Sharing your salary has often been a taboo topic, some feel as if the information should be private, others feel sharing salary information can help determine if your company is paying you fairly. Keeping some financial information private may be beneficial in some settings; however, sharing salary information is a step that can lead to pay equity. It is not a secret that women make less money than men in many industries. It also is not a secret that many individuals of color are paid less. Currently, pay transparency is a trending political topic with many states implementing laws that require salary information to be displayed in job postings. This shift could assist others with receiving a living wage and knowing that their salary is consistent with their coworkers. It could also assist in raising the wages of certain professions. I am not sure if this pay transparency trend will spread throughout the nation, but I support sharing salary information in professional settings to ensure that organizations are not exploiting staff, are providing living wages, and are paying staff based on experience and credentials.
Many professions do not make living wages such as those in retail, food service, customer service, and hospitality. Alarmingly, many professions that require a college education do not pay living wages or provide compensation to justify the cost of the degree. Some examples include teachers, counselors, social workers, respiratory therapists, and dietitians. Counselors, social workers, respiratory therapists, and dietitians require degrees, internships, post-graduate training, licensure, and lifelong continuing education requirements.
Based on my experience working in the mental health and social services field, pay inequities are widespread practices. I have worked in settings where new hires had higher wages than individuals who worked for the company for decades. I also worked in settings where people with lower credentials made more money than those who had higher credentials. In my experience, union positions do not always ensure pay equity as the ranges negotiated often support the company’s desire to keep wages low.
Some companies that I worked for used the concept of “equal pay” which meant everyone started making the same salary regardless of credentials or experience. The problem with that concept is that a new hire who is a recent college graduate would make the same salary as the new hire with several certifications and years of experience. In that scenario, “equal pay” does not benefit the worker with experience and even negates the entire philosophy of the concept of the American Dream, where you are informed that working hard contributes to wealth and success. Pay transparency can not only improve your financial standing but can improve your health. Wealth and health are positively correlated; meaning that when wealth increases health also increases.
Wishing you health and happiness
My Mind, My Body, My Journey™ 