New Jersey has enacted legislation banning "salary secrecy" and throwing open all personal information regarding one's own compensation, benefits, duties, job title and most everything else — provided the person seeking the information is  a coworker doing so with the object of investigating details for a possible discrimination complaint or claim.

The law, which mimics currently federal protections, forbids employers from retaliating against employees who seek coworkers' job details, including compensation and benefits, so long as the inquiry is for purposes of determining if discrimination is occurring. At the same time, the law does not protect employees who seek such information for other purposes, or for no purpose other than wanting to know.

The legislation, which has been folded into the state's Law Against Discrimination, is effective immediately.