<prompt> Human: I worked at one place that had it in the employee handbook that it was against the rules to dicuss compensation on company time. Now at the new place I work at it seems like everyone dances around numbers. I only know what one other person makes, and thats because a paper was left face up with her hourly rate and bonus on it. When we get bonuses no one says how much they got my bonus was different then the other employees even though we have the same jobtitleexperience. Is this a bosscompany controlling everyone or is it that coworkers dont want to know due to awkwardness?Edit 1: I realize how it would change social dynamic between coworkers. But anytime someone says that sharing less information is good for the group makes it seem like theyre trying to controlmanipulate the group. I understand that management would have to explain some things. But if they are above-board on everything it shouldnt be a problem. Why is adam making 3k more than me. We were hired the same time and do the same job.Adam consistently gets to work on time and is efficient with his time at work and performs well in yearly reviews. So hes received different t pay adjustments than you  <response>: If the employees know what their colleges made it would give them leverage in pay negotiations. There is also a lot of social issues coming from knowing each others pay. It might be illegal to fire people for discussing pay with coworkers. People should not discuss the pay every day and should not think about their coworkers pay on a daily basis because of the social issues. However knowing how much a sample of your coworkers, friends and competitors make gives you a big advantage in negotiations. 