I oversee HR and Accounting, and one of my accounting employees disclosed the amount of a monthly stipend (these are processed through Accounts Payable) that another employee receives, to a third employee. Does a monthly stipend have the same privacy protection as wage? The employee is guilty of gossip for sure, but anything stronger? The stipend was a temporary part of a relocation package.

I feel that the trust has been betrayed, and I also know that this employee is actively unhappy about their wage.

From United States, Saint John
Confidentiality of remuneration is an internal matter of any organisation. If you have a well designed salary scales like that in PSUs and government services, even without disclosure one person can know what the others get as salary because there exists a transparency with regard to salaries and allowances. But in private establishments we follow a practice that salary should not be disclosed to others. But in a unionised environment this will not happen because among the workers, there will be transparency. Therefore, legally there is nothing wrong but ethically an Accountant should not disclose any material facts including salary.

here what do you mean by stipend? Normally stipend is given to a trainee and the same will be fixed for all trainees. If you do not have uniformity even in the case stipend to trainees, what HR policy do you have?

From India, Kannur
I view it as outgoing of your duties and responsibilities. It is not the question of equal stipend to all, or workers making it public, or transperency or anything. I consider it as a unwanted, not required action by the Accounts person. He happens to know does not mean he should divulge it to others. It is not part of his job. Then why did he venture it to make it public? What was his object in doing that? Just a thrill or making a favour to someone at the cost of other.
In any case if the employee whose salary is disclosed has no complaint then the Accounts person should be warned. If the employee has a complaint, then the Accounts person should be chargesheeted and punished. The simple justification of this is that, today this, tomorrow he may divulge some other relevant, important info to others. So, it must be nipped in the bud.
Vibhakar Ramtirthkar.

From India, Pune
First of all why there should be confidentiality in respect of stipend, wage or salary. Discrimination leads to confidentiality . This is unethical practice in private sector which leads to exploitation and discrimination and against the principle of equal pay for equal work and encourages selfishness in society. The worker who is receiving better wage package is actually helping employer to cheat others who are working in the same organisation with equal efficiency and dedicatedly.
From India, Pune
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