‘You can’t discuss your pay': Manager tells employee they can't discuss wages with coworkers, employee reports them to HR and district manager

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Aug 10, 2023 10:00 AM EDT

It is not in a company's best interest to have their employees gather and hold a discussion about how much they are being paid, but it is certainly in the employee's best interest. Back when I was floor manager at a restaurant, I remember finding out that people who were way newer than I was at the job were getting about one dollar more than me. It doesn't really matter that it was one dollar (that adds up, by the way), it matters that this dollar is symbolic! Why should people who have fewer qualifications, and are newer at the job, make more than I do? It's a good question, one that upper management always fails to answer, as they blubber and try to come up with a semi-acceptable excuse.

In any case, it's unfair to ask employees not to discuss their wages, and also, illegal. u/WillingPiglet shared that she was working as a hostess at a national restaurant chain in the US. She had seniority, but as discussed before, management doesn't always care about that. She was hired at $14.65. She found out that other hosts were making $15 an hour… and they were hired after her. Sound familiar? Story of my life.

OP immediately left a sticky note on her manager's desk, which is more than I did back in my day, so kudos. Then her manager agreed to a raise but told her that she wasn't actually allowed to discuss wages with other employees and that it was written in the employees' handbook. OP checked said handbook, and guess what? Nothing of the sort was written. She then found out via some friends that if it had been written in the handbook, she would have quite the lawsuit on her hands. So, she began reporting people. Scroll down to read what happened.

Next, a warehouse worker who was fired 4 hours into his first day.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/WillingPiglet 21 hours ago I was reprimanded for discussing pay at work and told it was in the employee handbook that I'm not allowed to discuss it
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 02
    Font - I work as a hostess at a national restaurant chain here in the United States. I am the senior most host here having started in January of this year. I was hired at $14.65. I was having a conversation with two other hosts and one of them
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 03
    Font - mentioned making $15 an hour, and so did another host. I was kind of like hold the phone because they were hired after me and this is all three of our first hosting position. I immediately wrote
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 04
    Font - on a sticky note that I wanted to have a conversation with the GM when she was in next. So a few days later on Wednesday we talk and she says "I'm going to raise your pay to make it fair but you
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 05
    Font - really aren't allowed to discuss pay at work, it even says so in the employee handbook, I'm not going to fire anyone or anything but just know talk about pay really has to stay between you and I". So I texted my
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 06
    Font - best friend to tell them about this and their husband texts me a few minutes later and he told me about the equal pay act and how if it's in the employee handbook I have quite the lawsuit on my hands.
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 07
    Font - Unfortunately I couldn't find anything in the employee handbook about it so I can't sue the company but I did report the GM to HR for lying to me, and I haven't heard anything yet but I'm reaching out to the district manager tomorrow!
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 08
    Font - fromwayuphigh. 20 hr. ago Even better, ask them to show you where it is in the employee handbook. 861 Reply Share
    via u/fromwayuphigh
  • 09
    Font - WillingPiglet OP. 20 hr. ago Oooo I'm going to do that 344 Reply
    via u/WillingPiglet
  • 10
    Font - kristy2056 20 hr. ago It's definitely against the law to tell employees they can't talk about pay. They tell you not to so the exact same thing that happened doesn't happen. They don't want
    via u/kristy2056
  • 11
    Font - to fairly pay you. Talk about it all you like and make them fire you so you can sue their a off. 4.9k Reply Share
    via u/kristy2056
  • 12
    Font - kor341 20 hr. ago I got fired from a company called G (they make drill bits), which is a German company but I worked at their Wisconsin factory, for telling a coworker my wage.
    via u/kor34l
  • 13
    Font - BUT, they were smart enough not to list that as the official reason. The official reason listed was "a personality conflict" with my supervisor. Of course, by personality conflict they meant "told his supervisor he is indeed allowed to tell his wage to his coworkers"
    via u/kor34l
  • 14
    Font - that place was an The most corrupt company I've ever worked for. There's a dude in the shipping department that makes six figures and sits around all day because he's not expected to do
    via u/kor34l
  • 15
    Font - anything. Because he has pictures on his phone of upper execs doing b with h in the hotel at a company event, and threatened HR with them. There's lots more too, the place is a joke.
    via u/kor34l
  • 16
    Font - PedestalPotato · 2 days ago Ask them to send you the part in the handbook where it says that. Then present it to your local labour board Reply Share ↑ 11 11
    via u/PedestalPotato
  • 17
    Font - JarmaBeanhead · 2 days ago Yeah important to remember that HR is hired by and works for the company first... They are essentially a relations manager between employees and company, but they're going to defend the company whenever push comes to shove. 63 Reply Share
    via u/JarmaBeanhead
  • 18
    Font - Awkward-Ring6182 2 days ago Hard copy of that employee handbook in your possession, I assume? Dol will be interested to see it. If you need help connecting with them, you can dm me Reply Share 29
    via u/Awkward-Ring6182
  • 19
    Font - mildfury · 1 day ago Not only that, it's illegal for employers to even discourage wage discussion. The NLRB considers "you shouldn't" no different than "you can't," written or unwritten. 11 Reply Share
    via u/mildfury
  • 20
    Font - econdonetired - 2 days ago It is illegal to fire you for discussing pay if this is the US 71 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/econdonetired
  • 21
    Font - blamethepunx. 2 days ago "Wow your handbook has more authority than federal law? How did you manage that??" 88 Reply Share
    via u/blamethepunx

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boss employees fired general manager hired host raise hostess report lawsuit hr salary employee handbook upper management wages new hire restaurant-hostess
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