Like most issues regarding finances, the question of salary is often regarded as a private matter, one that remains a somewhat delicate subject in France. However, touchy though this topic may be, mentalities towards salary are changing.

For many workers, the month of December is all about end of year interviews, appraisals, evaluations, and, perhaps most importantly, salary (re)negotiations, where discussions are often based entirely around the question of money. A good knowledge of your market, your strengths and weaknesses, and even the company's situation all help to put you in the best position possible and, when viewed from this angle, an awareness of your co-workers' pay can prove to be extremely useful. But how easy is it to obtain this information?

Viadeo, France's leading professional social network with 9 million members in the country, decided to look into this question and surveyed 12,000 of you on the topic.[1]

When asked: "Do you speak openly about your salary with your co-workers?"

-      46.5% replied "YES" 

-      and 53.5% replied "NO"

Stéphanie Coffe, Viadeo's Chief People Officer, stated: "It's clearly a topic that is being discussed more freely and this openness is partly explained by the increasing influence of an Anglo-Saxon mentality and a growing desire for transparency. Another important factor is the role that the media and professional social networks play in allowing workers to more easily assess their salary both in relation to standards across their industry and to workers with a similar level of experience in the same role in other industries."

[1]Survey carried out among Viadeo members from 18-21 November 2014, with 12,119 respondents

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