Not the person you are responding to. He seems not keen on engaging with you here. I agree to most of what you say. Having said that, trying to answer your qu

Not the person you are responding to. He seems not keen on engaging with you here. I agree to most of what you say. Having said that, trying to answer your question: > What damage is done to you because someone knows you make $45k vs. $145k vs. $445k? You are not harmed in any way. Many people believe, probably not incorrectly, that the salary line item in the budget is a fixed one. Hence, it is a zero-sum game. If their colleague negotiates better pay, their own pay will be negatively impacted, in this world view.