Did you know it's illegal for your employer to forbid you from talking about pay with your co-workers? If they do, they can be reported!
There are many reasons why they try to silence us. Here’s why we shouldn’t listen.
When employees build open and honest communication, it prevents companies from getting away with low-balling workers.
People are less likely to happily work for low wages when they know their coworkers are making more. This isn’t specific to corporate jobs or service workers – it's happening to everyone.
In order for capitalism to work smoothly, workers have to be left in the dark about many things, including the truth about wages.
Employers have shamed workers into believing “privacy” is more important than transparency. And this is done by enforcing the narrative of “politeness politics.”
For generations, many of our elders have told us that talking about money is tacky. This comes from a culture of employers telling their workers that money talk is “impolite.”
We also tend to blame each other for any differences in pay, instead of blaming the company! This misplaced blame can make workspaces really uncomfortable.
Employers have created toxic work environments by making their employees believe privacy is key to mature workplaces. Workers can only benefit from discussing their wages openly, so we can all get paid what we deserve!