At this year's Grammys, many artists used the term "Time's Up" to draw attention to many issues of social importance. Some of those issues included discrimination, harassment, and inequal pay. Political sentiments aside, we need to continue the national discussion about the fact that many individuals continue to experience harassment in the workplace. Sometimes it is sexual harassment, as we've seen in a lot of notorious cases of late. Sometimes it is race-based harassment or even harassment based on religion. Although discrimination can happen to men, more often than not, discrimination in pay is against women. Studies show that women continue to earn less than men for performing the same job.

If you work in the private sector, know that you are free to discuss your wages and benefits with your co-workers. Many of us were raised with the idea that it is rude or inappropriate to discuss wages with co-workers. But if you don't have the discussion, how will you know whether you are being paid fairly and equally based on your job duties and performance, or whether you are being paid less than your peers? We must continue the discussion to trigger the change that's needed.

And for employers, be aware of what's going on in your company. Audit your payroll, talk to your employees. Find out what your employees are experiencing and be part of the solution.

Together, we can move closer and closer to workplaces where people are judged on their performance and not on their gender, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, or the color of their skin.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” -- Mahatma Gandhi