Tough Question...one has a degree one doesnt...

[cbg]

Well, since we're already here I'll finish up.

Yes, pay should be confidential, and that's one reason I suggested you tell the lower paid employee that it's none of his business what the first employee got paid. However, the law states that you CANNOT prevent employees from talking about the terms and conditions of their employment, and that means that they can talk about their own pay all they want. Your payroll manager or controller absolutely should not be sharing what other employees make, and you can fire them if they do. But any employee has the absolute right to tell other employees what s/he himself/herself makes. And if the other employees choose to respond in kind, there's nothing you can do to stop them. You do not, however, have to confirm it and you do not have to pay them what they think they ought to be paid.

Now, no more homework questions, okay?

 

[jhermiz]

Hi cbg,

Thanks for the forgiveness...definately no more..but for myself...can someone be fired if they discuss wages? I mean at my workplace we've always been told that everyones pay is confidential. I've never tried talking about it cause it's not my business...but I mean can a company terminate someone if they talked about someone else's pay?

Thanks,
Jon

 

[cbg]

An employee cannot be fired for talking about their OWN pay. They have the absolute right to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment. I can't off the top of my head point to the exact law, but it is involved with the right to unionize. I have the case somewhere.

However, the employer can strongly discourage the discussion of wages since, as you correctly point out, an employee's wages should be confidential. And an employee CAN be fired for discussing someone ELSE'S wages.

What I mean by that is, you can tell me what you make, and I can tell you what I make. But if I have work in payroll or accounting and I tell you what HomeGuru makes, I can be fired for that.

 

[HomeGuru]

Go ahead. Make my day.

 

[knotcops]

Personally, I know people with degrees that shouldn't be making minimum wage and people without degrees that make six figure incomes. If your happy with YOUR pay scale, what's the problem here? No one is forcing you to stay with this employer.