Talking about salary with coworkers has long been seen as a taboo topic in nursing. Could this be hurting us as a profession? Let's explore some of the things we know about this difficult topic.
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Show Me The Money is not just a phrase for Jerry McGuire! This is a phrase that nurses should get comfortable saying. Now, maybe we should not yell it at our boss in true Cuba Gooding Jr. fashion, but we certainly still need to say it! Cuba's character in this movie, knew what he was worth and he didn't settle for a penny less. There is much for nurses to learn from this idea.
It seems there is an unspoken rule among nurses that we don't share our salaries or hourly wages with one another. I recently had a conversation with a colleague where we reminisced about all the times in our careers that we have been asked (or even told) not to share our wage information. We decided that often times it was due to an employer not wanting to have the difficult conversation as to why two nurses with similar backgrounds were making such different wages. Employers don't want to be perceived as having biases, favorites or even just simple discrepancies in wages. But our silence allows the issues to grow, nurses to be paid less than they are worth and the profession as a whole to not receive the compensatory respect it deserves.
Keeping salaries private is proven to be more harmful to performance, hiring and the economy at large, according to David Burkus in his 2016 book, "Under New Management: How Leading Organizations are Upending Business as Usual." In his book, he explains that people who are aware of the salary information of co-workers work harder and increase their performance. IIt has been proven that keeping salary information private is likely to cause us to feel that we are underpaid, per David Burkus. Many organizations have heeded the advice of this and other studies and embraced the idea of salary transparency, or publishing the wages of workers.
Let's explore 3 simple ideas about our wages that with help with these difficult conversations:
We must be in the know:
It is actually illegal for your employer or manager to tell you that you can not share your wages with a coworker. Congress enacted the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 to protect the rights of employees and employers, to encourage collective bargaining and to inhibit certain private sector labor and management practices. This is a fancy way of saying that you can tell anyone you like how much you make, even co-workers. It is important to know your rights when it comes to your wages.
Gender Pay Gap between Male and Female Nurses:
Male nurses make more than female nurses: A 2015 survey conducted by allnurses.com reported that women made up 92% of the nursing workforce while men made up the remaining 8%. However, when comparing wages, men earned approximately $5100 more per year than their female counterparts. This pay gap has been steady since 1989.
Why would there be such a long-standing gender pay gap for nurses? There are a few reasons. First, men are more likely to negotiate their salary than women. Second, men often work "off hour" assignments, which come with differentials. Finally, women tend to look for 9-5 type jobs in search of a work-life balance.
Even knowing these reasons, it is important we continue to explore these issues and discuss them openly. Wage transparency helps fight gender bias. Washington D.C has one of the lowest gender pay gaps in the country (11%) for general wages. This is largely attributable to the fact that the federal government believes in salary transparency, according to Kate Mueting, a partner at Sanford Heisler, LLP. This further supports the idea that being transparent with our wages will help to eliminate gender bias.
Know when to Hold 'EM:
According to themuse.com in an article titled, "4 Times to Negotiate Your Salary (and 3 Times Not To) there is an art to negotiating, and you must know when to show your hand. Never start negotiating before you have received a formal job offer. When you are going to negotiate, build your pitch! Remind the employer what you can bring to the job to justify your salary requirements. Finally, never walk away from an offer that you think is too low if the job is right you. Negotiate!
Just like Cuba's character, we must know what we are worth and never settle. What are your thoughts on salary transparency in nursing? Is it a good idea or a bad one? Do you share your wage information with coworkers? This is an important conversation, tell me your thoughts.
