Don't play Chicken with Pay Transparency

Can you get into trouble for discussing pay/wages?

The Wall Street Journal headline: Chicken Companies Agree to Pay $85 Million to Settle Antitrust Allegations (free link in comments). Yes, a clickbait nugget to explore the essential topic of pay transparency.

In general, employees can discuss pay and employers cannot prohibit, and ought not discourage those discussions.? There are exceptions, but the model is employers ought to promote pay transparency and encourage employees to learn more and discuss it openly.

What about companies discussing pay amongst themselves?? Well, in general this is illegal as it is an antitrust action, anti-competitive, and likely to depress pay/wages.? So, in general, companies ought not discuss pay amongst competitors behind closed doors.? (This goes for many other topics.)

By keeping pay and wage information out in the open, both employers and employees benefit.? Pay transparency is necessary to attract top talent and ensure pay parity across all, including protected classes.? Besides being the right thing, it is the best thing (and will help your organization avoid costly allegations).? Sensible and ethical.

Note: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) protects employees of federal contractors who “inquire about compensation from discrimination.”

Great article on how an nonprofit organization addressed pay transparency, plus a cool illustration by Kathleen Fu in Canadian Business here: https://www.canadianbusiness.com/strategies/how-to-create-pay-transparency/

Note: I am glad to share job postings to my network, but I believe in this approach: “In June of 2021, FoodShare sent out an open letter to the non-profit job board Charity Village asking that it make compensation information mandatory for all job listings posted on its website.”? All job postings need to include essential information, such as the pay range.? BS like competitive or dependent upon experience or just wait until the interview is not acceptable. We have to stop allowing folks to spread such nonsense. If only there was a swear jar...