Since 2023, the European directive CSRD requires large companies to publish detailed information about the compensation of their executives. This obligation, extended to France as of 2026, forces listed groups to disclose figures that have long remained confidential.
Some companies still circumvent these constraints through contractual arrangements or deferred compensation, despite the growing pressure from shareholders and employees. The dissemination of this data provokes mixed reactions, oscillating between demands for social justice and fears of stigmatizing high incomes.
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Salaries of Top Executives: Between Fascination, Controversies, and French Realities
French society has a complex relationship with money. Between silent admiration and acknowledged discomfort, the topic of salary remains locked by tradition and the pursuit of equality. However, the public display of executive compensation, whether in the form of bonuses, stock options, or employee savings, triggers unfiltered discussions about pay transparency and the justification of sometimes staggering disparities.
The figures leave little room for interpretation. The top management concentrates benefits that elude the average employee: stock options, variable compensation tied to financial performance, supplementary pension schemes. In contrast, managers, intermediate professions, workers, and employees often have to settle for more limited, and sometimes invisible, arrangements, especially for women. The Ecmoss report from INSEE highlights these fractures, backed by data.
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In the face of these disparities, the demand is rising: to be able to compare one’s salary to that of colleagues, but also to that of management. Take the example of the CEO of Galeries Lafayette. The publication of his compensation sharpens curiosity and fuels debates, just like the article “What is the salary of Nicolas Houzé, CEO of Galeries Lafayette? – Nadoz”. Unions and collectives are now relying on new indicators to denounce, with supporting figures, inequalities they deem unjustified.
With digitalization and the increasing specialization of jobs, new criteria are emerging and disrupting old pay scales. The labor market is evolving, social pressure is intensifying, and companies know that sanctions can occur if the disparities seem unjustifiable. The consequence: transparency is no longer an option but an obligation that transforms the relationship to compensation.
Pay Transparency in 2026: What Concrete Advances and Challenges to Break the Taboo?
Pay transparency is becoming established in the landscape, driven by the European Pay Transparency directive and the tightening of French laws. Companies can no longer evade the publication of salary scales, the mandatory reporting of gender pay gaps, or the enhanced consultation of employee representative bodies. The pressure comes from all sides: employees, unions, and legal texts.
To illustrate these upheavals, some companies are choosing to lead the way. At Clinitex, under the leadership of Edouard Pick, every employee can access the full range of salaries. Even bolder, at Fasterize: employees set their own salaries in a collective process, subject to management validation. These initiatives challenge habits and call into question the discretion that has long been upheld as an intangible principle.
The availability of precise data transforms salary negotiation. Unions finally have quantified arguments to point out pay inequalities and demand adjustments. However, the raw display of disparities does not resolve everything: tensions, jealousy, and feelings of injustice persist if the criteria for allocation remain opaque.
The success of a transparency policy relies on serious anticipation and relentless dialogue. Support from human resources is essential: it is necessary to explain, reassure, and prepare teams for the new reality. The thorny question of discretionary bonuses remains, which, in this new era, raises questions about the place of subjectivity and “invisible work,” as highlighted by Pauline Rochart. Transparency is progressing, but the taboo will only truly fall when society collectively engages in reflection on the value of work.
It is highly likely that as figures become public, conversations in offices, workshops, or board meetings will be permanently transformed. The question remains how far society is willing to face reality: that of disparities, but also of the collective choices that underpin them.