In a meritocratic society like Singapore, transparency should be a step in the right direction in terms of fairness. 

However, Singaporean culture often values discretion and harmony. Even though it’s not illegal to share your salary, many still see it as taboo or risky in professional settings.

What happens when we aim to push for openness in a system built on personal performance, quiet ambition, and competitive advantage? Would it spark resentment, conflict, or even drive talent away?

On The Hot Seat, Hongbing Jeong speaks to Fermin Diez, Adjunct Professor at SMU; and co-author of three books: ‘Human Capital and Global Business Strategy’, ‘The Remuneration Handbook: International Edition’ and ‘Fundamentals of HR Analytics', and Adrian Choo, CEO and Founder of Career Agility to find out if wage transparency should be the norm.