Salary Transparency in India: What Sahaj Does and Why It Works
Sahaj shows every employee everyone's pay, leaders included, and explains the gaps. Here is what salary transparency means for Indian teams and how to start.
Salary transparency means employees can see what others earn and ask why pay differs. Sahaj, an Indian software company, does exactly this, including leaders' salaries. The aim is not gossip. It is trust. According to a Rs 1.5 trillion Indian L&D market's worth of training budgets, most firms still teach people everything except how to talk about pay.
TL;DR- Sahaj lets employees see everyone's salary, leaders included, and ask openly why it is higher or lower.
- The people who set pay must explain the reason, even to a new joiner who asks.
- A colleague who thinks your pay is low can recommend an increment for you.
- You do not need full openness to start: explaining the reason behind each increment is a safe first step.
What is salary transparency, and what does Sahaj actually do?
Salary transparency is simple to say and hard to do: employees can see what colleagues earn and understand why pay differs. Sahaj, a software company in India, practises it fully. Employees see everyone's compensation in one place, leaders' pay included, and can openly ask why a number is higher or lower. In my video on this I put the question plainly: what if everyone knew your salary? The point is not publishing numbers for show. It is making the reasoning behind pay something you can discuss without fear.
Why does a hidden salary hurt trust in Indian offices?
Think of appraisal day. A colleague mentions his increment, and it is more than yours. Nobody tells you why. Rent, school fees and EMIs all run on that salary, so wanting the reason is not petty. Then the boss says, do not discuss salary. In my words from the video: वजह समझने की जगह अंदाजे लगते हैं (instead of understanding the reason, people start guessing). The colleague next to you slowly starts to feel like a competitor. I wrote about this pattern in why your increment stays low even after hard work.
How does the Sahaj approach work day to day?
At Sahaj, the people who decide salaries explain the reason behind them, and this holds even when the person asking is a new employee. Nobody is brushed off. There is one more detail I found striking. If a colleague feels your pay is low for the work you do, they can recommend an increment for you. So the same openness that could create envy also creates a way for peers to back each other. That is a very different office culture from one built on whispers.
| Level | What it looks like | Good first step? |
|---|---|---|
| Secret pay (common today) | Salary is not discussed, reasons are not given | This is the starting point to move away from |
| Explained increments | Each person is told the reason behind their own increment | Yes, lowest risk |
| Published pay bands | Ranges per role are visible, individual pay is not | Yes, once managers are ready |
| Full transparency (Sahaj model) | Everyone's pay is visible, leaders included, with open questions | Only with strong trust and clear criteria |
Does seeing everyone's pay make people jealous?
The fear is natural: if everyone knows, everyone will compare, and jealousy will follow. But in most offices comparison already happens, only in the dark, with half the facts. When the reasons are visible and the gaps can be questioned, guessing loses its power. The Sahaj example suggests that knowing pay can lead to help and not only envy. I will be honest, though: I have not seen their internal data, and every company's culture is different, so treat this as a model to study, not a guarantee.
What can an Indian company do if full transparency feels too big?
Full transparency is a big step, and I do not tell clients to jump into it. A safer start is to explain the reason behind every increment to the person receiving it, in a short, honest conversation. Then allow employees to ask about their own pay band, and let them ask without fear of being labelled difficult. Once managers can defend their decisions calmly, you can decide how much more to open. Teams working on this often start with our behavioural training programmes for managers.
What should HR and managers prepare before explaining pay gaps?
Before you explain a gap, be sure you can justify it. Write down the criteria: role scope, skills, performance, market rate, tenure. Train managers to say the reason without defensiveness, and to listen when an employee disagrees. Fix any pay gap you cannot explain before you speak about it, because transparency exposes weak decisions quickly. If your leaders need help holding these conversations, see my leadership training in Pune, or write to me through the contact page. The question I leave with you is the one I asked in the video: in your office, is pay explained, or is asking why considered wrong?
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Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · 11+ yrs experience Avinash has trained Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is salary transparency?
It means employees can understand what others earn and why pay differs, and can ask questions openly. It ranges from explaining each increment to full visibility of everyone's salary.
Which Indian company has full salary transparency?
Sahaj, an Indian software company, lets employees see everyone's salary, leaders included, and ask why it is higher or lower. The people deciding pay explain the reason, even to new employees.
Does salary transparency cause jealousy?
It can, but secrecy already breeds guessing and comparison. When reasons are explained and questions are welcome, the energy can move from envy toward support. Results still depend on your culture and your criteria.
How can a company start with salary transparency?
Start by explaining to each employee the reason behind their increment. Then write clear pay criteria, prepare managers for tough questions, and decide step by step how much more to open.
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