Discussing salaries with anyone but management is suicide.

Suebea

You should never discuss salaries at work. I am a supervisor in a bank, and two of my part time tellers each stated their salary and it started a huge discussion with bad feelings. The one that made more per hour was hired into the company about one year later. There was a discussion in the branch for many days later and it was a disruption among other things. A higher salary usually comes with more experience. It is also nobody's business how much an employee makes except the employee and his or her manager.

I believe pay rate should remain as confidential as performance evaluations. Your colleagues may have an idea of what you are making - whether they found out accidentally, did some espionage work (!) or can deduce it based on job level or grade. But to actually say "I'm getting $98,765 and my bonus last year was $4,321." is courting disaster. People will resent you for making more money or possibly think less of you since they are making more. Your pay rate is as good as you can negotiate it with your company and maintain your value as a contributor.

I will discuss my salary with my closest friends and family. Why would you want to tell anyone else? To brag if you're well off, or to make people that earn more feel uncomfortable? It's immature and tacky.

It shouldn't be banned on the other hand, that's not showing trust in the employees, I wouldn't want to work at a place like that.

When it comes to your job, its no co-workers business of your salary.

It depnds on who you are talking to.  It can be a dangerous discussion, could lead to bad feelings among co-workers.  However, if this is a friend whom you have an relationship with, there may not be any harm.  While discussing salaries you could also discuss ways of getting more money; such as incentives and/or how to approach the managers.  Most companies have set periods of increases anyway so conversations on salaries may not matter anyway.

I think that telling your co-workers how much you earn is a big mistake.

In my first job, I knew that I was earning less than everyone else even though that I was the only one with an advanced degree, the others were just trained on the job. I really did not want to discuss this subject but an employee who was one of my supervisors when the other one was not around asked me. I told her how much I was getting payed and I told her that I was told that  is what everybody earns (when I know is not true). Then one day the other supervisor tells me no never talk about my salary with other people, that I need to keep it as a secret. I wondered why she told me this, if the other supervisor just asked me not so long ago.

I was placed in another work enviroment. One day it was payday and I recieved my earning statement document. I always opened it at home but that day I wanted to see how much was the check. The lab was empty so I went to a corner and opened it. Then all the sudden one of the "senior" workers (52 year old worker) entered the lab and immediatly look at the side were I was and came close to me, and told me "How much you earn?????"

I got so pissed and told him that was none of his business and that is personal, and we was like "Oh sorry I did not mean to" What an asshole.

A week later I got fired because they were not happy about how I was working. It does not have to do with that situation. Right now I am unemployed but I am kind of glad I was fired I hated to work in that place. I am too overqualified and very underpaid.....and all of my co-workers (even the supervisors_ were jealous because they though I was going to steal their jobs and earn better than them.

Information about your salary is very person and it should only be discussed to the person who gave you the job, not with co-workers, it is just going to cause differences, and if you don't have a good relationship with your co-workers is going to get worse.

I think compensation is personal and it's a powerful thing to have knowledge of.  And once you know it, you can't un-know (not a real word I know).  It becomes an internal punisher or rewarder which may (or may not) change someone's view on how they do what they do.  I work in HR and I know EVERYONES wages.  I am comfortable with my wage (who wouldn't want to make more? especially with less responsibility) but there are thoughtful calculations that even with detailed explainations -it still would not make a difference because people LOVE MONEY!! Personally, I do not discuss it nor care to hear about it.. After all, if I were to become unemployed, what difference would it make, what I made...

I am somewhat split on this subject. I do not think it is anyone's business but my manager/boss to know what I earn. However, I think we are all pretty naive to think that the only reason employers do not want employees to discuss wages is just because it can cause hurt feelings. If no one ever discussed their wages with each other, then the employer could pay anyone what they want, and most likely under pay people and get away with it. That is why many employers are against unions. In unions, everyone knows what everyone makes because they can see the pay scale based on number of years of service or however their contract is set up.

 Discussing your salary is a sure fire way to lose your job. We actually had a person who came within a inch of being fired because he was discussing his salary. I'm not sure how he managed to save his job but it was not a laughing matter. I wouldn't talk about your salary with coworkers.