“How much money do you make?”
The Case for Asking Sensitive Questions
Research shows that people assume asking sensitive questions about salary, relationship status, or other personal topics is likely to make their conversation partner feel uncomfortable and worsen their relationship. But in fact, that’s often not the case. Most respondents report a similar comfort level and impression of the question-asker regardless of whether they asked sensitive questions or mundane ones, and sometimes, asking these more personal questions can actually improve relationships. In this piece, the authors describe a series of experiments that explored this phenomenon, followed by several suggestions for how leaders can foster a workplace culture that encourages people to engage in these sensitive conversations in a healthy, productive manner.