Some greedy employers will do all they can to maximize control over their employees, even if it means illegal intimidation. One kitchen worker in Louisiana works for $13.50 an hour but was threatened by his boss if he attempted to speak with coworkers about his wages. In a document handed to him by management, the statement reads that “any unauthorized discussion of pay including tips amongst employees is grounds for immediate termination.” If that isn’t a big red flag for a toxic employer, I don’t know what is.
Obviously, the Louisiana worker knew from the get-go that this sort of enforced silencing is not only unethical but illegal. Confused on how to handle the situation, he took to Reddit to ask, “Can anyone help figure out how to approach this before being fired for some BS.” It should come as no surprise that plenty of others shared their own similar experiences in the comment section. “I just signed an offer letter for a new job that said the same exact thing,” said a commenter. “I filed an NLRB complaint against an employer for the same,” stated another. “With this administration, good luck,” sarcastically remarked a third.
Speaking of a filed complaint, that’s exactly what many users told the Louisianian to do: Report the employer to the Department of Labor. Of course, he should be doing it anonymously, unless he wants to possibly single himself out to his boss. One person lays it out fairly well: “File a report to the national labor board. It is totally illegal to fire someone for discussing pay, I don’t think I would want to work for a company like that either, because that level of secrecy typically points to other suspect activities and toxic behaviors from the company.”
Everyone should and does have the right to talk about their salary or wages, and any sort of retaliation from an employer about it is a federal crime. As to why OP’s boss is doing this to their business, it’s probably a matter of hiding who is being overpaid or underpaid. Unfortunately, he’s likely the latter.
