Although this artricle was written before the Lehman and AIG meltdowns this week,  it is still poor advice in any employment market.  First, nothing gets a boss madder than an employee using company time (particularly when she/he is on vacation) to "anonymously" ferret out personal salary information so as to leverage the boss upon their return.  Moreover, the suggestion of obtaining a competitor's offer to "bump up" one's salary at a current employer is not only unprofessional, but downright ludicrous.  Why would "the boss" want to give a salary increase to a non-loyal employee?  Perhaps Ms. Stern would think it OK for Newsweek to solicit her job at a lesser rate of pay to an outsider, in hopes of lowering her current compensation?