I mention something, and I get the cold shoulder immediately. I just want to see if I'm being underpaid.
3 replies (most recent on top)
People are afraid of repercussions from management and, oftentimes, afraid of making their coworkers uncomfortable.
At a previous place of employment, I had some coworkers who were down to talk about pay and some who were super shy about it. I would basically mention MY pay, raises, promotional aspirations, etc. to all of my coworkers. Didn't ask what theirs was, just made mine known. Everyone was confidently talking about pay soon enough.
@OP I will give you a proper reason. corporate culture forbids discussing wages as a taboo (despite being protected by the federal government; NLRA...and many state agencies). Pro tip: if you talk to your coworkers about your situation and approach management together, you have a textbook NLRA case should management act against you.
they don't want workers discussing wages because people like you might ask questions. people like you might start saying "I work harder than so-so, yet I'm paid less?" and you might think about asking for a promotion or leave.
in the fog of obscurity corporate doesn't have to worry about that. when people know how much they're getting plugged they get angry, they organize, or they leave.
Corporate requires fear and insecurity. if you're insecure you're afraid to leave your job. if you're insecure you stay because you have bills to pay.
but... if everyone is insecure, and everyone knows they're getting plugged they form unions, they coalesce with each other, and the push corporate back.
corporate can easily dispose of a bad egg here, an outspoken person asking about wages there... they cannot survive a company wide mutiny backed by worker solidarity.
that's why everyone is scared to talk about pay. prisoners afraid the warden will single them out and make an example of them.
want to talk salary? I'm a pencil pusher with tenure long enough to see the glimmer of six-figures on the horizon before I got sc--wed over by KRA's and standards management couldn't even pull off.
if you think you are, probably are.