★ 04/19/2021
Buckmaster, global compensation director at Nike, argues in his winning debut that America’s pay system is deeply broken. There’s no evil plan at work behind how pay is determined, Buckmaster writes, just business leaders who haven’t prioritized fair pay. Buckmaster discusses the deleterious effect of a low minimum wage (workers having to choose between paying for an education or their electric bill, for example) and writes that pretending that the free market will adjust appropriately on its own is a naive pipe dream. He also explores what the future could look like: greater pay transparency could help close the wage gap, and trade-offs (flex schedules, stock awards) that are a real benefit could be offered (instead of wispy appeals to personal meaning or a sense of pride in one’s work). Companies, he notes, must recognize the “outsize role they play in creating fair pay outcomes,” and he helpfully includes questions leaders should ask themselves (“How do we value jobs?” and “What do we mean by equal work?”). Buckmaster packs his work with insight, and delivers his message in a charming, funny tone: pay-design teams, for instance, are “the world’s least-interesting Illuminati.” This layperson’s guide will be a boon to anyone looking to understand the forces behind how that number got on their W-2. Agent: Laurie Abkemeier, DeFiore & Co. (June)
Buckmaster, global compensation director at Nike, argues in his winning debut that America’s pay system is deeply broken. . . . Buckmaster packs his work with insight, and delivers his message in a charming, funny tone… This layperson’s guide will be a boon to anyone looking to understand the forces behind how that number got on their W-2.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fair Pay . . . offer[s] deeply informed insight into how companies set pay rates . . . A thought-provoking counterpoint to typical fair-pay books." — Booklist
"There is nothing more nuts-and-bolts about business than decisions on how to compensate employees, and there is nothing that could change the country quite so quickly or directly as tackling income inequality by paying most of them more. As Buckmaster writes, 'Now is the time to redeem the idea of fairness,' and his book is a perfect nuts-and-bolts, big picture place to start." — Porchlight
“We have spent a generation laboring under the strange delusion that pay increases would impoverish the country. Fair Pay is both a corrective, but more interestingly, an insiders' account of the complexities inherent in how corporations really think about pay. Fascinating and essential reading for any economic reformer, or for that matter, anyone who earns a paycheck.” — Tim Wu, author of The Curse of Bigness and The Attention Merchants
“In order to know your worth, you need to know how comp works. Anyone who reads this book is in for a treat. David Buckmaster’s unique insight as a corporate pay leader teaches us what the person on the other side of the pay negotiation table is really thinking, and how to make sure you get what you deserve.” — Claire Wasserman, founder of Ladies Get Paid
“David Buckmaster describes why the current system of pay is broken and what to do about it. Fair Pay is a timely and important call to action, especially for business leaders whose workers make too little to make ends meet.” — Zeynep Ton, MIT Sloan School of Management and Good Jobs Institute
“Take it from an insider: companies don’t compete for wages; they coordinate, making sure that employees are left in the dark. While most people may prefer not to know how sausages are made, knowing how wages are made is crucial for every employee. A must-read for employees and policy makers who believe that reforming the system remains possible.” — Katharina Pistor, author of The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality
"[Knezevich's] vocal character is perfect for the author's intent—to help workers negotiate fair pay for themselves and become more knowledgeable about how business and our economy work. Knezevich has a broad and appealing range, and is fun to hear as he interprets every nuance and idea in this accessible guide." — AudioFile Magazine
"Fair Pay provides both high-level and specific recommendations for how to reform compensation . . . An important, insider perspective on the principles and tactics needed for more equitable and dynamic organizations." — Charter
"[Knezevich's] vocal character is perfect for the author's intent—to help workers negotiate fair pay for themselves and become more knowledgeable about how business and our economy work. Knezevich has a broad and appealing range, and is fun to hear as he interprets every nuance and idea in this accessible guide."
Take it from an insider: companies don’t compete for wages; they coordinate, making sure that employees are left in the dark. While most people may prefer not to know how sausages are made, knowing how wages are made is crucial for every employee. A must-read for employees and policy makers who believe that reforming the system remains possible.
"There is nothing more nuts-and-bolts about business than decisions on how to compensate employees, and there is nothing that could change the country quite so quickly or directly as tackling income inequality by paying most of them more. As Buckmaster writes, 'Now is the time to redeem the idea of fairness,' and his book is a perfect nuts-and-bolts, big picture place to start."
"Fair Pay provides both high-level and specific recommendations for how to reform compensation . . . An important, insider perspective on the principles and tactics needed for more equitable and dynamic organizations."
"Fair Pay . . . offer[s] deeply informed insight into how companies set pay rates . . . A thought-provoking counterpoint to typical fair-pay books."
In order to know your worth, you need to know how comp works. Anyone who reads this book is in for a treat. David Buckmaster’s unique insight as a corporate pay leader teaches us what the person on the other side of the pay negotiation table is really thinking, and how to make sure you get what you deserve.
We have spent a generation laboring under the strange delusion that pay increases would impoverish the country. Fair Pay is both a corrective, but more interestingly, an insiders' account of the complexities inherent in how corporations really think about pay. Fascinating and essential reading for any economic reformer, or for that matter, anyone who earns a paycheck.
David Buckmaster describes why the current system of pay is broken and what to do about it. Fair Pay is a timely and important call to action, especially for business leaders whose workers make too little to make ends meet.
"Fair Pay . . . offer[s] deeply informed insight into how companies set pay rates . . . A thought-provoking counterpoint to typical fair-pay books."
Narrator Joe Knezevich’s boyish tone and gee-whiz optimism may seem out of sync with the dire realities of widening pay gaps and weakened employee bargaining power. But his vocal character is perfect for the author’s intent—to help workers negotiate fair pay for themselves and become more knowledgeable about how business and our economy work. Knezevich has a broad and appealing range, and is fun to hear as he interprets every nuance and idea in this accessible guide. Along with specific tips on how to identify the rational and not-so-rational ways businesses value your work, he provides an empowering lesson on how corporate leaders and boards have come to shift money toward investors and away from labor—and how to restore balance to the way work is compensated. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Narrator Joe Knezevich’s boyish tone and gee-whiz optimism may seem out of sync with the dire realities of widening pay gaps and weakened employee bargaining power. But his vocal character is perfect for the author’s intent—to help workers negotiate fair pay for themselves and become more knowledgeable about how business and our economy work. Knezevich has a broad and appealing range, and is fun to hear as he interprets every nuance and idea in this accessible guide. Along with specific tips on how to identify the rational and not-so-rational ways businesses value your work, he provides an empowering lesson on how corporate leaders and boards have come to shift money toward investors and away from labor—and how to restore balance to the way work is compensated. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
