05 Jul 2019

Molly Moon Neitzel Is Up Front About Her Team’s Pay

In my job, I am constantly thinking about compensation – mine as well as others. In recent months, I’m learning more about compensation and how the market rate can vastly change over the period of one year. Spoiler alert – it’s FASCINATING. I wanted to share this VICE video for two reasons: because I, too, have thoughts about compensation and transparency and secondly because Molly Moon Neitzel is allowing her team to see what everyone in the company is making. Including herself.

For years, I’ve read articles from folks who frowned upon this. In this day and age, it’s still taboo to even be talking about what you make with anyone. However, if you don’t talk to people about it, how do you actually know if what you’re asking for when you negotiate is fair. How do you know if you’re within range or at “market rate?” Conversations like these shouldn’t be discouraged in my opinion, but I want to understand the right and wrong way to do it. Is there even a wrong way and if so, who considers it wrong? What’s wrong about it?

While I’ve never personally met Molly, myself, I did have a chance to [collaborate] with her back in 2014 when she let my friends and I come to her shop and taste test some new flavors. It was literally all that I’ve ever dreamed of. I’m excited to see a woman CEO leading this charge in pay transparency in my hometown nonetheless. I realize not everyone agrees with it, but I’m excited about what this could mean for both small businesses and larger corporations with her paving the way in a major city like Seattle.