Talking about salary with colleagues can be uncomfortable, since there's such a taboo about discussing money matters, but it's an important step towards achieving equal pay for equal work. One barrier, however, stems from how we think of our own financial worth. Too many people I talk to wrongly consider their salary a reflection of their worthiness, a statement about their skills, experience, or value. At the end of the day, if we can all separate our self­worth from our salaries a bit more, it'll become easier to talk frankly with our colleagues.

Asking about money outright can be tough, so one trick I've picked up along the way is to ask for your colleagues to confirm or deny. For instance, you might volunteer your salary first and ask “Does that sound right to you？” by way of comparison. Or, let's say you're interviewing for a promotion to become  a manager. You might ask a fellow manager about the kind of salary you should expect by saying, “I'm seeing salaries for this kind of position ranging from $65,000 to $70,000 — does that seem accurate to you？”  This way, even if your colleague isn't comfortable sharing their salary outright, they can help you identify if your expectations are appropriate.