Eavesdropping boss forbids employees from discussing wages. One email shut him up for good
'I can't believe they were dumb enough to put it in writing. Glad I'm leaving,' they said.
When an employee put in their two-week notice, they expected a polite send-off, but instead, they woke up to a message from their boss that was not only out of line but also illegal. The post, shared by u/thanyou, which has gained 18k upvotes so far, revealed that their manager first thanked them for their service and wished them well in their new role, but the text took a different turn.
"It has come to my attention that there have been discussions regarding your pay with some of the staff. Please be reminded that sharing compensation details is against our policy and can create unnecessary challenges with morale," the boss wrote, adding, "Moving forward, I kindly ask that you refrain from discussing pay with others." The user explained how absurd the situation was. "My partner and I were appalled, and they helped me quickly draft a response. I can't believe they were dumb enough to put it in writing. Glad I'm leaving," they explained.
The user responded with a calm, firm reminder of their rights. "Regarding the second half of your message, I respectfully disagree and cannot in good conscience follow such a policy," they wrote. "It is illegal under the Labor Relations Act of 1935 federally, and at a state level as well (our own state of California 'Equal Pay Act'), for an employer to restrict employees from discussing wages. It is not illegal to discuss wages anywhere in the US. In essence, any attempt to discourage or punish discussion of wages is illegal." They went on to emphasize how concerning it was for an employer to put such a restriction in writing: "The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) takes these things very seriously, and I won't apologize for it."
Despite widespread illegality, pay secrecy remains entrenched in many workplaces, especially in the private sector. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that among private sector workers, 41% say wage discussions are discouraged, and 25% say they’re formally prohibited—meaning a total of 66% face some level of secrecy. By contrast, in the public sector, only 6% reported formal prohibition, and 9% said it was discouraged. The user made it clear that the decision to leave was not only about money. "The reason why I am leaving is not only because of pay; however, there's no need to get into it here," they wrote.
The post resonated strongly with readers, many of whom praised the employee for knowing their rights and handling the situation with composure. u/ejd0626 wrote, "That is a fantastic response. You owned that dumbass without getting emotional or unprofessional." u/HyrrokinAura added, "A lot of managers don't think any of the rules they create could ever be illegal or unprofessional. He probably thought he would get away with it because so many employees just believe their management is acting in good faith when 99% of the time they're pulling rules out of their ass and pretending they're legit. u/Thick_Succotash396 quipped, "Good ON and for YOU! It pays to know your rights. Hopefully, he is not thick-skulled and takes this as a learning lesson." u/Obstreporous1 noted, "'…can create unnecessary challenges with morale... ' Challenges to the management, yes. Morale is also a management issue."
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