Ask a Boss: Can employees discuss wages at work?

Yes! It is a common misconception that employees are not allowed to discuss each other's salaries. The NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) protects employees’ rights to talk about their compensation with each other, and employers should take care to ensure that they have no existing policies that could be seen as a violation of this right.

More and more states are passing wage transparency laws, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island all have recent laws that address wage discrimination and transparency around compensation.

If you are concerned about the impact this could have on your business, you can initiate policies that discourage employees from discussing their salaries while at work, or discussing it with customers or clients. But beyond that, your best course of action is to ensure that you have a well-defined, fair, and transparent salary structure and that you are monitoring compensation trends in your industry to confirm that you are offering a fair and competitive wage. A compensation study can be a great way to make sure that you’re on track, and BCHR is always them for our clients.