On mobile. Forgive my bad formatting.
I participate in this sub, so I know this is patently false. I tell my supervisor that instructing me not to discuss my pay is illegal. She insists that it's store policy, and that I shouldn't share my compensation information.1 I ask for a copy of the store policy, or a written statement confirming this policy. She hesitates, then says that she probably couldn't find the policy, and that she doesn't have time to write it down. I tell her I don't plan to stop sharing my pay information. She says I should go to HR and talk to them about it.
So, on my break 2 , I head back to our HR rep's office. She and I are on good terms, so I flat out said “
She said something along the lines of “Well, yes, you shouldn't.”
Me being the pedantic shit that I am, I reply “Wait, I can't or shouldn't?”
She says “You shouldn't. Bragging about your wage may disrupt the workplace environment.”
So I say “But I'm, like, allowed to, right?”
She says “Well I can't stop you, but why would you want to distress your coworkers like that?” 3
I then thank her for her time, and I leave to return to my post, my break nearly up.
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1 The standard wage for cashiers in my store is $15.00/hr. I get $16.50 because I have “prior experience” indicated on my record in my employer's computer system. Or something. I'm not quite sure, neither is my store's management. They found out I was sharing this information to help my coworkers get the same “prior experience” credit.
2 Yes, I know: “Why are you going to talk to your HR rep on your break that's your time” etc etc. It's the only time I could've gone during my shift. I wouldn't normally do this on a break, but it felt urgent enough to address immediately.
3 I really underestimated the HR person. They really knew how to heavily imply that I couldn't talk about my wages without saying it outright. It'd be impressive if it wasn't so sad.