Why You Should Tell Your Co-Workers How Much Money You Make

Why You Should Tell Your Co-Workers How Much Money You Make

It’s unlawful(ˌənˈlôfəl) for private(ˈprīvit) sector employers(əmˈploiər) to prohibit(prō-,prəˈhibit) employees(emˈploi-ē,ˌemploiˈē) from discussing wages and compensation(ˌkämpənˈsāSHən). Take advantage of that protection.

By Tim Herrera

So how much do you make?

It’s a loaded, deeply personal and often uncomfortable question. Along with our weight and age, our(ou(ə)r,är) salary(ˈsalərē) is a number to which we’ve assigned(əˈsīn) almost incomparable(inˈkämp(ə)rəbəl) value.

And, when we’re asked, what many of us really hear is this: What’s your worth as a person?

“Money is so tied up with really complex(ˌkämˈpleks, kəmˈpleks, ˈkämˌpleks) and difficult emotions, like shame, success, fear(fi(ə)r) of failure(ˈfālyər) and how people view you,” said Brianna(briˈannə) McGurran, a money expert at the personal finance(fəˈnans,ˈfīnans) blog NerdWallet(ˈwälit,ˈwô-). “So when you’re talking about how much you earn, or how much you’re saving, a lot of people end up tying that to their self-worth.”

She added: “Salary is so close to our identity. It’s the core(kôr) part of all of this.”

That money — along with sex, politics(ˈpäləˌtiks) and religion — is a topic best avoided in polite(pəˈlīt) conversation is a cultural concept many of us are raised(rāzd) on, and taboos(ta-,təˈbo͞o) around discussing income can be particularly sensitive(ˈsensitiv).

But unlike not disclosing what’s in your savings account or your 401(k), there are direct, concrete consequences for falling victim(ˈviktəm) to salary secrecy(ˈsēkrəsē), including wage suppression(səˈpreSHən) and a lack of transparency(tranˈsparənsē) around pay inequity(inˈekwitē), which disproportionately(ˌdisprəˈpôrSH(ə)nətlē) affects women(ˈwimin) and minorities(məˈnôrətē).

“Let’s face it, it’s 2018 and there’s still serious(ˈsi(ə)rēəs) disparities(diˈsparitē) in pay based on race(rās) and gender,” said Angela Cornell, the director of the Labor Law Clinic(ˈklinik) at Cornell Law(lô) School.

“So policies(ˈpäləsē) that discourage or prohibit employees from discussing these are problematic(ˌpräbləˈmatik) not just because of the National Labor Relations Act’s clear prohibition,” she said, “but also because they can make it difficult for employees in the private sector to learn that there are unlawful disparities(diˈsparitē).”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/smarter-living/pay-secrecy-national-labor-rights-act.html