Want to know what all your co-workers earn? Be careful what you wish for | André Spicer

A new proposal for openness about pay could have unexpected downsides – if workers become demotivated, resentful and more likely to quit

Would you like to know what your colleagues are paid? If the Equality and Human Rights Commission gets its way, you will be able to find out. Under its proposals, workers will be able to request detailed information about the pay, bonuses and other perks received by their co-workers. The government agency argues that if we increase pay transparency, we can also reduce the pay gap between men and women. But countries that have tried this model have discovered that there are downsides to it too.