Your own salary is usually a taboo subject. A TikToker wants to change that: She asks people on the street how much they earn and wants to change the culture of conversation around the topic.
You don’t talk about money – many people act according to this maxim when it comes to their salary. Who earns what often remains a secret. Hannah Williams is completely different: the American is very open about her wages, and she encourages many others with her TikTok account “Salary Transparent Street” to do the same.
She goes out on the street with a camera, talks to complete strangers and asks them about their job and salary. IT professionals talk to her about it, cleaners, office workers. Williams then publishes the answers on the video app. Thousands of people have now told her what they earn, says the young woman – be it on the street or in online news. More than 800,000 people follow her on TikTok.
Salary comparison on TikTok
Williams’ interest in the subject stems from her own history. Within two and a half years she had five different jobs with very different salaries. At one point she felt “burned out and underpaid,” she told Business Insider. But her boss refused better pay. “It was a real low point in my career.” She switched jobs and launched her TikTok channel shortly after. Your videos are seen by millions of people.
The feedback is almost exclusively positive. “People are so happy about it,” Williams told Next Advisor: “I get great messages from people who tell me that they realized they were underpaid and shared it with their colleagues.” That is exactly what Hannah Williams is aiming for. She wants to encourage people to talk more openly about the topic of money and salary, thereby helping to reduce inequalities.
Rich and poor prefer to keep quiet
“Talking about pay helps people who are being discriminated against and taken advantage of in the workplace,” she says. “My goal is to break the pay taboo and help close the pay gap, improve diversity and inclusion in companies and reduce discrimination.” In addition to videos in which she asks other people about their salary, she runs the “Stocks and Squats” account, where she shares her own story and career advice.
There is still a lot to do in this area, Williams notes while working on her channel. Because when she addresses people on the street, many are willing to answer questions, but some do not want to comment. “Unfortunately, people with very high or very low salaries don’t want to talk to us as much as those with average salaries,” Williams observed. She wants to change that: “I want people to know that their salary doesn’t dictate who they are – their worth or their intelligence.”
Sources: “Salary Transparent Street” on TikTok / “Stocks and Squats” on TikTok / “Business Insider” / “Next Advisor”
