After an employee shared their salary online, there were certain professional repercussions
"So, TikTok got me fired."
These were the words of Colorado-based tech worker Lexi Larson on TikTok last week after she posted a video about her salary in her new job and how she spends it. While her followers liked the content — which is only one of probably thousands of videos on salary and spending on the video-sharing platform — her employer apparently did not find this amusing.
"Basically, my employer found my TikToks and really, really did not like that I was sharing my salary and stuff like that," Larson said.
She eventually took them down because she was afraid her employers weren't pleased, but two days after this, she still ended up being fired. According to the TikTok personality, her employers terminated her because her account posed a "security concern," where she could post something private about the company.
"Just to be super clear, I did not share any private company information," she clarified in another TikTok video. "I confirmed with them that I hadn't broken into policies or shared anything that was a security concern, but they said my social media posts made them question my judgment as an employee."
"And the social media posts they're referring to are other ones where shared my salary, which I did not think would be an issue whatsoever because in Colorado, it's a law that you have to include the salary range for a job on a job posting so I honestly assumed it was public knowledge already," she added. "But I did go and check their Colorado job postings after all this happened and they do not have salaries listed."
The National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) also says that employees have the right to discuss their salaries in person and online.
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"When using electronic communications, like social media, keep in mind that your employer may have policies against using their equipment. However, policies that specifically prohibit the discussion of wages are unlawful," said the NLRB.
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Will she be running after her former employer?
According to Larson, she won't.
"I'm not going to be suing them," Larson stated, adding that she did consult with a lawyer with her situation.
She also pointed out that the conversation where her employer said they had an issue with her salary happened over a phone call, which she said was a "very calculated move on their part."
"But I mean there's nothing I can do about that, so I have no proof of that conversation," she said.
TikTok has loads of content about its users sharing their salaries as well as how they budget and spend them. Larson said she found those videos helpful, and this is why she decided to start sharing her own ways. She also stressed that employers being transparent about compensation is important.
"I also think salary transparency is important just because that's how you know if you're getting underpaid in the workplace which as a woman, I'm very passionate about."
What's next for her?
Larson said she called up the employer before this new job, who welcomed her back in their organisation.
"My old job that I am now going back to never had any issue with my social media posts and when they offered me my job back, they actually specifically told me that I am free to share my salary information however I want," she said.
Larson revealed she would start working again in mid-July, while adding that she wants to move past the incident.
"I'm very excited to see all my co-workers again and hopefully I can just move on from this because honestly, I never want to think about this situation or that company ever again in my life."