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Comment by andrewstuart | Hacker News Reader

Does your employer know? HR would probably have a fit if they found out it was publicly posted.

In many countries, including the UK (where the author is from), it's not illegal to talk openly and publicly about your salary. Contracts can have 'do not disclose your salary' but, in places like the UK, this is legally unenforceable[0]. It gets pretty grey though, in the UK it's allowed to protect you from underpayment and from bargaining etc. I reckon disclosing it publicly can be seen as a form of a basis for collective knowledge at the organisations, though.

0: https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/09/can-your-boss-stop-you-talkin...

Nor is it illegal in the US. Whether or not it's illegal has no bearing on of the employer will be upset.

Where are you based that HR can object to you sharing basic details of your working conditions like how much you're paid?

Where are you that HR is incapable of disliking that people share their salary?

If HR's role is to protect the company, then they would be sensible to know that people have a right to share their salary information.

I'm in the US, where they're welcome to dislike it but their "throwing a fit" would be illegal and risky for the company.

HR is not capable of “liking” or “disliking” - those are human emotions.

They are only capable of following policy and law - which, in my country (US) means it’s perfectly fine to discuss salary.

Note: “HR” (Human Resources) describes the resource pool in relation to the corporation, not a collection of “resources” available to a human. As a department, HR only ever exists to serve the corporation. Even if you walk into the dept to fix a pay stub (a legal concern) or get a mental health referral (it’s expensive to hire new emps after burning them out…)

What does it matter if they dislike it?

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