Why and how you should talk to your colleagues about your salary
TLDR: Talk about money with trusted colleagues if you can. It's not illegal, and it benefits everyone (except stingy employers—they hate it, but screw them).
Knowledge is Power and Power is Money
This is why some employers don't want you discussing how much you earn. Those discussions can be revealing and give you a great reason to ask for more. Some will even try to include this in employment contracts, which is usually unenforceable, FYI.
👄 Can I discuss my salary with colleagues?
Yes. The Equality Act of 2010 states that any contract clause trying to stop an employee from discussing or seeking pay information, especially if it's to uncover differences related to a protected characteristic, will be unenforceable. Essentially, you're within your rights to talk to a colleague about salary for the purpose of uncovering unequal pay. This is important because if you're being underpaid, you can do something about it.
Of course, you don't want to make it awkward, and employers can suggest you don’t chat about it during working hours. However, there’s nothing to stop you from having private conversations with your colleagues to ensure there’s no unequal pay. Personally, I encourage it. Just do so sensitively and with colleagues you trust.
💬 What You Say About It
We asked the GFY Instagram community, and here’s what you had to say:
- 63% of you have had an open conversation with a colleague about your salary.
- Only 23% of you feel your workplace welcomes transparency around pay.
What was most concerning was how many of you discovered that you or a colleague were being paid less than someone doing the same job or were explicitly told not to discuss salaries. As a reminder, thanks to the Equality Act 2010:
Men and women in the same employment performing equal work must receive equal pay, unless any difference in pay can be justified.
🗣 Why Open Conversations Need to be Normalised
Because it works. We’ve heard that for many of you, speaking openly about salaries has been invaluable. It’s great to see colleagues advocating for one another, though it’s sad that this kind of transparency is even necessary.
🚨 Help, I'm Being Underpaid
If you discover you're being underpaid, here are a few things you can do:
- Raise it with your manager or HR. You don’t need to disclose your findings but can use this information to discuss your market value and why you believe you deserve a higher salary. Handle these conversations carefully; for more tips on pay rise conversations, check out this article.
- If internal conversations fail, consider getting advice from ACAS, a fantastic resource for work and pay issues.
- If you’re part of a union, ask for their help. If not, consider joining one.
💌 Join the Pay Me Community
In the GFY community space, we’ve started a dedicated group for people who are open to talking about salaries and actual numbers (because we love numbers).
You can join the Pay Me community by clicking here.