Can employees not talk about their wages at work? (US)

[Gamdwelf]

This... I find it rude, if you think you're owed more ask for a raise

Yeah because that conversation is super easy.

[Kathandira]

Depends on the companies policies. It is generally discouraged though.

[GennGreymane]

I see it both ways, it can be a way to prevent employees from knowing if they are being shafted

but I also experienced and have seen it as

They give raises based on merit and they dont want everyone asking for a raise if the guy who did good work got a raise

[Schmeebs]

It's not illegal, but it is usually against company policy. Some companies will fire you over it, some won't.

Its illegal for a company to fire you for this unless you are specifically exempt (Contract/Temp Workers, Supervisors, etc)

[Puremallace]

If you do it where I work at in Louisiana you get fired. It is part of a decades long objective of Republicans to kill unions in America.

[Gamdwelf]

I see it both ways, it can be a way to prevent employees from knowing if they are being shafted

but I also experienced and have seen it as

They give raises based on merit and they dont want everyone asking for a raise if the guy who did good work got a raise

At the last job I was at it was based on if the manager liked you. The manager didn't like me even though I had better numbers than everybody else in our group and I started at a lower base wage.

[kamuimac]

I almost feel like the unwritten rule of not talking about wage was invented by businesses to keep workers making less than they should.

it depends on company - whether they are more socialistic and have equal wages for all employees on equal position or if every employee has individualy negotiated his wage upon signing contract with company. generaly you cant really compare wages because there is really thousands factors that comes into it that you do not see from yeployee point of view but if you ever managed people you would notice it instantly. (im gonna start with attitude towards job and number of "Coffee/cigarete" breaks that emplyess are taking during working hours but there is really milion of things to consider when seting wage)

im company i manage i have few worker who costantly complain to me that what they make is a bit low but then i constantly see them just slacking around and producing stuff way below what they hsould daily produce and at the same time i have workers who come work with a lot of focus rarely take coffee/cigarete break and i can assure you you can really see difference on their payment

[Sunseeker]

Its illegal for a company to fire you for this unless you are specifically exempt (Contract/Temp Workers, Supervisors, etc)

Well tell that to every major company I've worked for.

[Dundebuns]

I think my contract prohibits me discussing my wage with co-workers, and can lead to termination.

[Themius]

Knowing how much others make allows you to be able to better negotiate your own wage...

This whole culture of not discussing wages is just utterly stupid.

[Gamdwelf]

it depends on company - whether they are more socialistic and have equal wages for all employees on equal position or if every employee has individualy negotiated his wage upon signing contract with company. generaly you cant really compare wages because there is really thousands factors that comes into it that you do not see from yeployee point of view but if you ever managed people you would notice it instantly. (im gonna start with attitude towards job and number of "Coffee/cigarete" breaks that emplyess are taking during working hours but there is really milion of things to consider when seting wage)

im company i manage i have few worker who costantly complain to me that what they make is a bit low but then i constantly see them just slacking around and producing stuff way below what they hsould daily produce and at the same time i have workers who come work with a lot of focus rarely take coffee/cigarete break and i can assure you you can really see difference on their payment

Maybe if you paid the others more they would work harder. If I knew I was making less I probably wouldn't work as hard other thing equal.

[Balazzar]

It is considered taboo but also employers do not like it as it can encourage unionization. Unions are not well liked in USA.

It is usually a zero-sum game. Either you make more money than someone doing the same duties as you and they will be upset and depressed about why they are where they are in life. Or you will be the one feeling that way.

[Ornerybear]

In my job contracts, it will often forbid you from discussing wages with other employees. You can get fired for breaking your contract. But this isn't state law, it's a contract written up by some lawyer.

i know Ohio state law states that an employer cannot forbid employees from discussing compensation.

My employer always says to me when i get a raise, "as always your raise and salary are confidential"

it was brought to their attention that they couldn't do it legally and they said "no no, thats not true" and i haven't been told that about my wages since, heh heh.


It's tacky to openly discuss it if unprompted, but a couple of us at my company are open about it since we are both under compensated for our position and equally taken advantage of, but I wouldn't discuss it openly with other employees.

[kaid]

I almost feel like the unwritten rule of not talking about wage was invented by businesses to keep workers making less than they should.

Pretty much. You don't have any idea where you really are in relations to other peoples wages so you can't tell if you are getting screwed or not. In theory its legal to talk about wages to coworkers but if your company frowns on it and is an at will employment state you could very quickly fired with no real reason needing to be given.

[haxartus]

Pretty much. You don't have any idea where you really are in relations to other peoples wages so you can't tell if you are getting screwed or not. In theory its legal to talk about wages to coworkers but if your company frowns on it and is an at will employment state you could very quickly fired with no real reason needing to be given.

Here is the thing, people see themselves as "the best", so if they find out that someone at a similar or the same position makes double than they do, various problems appear, both as hate towards the other person and as demands to the management. This law protects both the employer and the employee.
You really underestimate how hateful and hostile people can be if they think someone is getting more than they should.

[Lignar]

Laws change with country and state. In most states in the U.S., it's not specifically illegal, no. However, you may have a contract or code of conduct that prohibits it, so you can be fired, but not arrested.

edit: Also, as others have mentioned - it's tactless, tacky and typically not a good idea. Some of my very close friends disclose to each other, but the motivation is different and we don't work for the same companies.

Most companies I have worked for have it specified in the employee code of conduct that discussing your wage with other employees is a forbidden and can be punished by means up to and including termination.

At one of these companies (very very very very large bank), a coworker told me to check my pay stub closely because HR had 'forgotten' to withhold taxes from a large group of people (that's all he said, no specifics on wages earned etc). I was threatened by HR because we are forbidden to discuss our pay with coworkers. I explained again that he only said I should check my withholdings (they were wrong)...later that week HR published an alert for employees to check their pay stubs and call in if withholding was incorrect.

[Deleted]

I've see many contracts in the UK which prohibit it, it's usually ignored though and I can't say I've ever seen someone actually fired for it.

[primalmatter]

Its a wise thing to do since it can help determine if you are being under payed or not.

Problem is people get really weird when you talk about money so workers tend to screw each other over with it by being secretive.

[Ripster42]

Well tell that to every major company I've worked for.

Maybe you should tell them. Read the link on the first page. It doesn't vary state by state. It's illegal to fire most workers for talking to each other about their pay at the federal level.

[Druover]

I was in a discussion today about wages at work (US), and one individual said you shouldn't talk about wages. I disagreed with him. I thought the U.S. National Labor Relations Act allowed open discussion without fear of retaliation by employers.


Am I right in this? Or is there something I am not seeing? What are peoples opinions about talking about wages?

I personally think if you are willing to share what your wage is, there's no problem. If someone who's worked longer than you makes less, then either A.) They are underperforming and should realize this, or B.) They arn't getting a fair pay and thus talking about wages is important.

OP, yes, you are allowed to discuss wages. However, there are many reasons why it is probably not recommended. One, its private. But if someone wishes to share, that is their business. But it also will always lead to negatives in attitude instead of positives. Typically, one person will be happy, and one will not. However, the effects on the unhappy person are significantly greater than those on the happy person. Its just not necessarily a good idea. I used to feel the same way you did. At a previous job, I had two pretty close friends who worked there. We all told each other how much we made, and it was definitely a mistake. I will not do that again.