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by rwmj 5685 days ago
First time I've come across glassdoor.com -- clear your cookies else your "free trial" runs out.

At one small start-up company I worked at us developers/hackers eventually found an "encrypted" XLS document which contained all the salaries (this was when Excel "encryption" wasn't up to much). So we read everyone's salaries, from the management down. The interesting part was that certain people in management were taking home huge salaries, for not doing very much visible work. The company ripped off a lot of investors and was eventually sold for a tiny fraction (~1%) of the money which was put in. Which surprised no one on the inside.
1 comments
nopal 5685 days ago
Do you think it's acceptable for you to have read the document, no matter how simple the encryption?
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rwmj 5685 days ago
Sure, why not? I don't get this whole secrecy around salaries. If it was up to me everyone in the company would know what everyone else was earning.
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nopal 5685 days ago
Well, I don't think it's a question of whether salaries should be kept secret or not, I think it's a question of whether one should access data he's not supposed to just because he can.
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nopal 5684 days ago
I find it interesting that this is getting down-modded.

I think the ethics of IT is an interesting and important subject, and I was surprised to see someone unabashedly admitting to using his position to read confidential material.

I don't think our industry has a good enough set of accepted ethical guidelines, and I'd like to see that change.

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redorb 5685 days ago
because you don't sign the checks?
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rwmj 5685 days ago
I did at one point (metaphorically) sign the bank transfers. At that point the company only had 3 people in it and we all knew everything so I don't think that counts.

Anyway, how does it matter whether or not I'm in charge? The question is, I think it's a good idea, why don't you?

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redorb 5684 days ago
I've been taught to "Never look into another man's wallet, it will either make you prideful or insecure" and have found it to be true.

I think everyone needs to work out their own deal with their own boss; sharing your pay is your choice; looking at others without their permission is taking that choice away from them.

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