It's interesting.

I grew up abroad and asking someone what they made was quite common and no one thought twice before saying "Oh you are a widget maker? What does that fetch you?"

When I returned to the US and was put in an ESL classroom, for 'acculturation purposes', I asked my ESL teacher what she was making and she was taken aback. She let me know that there was some sort of social taboo to ask that in the US and I should not do it.

It's interesting to see how things are changing.

Personally I like to see what the hard workers are making, and what the politically connected are making. Abroad it was no secret that well connected people got paid better. I thought that by returning to the US I would be facing a meritocracy...No so (in most cases)...i guess we are all human after all LOL

@Dawn, I agree with you that making this information public would create more healthy competition in an office. In the past, I have felt hesistant to share my bonus amount with co-workers in the case that they did not receive the same amount as me. But I feel with transparency I would be more motivated to improve my performance to be at the top of the office.

@Dr. Pepper - I did not realize that salary information was so openly shared abroad. I was under the impression that it was guarded similar to the US. Although, I can see why a teacher would not want to share with her students her salary because it may affect the respect they give her. But I can also see her wanting to know what the teachers who had been at that school for 10 years longer than her are compensated, giving her something to look forward to.

@jrandom42 - I understand your right to keep personal information private. My belief is not to share all salary information across all industries publicly. I may not understand your job function and your credentials to achieve that position, so knowing your salary is of no benefit to me. Instead, I hope that you would be eager to know what your boss is compensated, so you can judge whether you want to be in his/her seat one day or if you should make a move to something else before its too late. I would hate to have you reach a milestone you have been striving for, just to find out it wasn't what you expected.

@jrandom42 - There is no solution that fits all. It looks like you are a company where public salary knowledge may not have much of an impact. It's great that you like your job and understand that you'll never be the boss. I wish you the best of luck and maybe one day you'll have a job you LOVE whether or not you are the boss.

@Ellie - I did not know about the bill in Congress. Thanks for sharing! I agree with your view on finding out general information. Its all about the big picture, not each small detail.

Thanks for the link! I also didn't know that 20/20 was discussing this exact topic or that BrazenCareerist was featured. You are a wealth of knowledge!

@Miles: I think you point out an interesting fact: pay isn't fair (but in my opinion it should).
Two personal anecdotes.

I worked at a place where I was paid $20k less than a coworker who actually did less than I did, this coworker' skill set was smaller than mine, but because this person was there for 15 years they got more. Is this fair? I don't know. What would mitigate the circumstances would be if I got merit pay for going above and beyond the call of duty and helping out both in my area and this other person area, but I didn't.

Later on I worked at a place where my boss was hired after me. My Boss had *less* education and *less* experience but had a specific MA degree that was coveted in that industry. In truth I learned everything my boss learned in her degree (and then some) with on-the-job training, plus my other MA degree. This person was hired, made my boss and made $15k more than I did simply because this person had a degree in this field. Is this fair? Probably not, but it's the way it is.

Personally I would still prefer to know what people are making so I can plot my course. If the environment seems non-collegial but I can make lots of money by sticking through it, I may. If I know that I am close to the salary ceiling with what I am making, I may choose to change company or industry.

I know what people are making in my company since they make it public. I did get angry when I saw what people made because some of them have less education or less experience (or both), or simply aren't competent. Lately I've adopted a more calm attitude to these people though. It's not about them, it's about me.

@Danielle

I agree -- there are a lot of things going on right now with pay discrimination that could be a really heavy burden on the employer. (I'm following all of this stuff because I write for a publication employers and benefits professionals read.) But on the other hand, there are also good things happening to stop things like gender wage discrimination (such as the not penalizing an employee for sharing salary info). I guess we'll see what happens!