> Everyone is assigned a pay band that corresponds to their title. Everyone can go on to the portal and see approximately how much someone else earns (within a narrow range) based on their level and geographical location.

> It hasn't brought compensation up. If anything, it has kept it down. My wife was objectively underpaid for a while and on the verge of leaving,

Can you expand on this because it's not making any logical sense.

Is the company underpaying everyone with that title, is her work not in line with her title (as compared to other employers), or is there something else (I'm hesitant to call BS, but there is a tendency within these types of conversations for people to invent scenarios to try and portray some sort of political narrative - for the left and right)

> I'm hesitant to call BS

I'm not - it is bullshit.

If she earned the top of the band, she was by definition not underpaid. She in fact earned more than every other employee that was not top of the band.

She might have wanted more money for what she was doing (and it has my sympathy, I too like more money).

But the solution was to either be promoted - which she may not have wanted, and I am sympathetic to that, I also don't enjoy promotions - or to move to a company that paid more for that role.