According to research by the Equal Opportunities Commission, the secrecy many employees shroud their pay and salary levels in can actually help to maintain the pay gap between men and women.  So why aren’t we all more open about how much we get paid?

In some companies workers are forbidden from talking about what they earn and comparing their wages and bonuses.  The main reason behind this may be that employers don’t want their employees competing with each other.  Ronnie Fox, a specialist employment lawyer at City law firm Fox says "the English view is that internal competition within a workplace can be very destructive.”  However, this secrecy may also be rooted in the general British attitude of being reserved and keeping things like this to ourselves.  Many people may feel uncomfortable revealing something like this which is traditionally thought of as personal and private. 

Nonetheless, by being reluctant or forbidden to talk about how much we earn we could make the salary gaps mentioned even worse.  If you have no idea what your colleagues are earning then you have no way to know if you are being underpaid in comparison.  If you suspect your salary is unfair, try to get it all in context before bringing it up with your managers.  Then put your case together with examples of why you feel you should be given a pay rise and pick a good time to ask for more money. When might that be? According to Ronnie Fox, "When you've just done something really well."