第1541期:Should we talk about our salaries?

It's a touchy subject. Talking socially about money can make people feel uncomfortable. But at work, have a conversation about how much people earn, and things can not only get awkward, but, in some cases, it can get you sacked.这是一个敏感的话题。在社交场合谈论金钱会让人们感到不舒服。但是在工作中，谈论人们挣多少钱，事情不仅会变得尴尬，而且在某些情况下，它可能会让你被解雇。According to a survey by the Trades Union Congress, 1 in 5 workers "have been told they can’t talk about their pay at work". This, concludes the TUC, indicates how common pay secrecy or 'gagging' clauses are in employment contracts. 'Pay secrecy clauses are a get out of jail free card for bad bosses,' said TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady. 'They stop workers from challenging unfair pay, allow top executives to hoard profits and encourage discrimination. More openness about wages is essential to building fairer workplaces.'根据工会大会的一项调查，五分之一的工人“被告知他们不能谈论他们的工作工资”。TUC 总结说，这表明工资保密或“堵嘴”条款在雇佣合同中的普遍性。TUC 总书记弗朗西斯·奥格雷迪 (Frances O'Grady) 说：“薪酬保密条款是坏老板的出狱卡。” '他们阻止工人挑战不公平的薪酬，允许高层管理人员囤积利润并鼓励歧视。更开放的工资对于建立更公平的工作场所至关重要。So, should we talk about how much we earn? It's not so simple. Even without the contractual obligations, people may still be reluctant. "I personally have found it's better not looking and not knowing," Tracy Jordan, an HR professional, told the BBC. "Even if you feel you are paid a fair wage, there will always be someone that you perceive is doing a lesser job and is earning more. Rather than feeling perpetually dissatisfied, I think ignorance can be bliss."那么，我们应该谈谈我们赚了多少吗？这不是那么简单。即使没有合同义务，人们可能仍然不情愿。人力资源专业人士特雷西乔丹告诉 BBC：“我个人发现，最好不要看也不知道。” “即使你觉得自己得到了公平的工资，也总会有人认为你做的工作更少，收入更高。我认为与其永远不满意，不如说无知是幸福。”Money is tied up with complex emotions, Brianna McGurran, a money expert at the personal finance blog NerdWallet, told the New York Times. It involves emotions like shame, success and fear of failure. It also influences how people view you. People's money is tied to their self-worth. As a result, culturally, it can be bit of a taboo.个人理财博客 NerdWallet 的理财专家布丽安娜·麦古兰 (Brianna McGurran) 告诉《纽约时报》，金钱与复杂的情绪息息相关。它涉及羞耻、成功和对失败的恐惧等情绪。它也会影响人们如何看待你。人们的钱与他们的自我价值挂钩。因此，在文化上，它可能有点禁忌。But all that may change. First of all, pay secrecy clauses are unenforceable in the UK due to the UK Equality Act 2010. An employee must always be able to find out if they are being discriminated against in terms of pay. In addition, The European Union is considering new legislation on pay transparency in order to reduce gender pay, earnings and pension gaps. So, for better or worse it may be something we all have to get used to. Over time, talking about our salaries may become just another matter for small talk.但这一切都可能改变。首先，由于《2010 年英国平等法》，薪酬保密条款在英国无法执行。员工必须始终能够查明他们是否在薪酬方面受到歧视。此外，欧盟正在考虑制定关于薪酬透明度的新立法，以减少性别薪酬、收入和养老金差距。因此，无论好坏，这可能是我们都必须习惯的事情。随着时间的推移，谈论我们的薪水可能只是闲聊的另一回事。词汇表touchy 敏感的，需要小心对待的uncomfortable 令人不自在的awkward 尴尬的sacked 被解雇pay secrecy 薪资保密gagging clause 封口条款employment contract 雇佣合同top executives 高层管理团队discrimination 歧视wage 工资，工钱contractual obligation 合同义务reluctant 不情愿的dissatisfied 不满意的ignorance is bliss 无知即是福personal finance 个人财物fear of failure 害怕失败self-worth 自我价值unenforceable 不能强制执行的pay gap 薪酬差距salary 薪水，工资