Although there are typically no specific rules preventing employees from discussing their salaries with coworkers, conventional wisdom has traditionally discouraged such conversations as they can lead to conflict and resentment.

A new report from Self Financial found that the majority of employees – about 83% – believe the salaries of all employees should be transparent, and nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they have openly talked about pay with their colleagues. This transparency has not necessarily led to positive feelings about pay, the report found. About 66% of employees said they felt underpaid after finding out how their salary compared with coworkers, and 63% said they were tempted to quit after finding out they were being underpaid. 

However, these feelings of frustration may be unfounded, as 61% of respondents to the survey said they have lied to co-workers about how much they earn. Younger workers – those between ages 18 and 26 – were the most likely to have been dishonest with co-workers about their salary, the report said. Younger workers also were the most likely to support disclosing salaries to colleagues, while Baby Boomers were the least supportive of this idea.