People of Color, Get Educated About Your Salary

What are some of the biggest challenges women and POC face in the workforce in 2016? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Teuila Hanson, Senior VP, HR and Diversity & Inclusion at Federal Reserve Bank San Francisco, on Quora.

The "unwritten rules" continue to be a challenge for women and people of color (POC). A few years back I was floored during a conversation with the head of executive compensation when we discussed how he received calls from leaders in the organization to check the market rate of their salaries during the year-end compensation cycle.

He explained that these leaders used this data to negotiate their year end raises, bonuses and stock grants. I was embarrassed that it never occurred to me to ask for that data. He proceeded to tell me that I was below market and should get a salary adjustment. I asked him about how many women and minorities asked him to look into their salary during his career - and he said "not a single one." It made me wonder about what other "unwritten rules" did I not know about, e.g., upgrade flight benefits, charitable matching, etc. It was enlightening and telling.

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