The European Union wants to fight wage inequality, and the directive is to enter into force within two years

Poles are fed up with the wage taboo, but we don't want to reveal all the cards when it comes to our salaries. – When it comes to full disclosure, we are not in favor of it – says Mateusz Żydek from the Randstad Polska employment agency.

A survey by the Labor Market Monitor of the Randstad employment agency shows that less than 40 percent of respondents support full disclosure of remuneration, including their own. 31 percent say “no”. Ranges and ranges have much more supporters. More than half support this form of transparency. Only 26 percent are against it.

– Culturally, we are absolutely not ready to talk about earnings. Money is a taboo topic for Poles, says Anna Sudolska from Idea HR Group.

This will have to change soon. Last June, the European Parliament adopted the Pay Transparency Directive. This means that EU countries have two years to adapt their laws. The set of regulations is intended primarily to help reduce the pay gap between women and men.

– A hundred years ago, women earned half of what men earned. Now it is 87 percent – emphasizes Dr. Hab. Baha Kalinowska-Sufinowicz from the Poznań University of Economics.

On average, the pay gap between women and men in the European Union is 13 percent. It is highest in Estonia, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. Lowest in Romania, Slovenia, Belgium and Poland. In our country it is an average of 4.5 percent.

– Companies must and are already doing it. They look at pay scales. They will have to be equalized and there will be no escape from it, says Anna Sudolska from Idea HR Group.

If the wage gap is higher than 5 percent, the company will have to explain why. Additionally, thanks to the EU directive, every employee will be able to ask their boss about salary ranges.

– We will have the opportunity to submit a written application to the employer and find out how much the average salary is based on gender in a given position – says Michał Matuszak from the Labor Law Law Firm.

The Ministry of Equality is working on the Polish version of the EU directive, but work has not started yet. However, some companies do not wait for changes in regulations. Thanks to this, what will be an obligation in two years is now a good practice. – Already at the stage of the job interview, some companies provide information about the range for a given position – says labor market expert Aneta Czernek.

What Poles need to learn, some countries in the European Union have long ago learned. In Sweden, earnings are completely transparent, everything is clear. – There is a portal where you can log in for a small fee and check how much your neighbor earns. Everyone knows about it and this is what it looks like here, says Tomasz Ostapkowicz, who lives in Sweden.

The issue of earnings is a delicate matter – according to a survey by the Randstad agency, when asked about the statement “in my company, employees are paid fairly” – as many as 29 percent said no.

– We need to become polite when talking about money. After all, in the employer-employee relationship, no one is a supplicant. We must learn to talk openly about our salaries, says Aneta Czernek.