Secrecy is the key to a lot of unfair, improper or downright illegal activity. Those carrying out the activity often pressure people to stay silent about it, which only allows them to continue it.
One area where this is true is pay disparities in the workplace. Many women have been doing the same job as their male colleagues but getting paid much less for it. However, this disparity became more widely recognized in recent years, because colleagues did not always feel free to ask each other what they earned out of fear of being reprimanded.
Immigration status or nationality are other factors that employers have sometimes used to pay someone less than others earn for doing the same work. By making employees stay quiet about their salary, employers could get away with paying some of them less – thus saving the company money. While it might be of benefit to an employer, it does not benefit their employees.
You have the right to talk about wages
California law makes it clear that employees can discuss how much they earn without worrying it will cost them their job or result in some other form of retaliation by their employer. No employee has to discuss their wages, but they have the right to do so should they wish.
What if you discover a significant disparity?
If you discover a colleague is earning more than you for the same job, you should first take time to see if there is a reasonable explanation. Maybe your employer is paying them more because they’ve been with the company longer, because of particular experience or skills they have, extra responsibilities they have or because their day-to-day tasks are different.
Employers are allowed to pay people differently. What they cannot do is pay people differently because of their race, gender or another protected characteristic. Employees who feel this has occurred may want to find out more about their legal options.