If you saw a payslip left open at someone's house, would you take a look?

[PreviouslyZeus]

Assuming you don't already know how much they earn.

No I haven't but I left mine out and wondered if some visitors to my home might have sneaked a peek.

I was cat sitting for a friend who was on holiday a few years ago and they had left an open bank statement out on the table. I’m afraid I did look. It help make a huge amount of sense regarding how people a bit older than us do not understand the struggle to get on the housing ladder. They had bought about five years previously and were making a mortgage payment of under £500 a month. We were paying £750 per month rental for the same design of house at the time.

I was a bit bitter, felt guilty, gained nothing from looking, but don’t hold their better fortune against them. Just mentally filed it.

Not proud of it but I do think the curiosity is human.

A printed copy of MDs wageslip somehow ended up on my desk once

Assume it had been sent to the wrong printer and been picked up with other stuff and all dropped on my desk (as is standard when there's anything printed that nobody knows what to do with)

I looked, of course, almost passed out at the figure, called my line manager over for a gawp, and then dropped it in the shredding bin and never said another word about it.

If I were in a friends house however, and found their wageslip out on the side then no I wouldn't look.

I would 'see' the number without properly looking or scanning if it was open on the desk in front of me

The idea it was 'private' would only kick in after my brain had already seen the bottom right hand number

Absolutely not. Other people's personal documents are non of my business.

I can read in all directions, upside down, back to front and so, so if it were out, I'd have probably read enough to know I shouldn't read it. I wouldn't move it to read it.

I don't like secrecy around pay, because it's a key factor in pay inequity. However, I also know that it is often a taboo subject, and I wouldn't want to read it without permission (despite having admitted if it were open to view, I would have.) I am the only woman in my department, so I have directly asked my peers what their salaries are, but if they chose not to tell me, that's fine. (The two closest to me did, which was helpful, and I have had many conversations with my manager this year on the subject.)

Yes and I have done.

OP was it open and visible at a glance without needing to be touched? If so yes, they will have looked. It’s another thing altogether to open up an envelope or unfold something.

[quote WeLovePeaSoup]@MrsKypp yes I did. It was an accident really, it was on the bedside table open when I was dusting. But they are a lovely family.[/quote]
That can easily happen. If they minded about keeping it private they would have put it away immediately I expect.

I wouldn't be getting my glasses out just to have a nosey and would try to divert my eyes, yeah. But I don't read text messages, ex tenants mail, etc. A fiver on the floor would be mine, but I have been known to return other items to lost property etc. I simultaneously don't give a shiny shit what other people earn but overly empathise with people who lose things 🤷🏻‍♀️

I would but I’m not proud of that!

I work in other people homes and my view is always assume they have cctv and act accordingly.

I work in the nhs and it's not such a big deal because you will be somewhere on the pay scale , and most people know what grades peoples jobs are.

No - why would you?

Having said that If it was open on top of a pile of stuff at a table I was sitting at I would undoubtably read it as I can’t help but read things in front of me.

@BobFleming

Do people still get payslips in 2020? I haven't had one for years.

I wouldn't look.

If you are an employee or worker, your employer legally has to give you payslips. They can be given electronically instead of printed, but then OP's issue could still arise if it's left open on a computer screen at someone's house.

www.gov.uk/payslips