DisruptHR with Julia Opardija: No More Secrets: Why Radical Pay Transparency Is the Future

When Julia Opardija took the stage at DisruptHR Zurich, she opened with a scene many HR professionals dread: walking into the office, coffee in hand, confronted with frantic messages and the discovery of a data leak — every employee can suddenly see every salary.
A nightmare? Not for Julia.

In her bold and refreshing talk, “No More Secrets: A Case for Radical Pay Transparency,” she flipped the script:

“If all salaries had been transparent from the start, it wouldn’t have been a nightmare. It would have been just another Tuesday.”

For Julia, the problem isn’t transparency — it’s secrecy. Only 3% of Swiss companies share full pay transparency. Most hide behind vague terms like “competitive compensation,” as if mystery ever built trust.

Transparency as a Strategic Advantage — Not a Risk

Julia challenges a widespread belief: that organisations “aren’t ready” for transparency.
Common objections she hears?

• Management would never approve.

• Pay gaps must be fixed first.

• The timing isn’t right.

Her response is clear: waiting doesn’t solve anything. Courage does.

She presented a compelling case for transparency as a business advantage:

• A competitive edge in hiring: Top candidates are more likely to apply — and accept offers.

• Higher employee satisfaction: People value clarity, fairness and accountability.

• Lower turnover: Transparency can reduce attrition by 30–40%.

• Regulatory readiness: With the EU Pay Transparency Directive coming in 2026, early adopters will lead — even in Switzerland.

How Julia’s HR Team Did It — Step by Step

Julia shared openly how her team at neustark made full pay transparency real:

1. HR took initiative.
   Without waiting for approval, Julia and her team defined the goal: a career framework and transparent salary grids accessible to everyone, not just leaders.

2. They worked out the details.
   They built the framework, designed the salary grid and mapped every employee. AI supported best practices — then everything was adapted to fit their organisation.

3. They pushed through resistance.
   Even after months of work, just hours before the launch, they received a message:
   “Stop. We are not ready.”
   Julia described the team’s emotional roller coaster — shock, frustration, disbelief — before shifting into determination.

4. They convinced stakeholders.
   With one more hour of intense conversations, the holdout was addressed… and someone had already pushed “publish” two days earlier.

5. The outcome Julia expected — and hoped for.
   No chaos.
   No outrage.
   Instead: Congratulations, meaningful appreciation from employees, and the most-read HR communication in the company’s history.

Key Takeaways from Julia Opardija’s Talk

• Transparency strengthens culture, it doesn’t weaken it.
  It builds resilience and transforms doubt into trust.

• HR becomes a true partner.
  Not a gatekeeper — but a driver of fairness and clarity.

• Transparency requires courage, not perfection.
  You don’t need to fix everything first. You need to start.

• Context is everything.
  Explaining the “why” makes transparency easier for everyone to accept.

• Small steps count.
  Progress begins the moment you stop hiding behind “we’re not ready.”

A Final Challenge from Julia

Julia closed her talk with a powerful question: “What if you were the one to make transparency go live in your company tomorrow?”

Her call to action: Join the 3%. Hit the send button.
Because transparency is not the end of control — it’s the beginning of trust.

About Julia Opardija

Head People & Culture at neustark

Julia Opardija is Lead People & Culture at the Climate Tech start-up neustark, where she builds scalable, people-centered processes and creates “moments that matter.” A true doer, she approaches every project with full commitment — digital, employee-focused, and always leveraging the latest HR tools.

With over 20 years of HR experience across large corporations, SMEs, and start-ups, Julia combines strategic expertise with hands-on execution across the entire employee lifecycle.

A business graduate from the University of Zurich, she’s passionate about shaping workplace cultures that inspire, connect, and empower people to do their best work.

Julia is one of the authors of the book "Workvolution: In 5 Minuten Kultur verändern”, published by Springer Nature: www.workvolution.io

Our Sponsors

A big thank you to our main partner Workday, our partner HR Cosmos, our host Coople and video producer Online Recruiter.

About DisruptHR

Innovative, fresh ideas and opinions that rethink and reshape the working world, presented by around 10 speakers in just 5 minutes each: that’s DisruptHR.

Our speakers are coached by our TEDxLausanne Speaker Coach, Christopher Lübbers, to help them bring out their very best.

SPOT ON has been organizing these events for many years in Zurich. To date, more than 100 speakers have taken the stage at our events.