Can I Talk About Pay With Colleagues?
There’s no law in Canada that says you can’t. But if you do, beware the landmines.
Pay’s right up there with politics, religion and race as minefield topics at work. People tiptoe around them ‘cause they’re laced with tripwires.
Except your dying to know if Keisha (your rival) or Randall (the owner’s moronic nephew) are pulling down bigger bucks than you. Hacking into HR’s data is out of the question. And company policy forbids pay chats among workers.
What to do, what to do?
About That Bogus Policy
For the record, employees have a legit legal right to gab with one another about wages. No law in Canada prevents this. So if the company handbook or employment contracts try to restrict this, it’s fake news.
However. That don’t mean you’re scot-free if you chatter. Remember the minefield? Tongue wagging about wages might lead to hurt feelings. Might even cause a ruckus. In which case, there could be a basis for getting progressively disciplined.
Why Employers Might Try A Gag Anyway
Most workplaces prize harmony. A beehive of productivity in a teamwork honeycomb. Start revealing that one worker bee earns more for similar work, someone’s gonna get stung.
Employers have incentives to discourage pay transparency:
- Reduces potential disgruntlement among the lesser paid
- Creates a barrier to banding together and demanding equal pay
- Preserves privacy when rewarding more to stars (or favourites of any type)
A focus on wage disparity is a buzzkill. Better to keep the hive in darkness.
How to Talk About Comp With Coworkers
If you do get into a pay confab, the first rule is discretion. Don’t be shouting this stuff across crowded lunchrooms. Do the deed in private if possible.
Create a mutual safety zone. Anyone involved agrees not to blab details without prior permission. And to not let revelations change their working relationships. A promise, to be honest, would be honey on the cake.
Getting The Full Picture
One danger of these comparisons is an incomplete context. A colleague discloses they’re making more than you. Your blood boils. My f@#!^ing employer is cheating me!
Only you’re missing a chunk of the story: total compensation. The value of benefits should be taken into account. They can be worth up to 40% on top of base salary. Toss in bonuses or stock options, and it could soar.
Even with all those details, you may not be talking apples to apples. Like are workloads pretty much equal? Does one of you contend with extra stress and risk? Do you have different bosses, one more forgiving of mistakes and lateness? These are worth something.
Also maybe the other person has a fancy-do degree, specialized skills or international experience. Employers might pay a premium for that.
Should You Bother Raising The Question?
Monster.ca has a great piece on the pros and cons of discussing salaries at work. Read it before swarming your officemates. Unless there’s a good reason to bring the subject up, best leave this booby trap undisturbed.