info that would be very useful if you are looking to make an employer change. As in, do people like working there? Are there opportunities for advancement? Is it a good place for <> to work?

But no more! GlassDoor.com is the online community that gives you an inside look into employers – what it’s like to work there, what’s good and bad, and how much you can expect to get paid at a different level.

Users share access to such critical info through a three step process:

1. Contribute an employer review or salary report.
2. Save your information to a free and anonymous account.
3. Get full access to the reviews and salaries shared by the community.

The reviews and such are good. Here is an example of one for a Big Four accounting firm:

Aug 21, 2008

Accounting Firm

Career Opportunities 1.5 (5 point scale)
Communication 2.0
Compensation & Benefits 1.0
Employee Morale 1.5
Recognition & Feedback 1.0
Senior Leadership 2.0
Work/Life Balance 2.5
Fairness & Respect 1.0

Disapproves of CEO

“Great place to build your experience in tax, but they exact their pound of flesh”
2 of 2 people found this helpful

Senior Tax Consultant in Stamford, CT (United States) Current Employee

Pros Experience with the best clients in the market place, the ability to grow into an area of specialty you find interesting, the reputation of the firm with potential future employers.

Cons Long hours during tax seasons, focus on "chargeable hours", politics, lack of a real bonus program (1 to 6 percent of salary annually is a joke).

Advice to Senior Management Make sure in particular that Seniors are well supported and given opportunities to grow there client relations skills when they first become seniors, to make the transition to manager an easier one. Also provide a more normal bonus. A top performer should be able to get 10 to 15% of pay at least. Making the top end 6% is a joke. Most people are lucky if their bonus equates to one additional biweekly paycheck.

Naturally, there are also some rants on the system, but overall the info is quite strong.

In terms of salary reports, they appear to be very accurate based upon my knowledge of what friends and such make at ad agencies, for example.

Because the site offers complete anonymity, there are few disincentives and lots of incentives to tell the truth. And with the truth comes worker power.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.