As the op seems to be from Germany, I wanted to add that forbidding your employees to discuss their salaries most likely won´t stand before court in Germany.

Here is a reference ruling

Not this was not tried before the supreme court, but the employer would have to have really strong arguments why wages would have to be a secret to get a ruling in his favor.

As you seem to be from Germany, I wanted to add that forbidding your employees to discuss their salaries most likely won´t stand before court in Germany.

Here is a reference ruling

Note this was not tried before the supreme court, but the employer would have to have really strong arguments why wages would have to be a secret to get a ruling in his favor.

So while it may be a taboo where you work, it is also kind of a right to do that anyway!

Also, specifically in Germany there are a lot of workers which are organized in unions, and their pay is openly discussed and even objective of political debates and strikes. If you want that kind of fair-pay environment you could look for a employer which offers unionized tariffs and join the appropriate workers union.

Last, I would challenge, in part, your premise that pay has a overly strong relationship to expected results and work environment flexibility. This is, especially for the industries where discussing pay is kind of a taboo.

I would say, the biggest influencing factor is your ability to market yourself. An the best way to find your optimal market worth is stop comparing yourself to colleagues and start interviewing to get some alternative offers on the table.