Why is it not acceptable to talk about salary?

[AlexChristy]

As I know, in the US it is not acceptable to talk about salary.
What about other countries.
If you are from US, please, write if it is correct. And if you are from other country, please, write if you talk about your salary with your friends and relatives.

 

[Edward W]

I'll tell you how much I earn...


... Not enough!!

 

[BrokenInside]

I am not from US.
I openly talk about my salary with my friends and family.

Eddy

 

[Walley]

I don't think its a rule in general to not talk about each others salary.. it's more a rule at a workplace to don't discuss it with other employees. and that's really just for the companies sake because they don't want everyone comparing salaries and then running to the boss and saying: hey! bob makes more than me?

but, it is also seen as not cool to be asking people their own salary, because they may not want to brag or be judged or whatever.. its really a persons personal business so you shouldn't put anyone on the spot by demanding they disclose their own salary.

 

[Limlim]

In my case, I am a government employee so my salary is posted up on a federal website somewhere.

 

[9006]

As I know, in the US it is not acceptable to talk about salary.
What about other countries.
If you are from US, please, write if it is correct. And if you are from other country, please, write if you talk about your salary with your friends and relatives.

It's considered personable, kinda like asking someone's age, and nobody's business but their own. Or since most countries are about social class nowadays, revealing your salary would also reveal which class you're in.

 

[edamame721]

Most people don't like talking about their salaries because like 9006 said, people judge you by how much you make. My sister was obsessed with asking people how much they made when she first started working as an adult (I guess she wanted to see how she "measured up") and even went so far as to open my bank statements without my knowledge to find out. Salary is a very private matter.

 

[Peaches]

also, some people may think that they don't earn enough and they would feel ashamed...

 

[Sansui]

In my case, I am a government employee so my salary is posted up on a federal website somewhere.

---

In SA companies have a policy that suggests that salaries r confidential. Perhaps this is because there's never consistency or uniformity (justifiably so or not) in the implementation of the payment policy itself. Generally employees feel they do not receive an equitable salary: that they deserve more than what they earn, this would be worsened if they knew that the next person whom they perceive t be not pulling their weight/has less experience/qualifications, etc. is earning the same or more than they did. To manage this...implement the confidentiality policy on salaries.....though it never really works!!