Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, awkwardly noted that women should “have faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along…that’s good karma.”
The “system” Nadella is referring to is broken. Women earn 78% of what men in comparable positions make not just in tech, but across the board. It is noteworthy that he made the remark addressing women at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference.
Years ago, I was personally ranked within the engineering department at Tandem Computers for my value-add. My boss called me to his office and told me that, based on my ranking, he had to give me an immediate 22% salary increase. I was surprised, delighted and most grateful. I didn’t have to wait months or years for my pay to align with my value-add–it happened instantaneously. Lesson learned: Salary adjustments can happen rapidly if a company is so inclined.
An immediate salary adjustment is what is needed. Why should a woman accept the idea of achieving parity with her male counterparts over a period of multiple years? The reality is a woman is not going to achieve parity with their male counterparts relying on the same raise percentages the men receive each year.
Karma isn’t for women to worry about. The karma is to be faced by the men who allow salary inequities to continue one day longer than they know the problem exists.
It’s time that women be able to say, “Thank God It’s Monday. I’m being paid what I should be and I’m no longer being paid inequitably.”
Photo Courtesy of TechEdLive on Flickr
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