CEOs in the News

How Do Workers “Really” Feel About Their CEO’s Pay?

A poll conducted in June and July by online salary information provider Payscale of 22,000 people across different industries and job functions found that 55% didn’t even know what their CEO was paid. That’s likely owing to the fact that many companies aren’t publicly listed and therefore don’t disclose salary details.

But of those workers that did know, just 21% thought their CEO’s pay was excessive. And among those disapproving, 43% said it hadn’t negatively impacted their opinion of the company.

“Among those disapproving, 43% said it hadn’t negatively impacted their opinion of the company.”

Not surprisingly, higher-paid senior employees were more likely to approve.

Workers who made under $25,000 reported a 29% disapproval of their CEO’s pay, although only about a third of them knew what it actually was.

More millennials than generation X or baby boomers felt their CEOs pay negatively affected their view of the company.

“Maybe we’ll see a reduction in the CEO-to-worker pay ratio once these millennials start running things,” Payscale said.


Ross Kelly

Ross Kelly is a London-based business journalist. He has been a staff correspondent or editor at The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance and the Australian Associated Press.

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