Ask ReproJobs: How can I be an ally to coworkers who make less than me?

Dear ReproJobs,

I work at a very small non profit, and there are only 3 non-director level employees. Two coordinators who are women of color and myself. I’ve been tasked with updated job descriptions, and in the course of doing that, I think I’ve found that one of them, who has been here longer than me, might be getting paid less.

How would you go about getting the coordinators together to make sure we are all getting paid what we should? My first thought is to just share with them what I am making, but I don’t know where to go from there. We are too small for a union, but there has to be a way for me to support this person in her ask for a raise, right? Should I follow best practices for organizing, like personal emails only, off site meetings, etc? Or is that overkill? I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize anyone’s employment (we are an at-will state). 

— Trying To Do The Right Thing, California

Dear Trying To Do The Right Thing,

We're so glad that you're taking the steps to rectify this situation. We know that pay disparities are common based on gender identity and race, and it's hard for people to find out about it. We did a bit of internet sleuthing (we're sure you did too), and found that many of the articles are focused on what to do when you are the one being paid less, and not when you're the one who is being paid more. We did find this great article from Ask A Manager at Slate about the benefits of salary transparency, where a person wrote to her about disclosing to a colleague that they were making more than the colleague, which turned out to be helpful because the lesser-paid employee was actively trying to get a raise, but their boss kept saying it wasn't in the budget. Remember, it's legal for you to talk to your colleagues about your pay; here are the laws by state. 

Given this, we would suggest you take your colleagues out to lunch or coffee and talk to them about what your hunch is. Give them a heads up about the topic of the conversation a few days ahead of time so they can prepare, or politely say no. During your conversation, explain what you think might be going on, why you think you might not all be making the same salary, and what you're making. Be sure not to ask what they're making (that's their decision to share), only volunteer what you're making, and tell them why you're committed to making sure all of you are paid equitably. Pause and offer them a chance to reflect, and offer to continue the conversation another time, if they prefer. 

If they're interested in keeping the conversation going, you all can talk about next steps which might include researching pay rates and you individually or as a group asking for a conversation with your manager(s), HR, or executive director. Here's some advice about how to structure that conversation, although of course it will really depend on who you're talking to. You can even share this resource with your boss about best practices in salary equity.

We think it's important that you listen to your coworkers about what they'd like to do to rectify the situation; particularly because they're staff of color, there can be different and unjust implications for them raising this concern at work. As you likely know, they're more likely to be disciplined, formally or informally, for raising these types of concerns. Hopefully, your supervisor(s) will be amenable to rectifying the situation in a timely manner. If not, you and your colleagues may want to speak to an employment advocate or the board of directors. The process may take a bit of time, but hopefully if you all address it together and in solidarity, noting the racial disparity, your organization will choose to address it.

Love, 

ReproJobs