Survey: Half of employees uncomfortable discussing salary with their boss
An SEB bank survey found that 54% of employees in Latvia feel uncomfortable discussing their pay with their manager, while most are far more willing to talk about income with family. Attitudes also differ notably by gender and age group.
A survey conducted by SEB bank shows that talking about salary at work remains an uncomfortable topic for many people in Latvia. According to the results, 54% of employees feel uneasy discussing their pay with their manager, and only 15% say such conversations feel completely comfortable. Discussing salary with colleagues is even rarer — only one in six do so — while almost a quarter of employees say they never talk about their income at all.
People are far more willing to discuss income within their family, as reported by 62% of respondents, or with friends, mentioned by 24%.
Differences by gender and generation
The survey reveals notable differences between men and women: 55% of men say they feel relatively comfortable discussing salary with their manager, compared to just 38% of women.
Attitudes also vary across age groups. Young people aged 18 to 29 appear more open to talking about income — 40% of them discuss it with friends, compared to only 14% of seniors aged 60 to 74. At the same time, seniors are far more likely to avoid the topic entirely, with 36% saying they never discuss their income, compared to 8% among young people. The most confident age group when it comes to salary conversations with managers is 40 to 49 year olds.
Employer's role
Anita Segliņa, Head of SEB bank's HR Department, notes that an employee's silence about salary does not necessarily mean everything is fine, and encourages employers to take the initiative themselves — holding regular conversations about pay and career growth rather than waiting for employees to raise the topic.
The survey was carried out by research company Norstat in August 2026, polling 1,004 residents of Latvia aged 18 to 74.
