Is it illegal to discuss salary with coworkers? The main reason we are taught not to disclose our salary amounts is because we don’t want others to know what our compensation is. By knowing how much you make, they can determine how much they should charge for their service. This could cause them to raise their prices and indirectly give you a pay raise without even realizing it. Of course, some employers would rather not have their employees discuss salary. If this is the case, it’s important to know the legal ramifications of doing so.
It is not illegal to discuss salary with coworkers, but there are some important things to keep in mind when you do so.
First of all, if you are in a unionized workplace and have signed an agreement not to discuss your salary with coworkers, then it’s absolutely illegal for you to do so. This is because the union has negotiated for a “closed shop” where workers are only allowed to join the union after paying membership dues and being employed by a company that has signed an agreement with that union. This agreement says that employees cannot discuss salaries with one another because the union has already negotiated on their behalf for pay rates and benefits that apply to all workers in the company.
If your workplace is not unionized, however, then there is no law against discussing salary information with coworkers as long as you’re careful not to disclose any confidential information about someone else’s compensation package. For example, if one coworker asks another how much money they make at their job, this is not considered confidential information because it’s something that everyone knows about each other anyway—you can’t write down what your friend makes on his paycheck stubs so he can’t tell anyone else what he earns! This article also examines can you be fired for discussing salary, salary confidentiality laws.
Is it illegal to discuss salary with coworkers
If you work in a field where employees are well-compensated, there’s no reason to believe that your colleagues will be anything but candid about their paychecks. But if you’re like most working Americans, you likely feel somewhat awkward discussing money with your co-workers. And for good reason; in many states and for many jobs, it’s actually illegal to discuss salary with coworkers!
Discussing salaries with coworkers is not illegal, it just has the potential to get one of the employees into hot water if company policy forbids any such discussions.
The short answer is that it’s not illegal to discuss your salary with coworkers. However, you may want to be careful about how and when you do so because there are a few potential pitfalls in doing so. For example:
- Company policy
- National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
- Pay discrimination claims
Discussing salaries with coworkers is legal in and of itself, but can land you in hot water if it’s not allowed by your workplace.
When it comes to discussing salary, the law is clear: you can’t be fired for discussing your salary with coworkers. But as we’ve learned in previous articles on this topic, employers are free to set policies that prohibit employees from discussing their salaries. Because of this, you could get into trouble at work if a coworker shares their salary information with you and then someone at your company finds out about it. After all, if someone at your workplace does the same thing and ends up in trouble for breaking a policy against talking about salaries with coworkers—even though there’s no legal prohibition against doing so—you might be next!
So what can you do? The best approach would be to have an honest conversation with HR or whoever oversees employee policies at your company before starting work there—and then follow up regularly throughout any employment relationship where such rules apply (which should always be enforced).
It’s your right to discuss how much you make with your coworkers. There are few things more important to your financial well-being than knowing what you’re worth in the job market, and if you don’t know that, then it can be hard to negotiate for fair pay or a raise. The bottom line is that discussing salary is an important part of being financially literate, and it should never be discouraged by companies. Of course, you may want to keep an eye out for ways in which these conversations could become uncomfortable or damaging to others—and remember that there are still a lot of social pressures that prevent people from having these talks openly. But overall, there’s no law keeping employees from talking amongst themselves about their paychecks (as long as it doesn’t affect workplace productivity). So go forth and talk about money!
can you be fired for discussing salary
When you and another employee have a conversation or communication about your pay, it is unlawful for your employer to punish or retaliate against you in any way for having that conversation. It is also unlawful for your employer to interrogate you about the conversation, threaten you for having it, or put you under surveillance for such conversations. Additionally, it is unlawful for the employer to have a work rule, policy, or hiring agreement that prohibits employees from discussing their wages with each other or that requires you to get the employer’s permission to have such discussions. If your employer does any of these things, a charge may be filed against the employer with the NLRB.
If you have any questions about your rights under the National Labor Relations Act, please call us at 1-844-762-6572.
salary confidentiality laws
You cannot forbid employees – either verbally or in written policy – from discussing salaries or other job conditions among themselves.
Discussing salary at work is protected regardless of whether employees are talking to each other in person or through social media.