4 ms·
Ignoring the recruiter problem for a second, should I ever feel obligated to disclose salary information? I have had potential employers straight up ask me wha
by qudat 11y ago
Ignoring the recruiter problem for a second, should I ever feel obligated to disclose salary information? I have had potential employers straight up ask me what my current salary is, should I just tell them I'm not going to answer that question?
- SandB0x 11y agoJust tell them it's confidential.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoInternally, sharing your salary with co-workers is federally protected speech. You could argue to a recruiter that your salary exposed publicly is sharing trade secrets.
- jsight 11y agoKeepin mind that the actual protections here are relatively weak.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoAre you saying you have no recourse if you're fired for sharing your salary information?
- Teodolfo 11y agoNot in Calfornia: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB§ionNum=232 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection... Even federally arguing that current salary is a trade secret is a legal gray area.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoThank you for that citation! I'm in Illinois at the moment, but California is more relevant for an HN discussion.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- weland 11y agoYou're generally not even allowed to discuss your salary with your colleagues after (if) you're hired by one of those potential employers. If it's confidential after that, it should be confidential before, too.
- Raphmedia 11y agoOnly if you sign those rights away.
- dantillberg 11y agoIn the US, if your employer tells you that you are not allowed to discuss your salary with your colleagues, they are breaking federal law.
- antjanus 11y agoYou're right. Doesn't mean there is a general stigma against doing so, is generally frowned upon, and can put you into a position to be fired because of "something completely unrelated but yes, totally related"
- turk- 11y agoPolicies that prohibit discussion of Salary are illegal. http://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policies-at-work-often-illegal-and-misunderstood http://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policies...
- totalrobe 11y agoDiscussion of salaries between coworkers is a federally protected right.
- thenewwazoo 11y agoI have to speak up on this: Discussing your salary is always, ALWAYS legal. ALWAYS. It's also moral and ethical. It's the cornerstone of collective action. It is information that can NEVER hurt either you or your coworker, because someone is going to have to justify a salary in one direction or another as a result. Never, ever hesitate to share your salary information with anyone who wants to know. Ashamed that it's too high? Work to get your coworkers raises. Ashamed that it's too low? Time to open negotiations, either with your current employer or another one.
- shady_trails 11y agoIts an easy question to deflect. - "I don't feel comfortable sharing that" - "I'm still looking at a couple different options and don't want to pigeon hole myself" - "What salary is being offered with this position?" If they take issue with your non-response, its a (small) sign that you might headed towards a non-ideal working environment.
- tomjen3 11y agoYou should never feel obligated about anything when negotiating (afterwards, yes, keep your agreement it will help your in the long run and is the right thing). Your goal is to get the best possible deal for yourself.
- fiveoak 11y agoIn general, it's in your best interest not to disclose it.