> No, you completely discount human nature here. There are far too many people who are more concerned about what others get and have than is healthy.
This is a great point, and let me add that it becomes 10x worse when money is involved. Some (many?) people are just flat out irrational when it comes to money. Jealously and envy quickly block any rational thought when it comes to explaining why someone might make more than they do.
In Norway salary information is public, but with a catch. If you ask for someone's salary information they learn who made that inquiry. This might be as good as you can get with getting salary transparency and mitigating privacy concerns.
I know I once dealt with a case where a senior manger (paid roughly 4x the median wage) was really upset as he no longer qualified for a business needs phone at home which was something like £15 quid a month
This is a great point, and let me add that it becomes 10x worse when money is involved. Some (many?) people are just flat out irrational when it comes to money. Jealously and envy quickly block any rational thought when it comes to explaining why someone might make more than they do.