Several employers have asked their workers to not discuss their salaries with co-workers, even if there are laws that protect the nature of these compensation discussions.
Regardless of workers being legally allowed to talk about how much they earn, some workers—to not “rock the boat” with management—abide by this rule and keep their salaries private.
This was the case with a TikToker named Crystal (@trulycrystalturner), but all that changed following an emotionally charged discussion one of Crystal’s co-workers, Dylan, had with the regional manager of the company she works for.
Dylan, irate following his meeting with the regional manager, decided to let Crystal know that he was making $2 more per hour than she was, the TikToker claims. On top of that, she says he was expressly told by the regional manager not to discuss his salary with Crystal.
The TikToker was angry upon hearing the news, especially because she says she was working there for around 18 months longer than Dylan was. She broke down the situation in a TikTok that’s garnered more than 845,000 views as of Monday.
@trulycrystalturner #Work #Gossip #Boundaries #Oops #Equaloppurtunityemployer #Fyp ♬ original sound – Truly
Her post received several different replies, with one of the top-rated comments that received over 2,300 likes stating, “It is actually ILLEGAL for them to tell anyone not to discuss wages with other co-workers.”
Another commenter said they, too, were asked to not discuss their salaries by management, but the staff at the job informed their bosses that this was against the law.
“At my last job, our HR rep told us not to discuss our salaries and everyone said that’s illegal,” they wrote.
@trulycrystalturner #Positive #Iamgratefulthough #Equaloppurtunityemployer #Thankyoumuch #Final #Fyp #Whatdoyouthink #Fyp ♬ original sound – Truly
According to the National Labor Relations Board, “policies that specifically prohibit the discussion of wages are unlawful.”
Jackson Spencer Law also states that it is wholly illegal for employers to disallow their workers from discussing their wages. There are some caveats, however—for instance, a job can request that workers do not discuss their wages while on the clock at work. But whatever conversations employees have during a break period at work or on their own time outside of working hours is perfectly legal.
Furthermore, if employers are found retaliating against workers for discussing their salaries, they could be susceptible to legal recourse.
“There is a common misconception among employees that you cannot discuss your pay with others,” the post reads. “In fact, employees’ right to discuss their salary is protected by law. While employers may restrict workers from discussing their salary in front of customers or during work, they cannot prohibit employees from talking about pay on their own time.”
In a follow-up video, Crystal says that she ultimately received the raise after talking to her boss and thanked all of the TikTokers who had reached out to her with suggestions on how to secure it.
“I’m thankful I’m making $2 more on the hour,” she says in the clip. “However, my company disappointed me today.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Crystal via TikTok comment.
