Let’s say you got a raise recently and you couldn’t wait to tell your friend the coworker about your latest evaluation and raise in pay. You want him or her to be just as happy as you are about your new comeuppance but before you go spreading your business, please know that telling your salary to your coworker, friend of not, is a recipe for disaster.
There is no better way to commit career suicide in your office by discussing your salary with another coworker. That type of information is not needed to be known by anyone else but you and your managers and or direct supervisors and human resources. That is it.
When I worked as a Human Resources Manager at a company here in St. Louis, employees began to speak to one another about their salaries and it caused quite a stir in the office. A clause was added to the employee work agreement and handbook that it was against office policy to discuss salary with another coworker unless it was with management. Many other companies have already adopted this policy and those who are found to have violated it could be subject to termination.
Why shouldn’t you discuss your pay rate with your coworkers? Simply put, it is no one else’s business how much you make. If you are interested in knowing if you are being compensated the same as your other coworkers, then that is a discussion that you have with management only. Pulling another employee in on your issues may cause other problems in the office and it is not worth it. Keep your compensation amount to yourself to avoid conflict and pandemonium in the office.
To determine if you are being adequately compensated, refer to Salary.com, which will show you the median income of many different job positions from retail, to sales to customer service, to management. It will also give you geographical data based on your location. Use this information if need be during your next review if you feel you are being low balled or not adequately compensated accordingly.
There is really no need to discuss your pay range with other coworkers. Doing so may just cause friction in the office and disrupt productivity. Do you discuss your salary with other coworkers? Sound off below!
Article by Danyelle Little
The Cubicle Chick embodies independence, confidence, style, pizazz, and has a giving heart, while being fabulous doing so. As an independent mother of two myself, I’ve learned a thing or two when it comes to getting the most out of life! Beauty and fashion as well as workplace etiquette and do’s and dont’s are my forte, and I share my knowledge with my readers. I also try new looks in terms of make-up trends and I am open to critique from my readers whom I call Cubicle Chicks.I am a mother of two children. I work in the real estate industry. I am a decent cook, aspiring writer, best friend, daughter, granddaughter, Godmother, niece, cousin, lover, and sometime vixen.Simply put, I am EVERY woman.
Danyelle has written 80 article(s) for us.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I have. B
No. I learned this probably in high school/college. I may discuss the process and say that I was satisfied with the performance review. Hopefully youngins will learn the standards of workplace interactions. Not to tangent…but the one thing I wish more people got educated about was appropriate dress for work. Even in the We Count debate, the youngest panelist had a shirt cut low enough that I focused on her cleavage…and then was like – oh what was she saying?
I quote what one lady said , “The reality is that men are wired to react to female sexual displays. What they do about it is another story. Nevertheless, most women know very well that they do this to men by displaying their breasts. That is a good part of why women do it for the power it has to open doors and male wallets.
Well I’m teaching English to a class of adult students and one of the female students who has a beautiful figure and big gorgeous breasts comes into class wearing tight skimpy tops and tight pants which emphasize her breasts and her figure. She often asks me over to her desk with a question. She’s friendly to me and comes up to my desk to ask something . Is she teasing me ?she must know that it really turns me on. Or is she just being friendly -is she deliberately trying to turn me on for fun- I don’t know why she dresses like that in my class. I’ve been very helpful and nice to her with her English studies and this is how she repays me -sexually teasing me-Ladies what do you think?
Ross
With all due respect, it is perfectly legal in most circumstances for employees to discuss their salaries with each other, and any company that forbids or fires them from doing so could well be in violation of labor laws.
Look it up.
Just as
Concur with Lee
The National Labor Relations Act contains a provision, Section 7 (29 U.S.C. § 157), that gives all employees the right to “engage in concerted activities”, including the right to discuss their terms and conditions of employment with each other. Section 8(a)(1) of the NLRA (29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1)) makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer to deny or limit the Section 7 rights of employees. Based upon those two provisions, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has taken the position for decades now that employers may not prohibit employees from discussing their pay and benefits, and that any attempts to do so actually violate the NLRA. Courts have basically uniformly supported that position. Moreover, those particular sections of the NLRA apply to both union and non-union employees, so there is no exception made for companies where the employees are non-unionized.
The only person who would say this kind of discussion is ‘not appropriate’ is an HR manager or someone who has been hoodwinked by one. The whole article is set up to deceive. The example given is not realistic. Who boasts about raises to their colleagues?! The only time you discuss pay is when you feel it is not fair, and then the resentment is going to build until you find out otherwise. Your manager is never going to be absolutely straight with you and will definitely not tell you your colleagues’ salaries so the only way to find out is to ask them. There is no reason given not to do this, except that ‘it could cause chaos in your office’. Well, bring it on. If they have screwed me over, they deserve all the chaos they get! Come on, I give my life to my work, and let’s be honest, I do it for the money, not for the love. So don’t treat salaries like a side perk or privilege. It’s my goddamn right.
co-sign that not discussing salaries thing is biggest crock of horseshit in corporate America . It is a tool used by management to keep wages artificially low.
I agree with Lee. Although I can see why companies may not want you to discuss pay with co-workers, they can not forbid you from doing so. Generally speaking, compensation should be decided based on merit, and therefore and salary variation should be explainable based on performance evaluation. If the salaries of two employees, performing the same job function with the same experience and quality of work, are very different, it can be considered that the difference is due to some form prejudice. Although pay can vary among employees, the reasons should be documented and explainable. Any company worried about employees discussing pay is not compensating employees fairly.
The following article explains the legality of disciplining employees for discussing pay, as well as making it against company policy.
http://www.hranswers.com/general/faqs.cfm?id=26
I think its kind of stupid you can actually get fired for talking about your pay rate to others, thats like firing someone for being proud of what you pay them, some people gain a sense of accomplishment by what they are payed. If that person don’t like how much you are being payed evidently they need to step their game up, its a reason why they don’t make as much as you.
Ask yourself: Did they finish high school?
Did they go to college?
Do they have as much work experience as you?
Did they submit a resume?
You would be surprise how many people don’t have these qualifications but yet expect to get paid what you get paid or more. I don’t think a company should punish you for this, it clearly goes against the First Amendment “freedom of speech” especially for those others that don’t mind talking about it. All in a nut shell I think its some BS……..
Does anyone know if it is illegal for your employer to post your wages for others to see? I understand if I want to discuss my wages with a coworker then it is my business, but if my employer puts it out there and it is causing harm then isnt there something wrong with that? or even illegal?