Unit 8 managers break the last taboo

1. Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.

Nocturnal, dalliance, to poach, hefty, premium, chatter, annual, colleague, bonus, tiny, precisely, opposite, available, discipline, actuarial, transparent, rigorous, senior, justification, to accumulate, speculation, honest.

2. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.

Nocturnal dalliances, to be a staple of smth, to be poached from a rival, to pay a hefty premium, to involve much chatter, to brag, middle-class middle-earners, a tiny minority, to justify decisions, an actuarial insurance company, a sackable offence, salary transparency, juicy, remuneration consultant, engaging whiff of idealism, to lay cards on the table, to open a payroll, to deal a legacy hand, long-winded, to have a billing client rate, public bodies, water-cooler speculation, a tantalising possibility, to cap salaries of highly-paid employees.

3. Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1. Do some people talk openly about their salaries? When?

2. Who doesn’t disclose their salaries?

3. In what companies do people have to disclose their salaries? Why?

4. What small companies are mentioned in the article?

5. Why do managers in small companies think about hiding pay levels?

6. What is psychologists’ opinion about small companies which tend not to hide pay levels?

7. How far can salary transparency go?

8. What does salary transparency help to build?

9. Why doesn’t everyone open up their payrolls?

10. What can staff’s reaction be concerning opening up payrolls?

11. In what cases can’t the salaries be disclosed?

12. What is a billing client rate?

13. Who also operates with open pay systems?

14. What is the last great business taboo? Why?

4. Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.

1. Though salary transparency puts a lot of pressure on some employees, staff reaction in both businesses is generally … .

2. … … … leads to a culture of disinformation.

3. Disclosing your pay level shows how you … … over the last year.

4. Every consultant has a … … … .

5. … … operate with open pay systems.

6. Happy Computers and Aspen have practiced transparency from the … .

7. The secrecy that an … … … eliminates means a more efficient business.

8. After the … the new group dropped the policy.

5. Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.

Nocturnal dalliances, culture of disinformation, gaps between earnings, London-based psychologists, sexism, public bodies.

6. Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.

1. Few topics of conversation about salaries involve so much chatter based on so little knowledge.

2. Being dishonest about your earnings is the last great business taboo.

3. Salary transparency tends to convince employees that there is nothing juicy enough to hide.

4. When you are going to hire a specialist from the other company, you are not expected to pay this recruit premium.

5. Discussing salary levels means that managers have to be able to justify their decisions to everyone.

6. When you open up your salaries, it means that sexism in pay structure will be hidden.

7. Aspen has practised transparency since it was set up.

8. Aspen and Happy computers are corporations with 500, 000 employees.