it's the law. They are public servants and therefore their pay is public information. I mean, if we can look up the President's salary, shouldn't we also be able to find out what a GS-4 working stiff makes? There is still a little mystery in Fed pay because of Step increases, locality differences, and such, but you can get pretty darn close without having to ask. Likewise with the military. An E-5 is an E-5 is an E-5. Outside of their longivity differences, they all make the same and it is public record. Are there morale problems due to pay differences? In a word, No.

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. If a company is worried about this, then it is probably because they have something to hide. Maybe they aren't very consistent with their pay. Same work doesn't equal same pay and all that. And I'm not just talking about gender here although that will undoubtedly be a big piece of this.

Another factor is that many already know. Employees talk to each other. Some readily disclose salary info, others not so much, but in my experience, they talk. They know. The "secret" is out, at the working level at least. Management and executives are another matter.

Think of how much easier full disclosure would make recruiting and hiring. There would be no salary negotiation. It would be a matter of "This is how much the position pays..." period. Like the Government, incremental increases based on experience/longivity would be the only differences and likewise the only negotiable part. Too easy and definitely tearing down part of HR's wall of secrecy, so it will never happen.