The Law at Work: New law to ban inquires into salary history
In the new year, California employers will be prohibited from considering, or inquiring into, an applicant’s salary history unless the applicant discloses that information “voluntarily and without prompting” from the employer. This is the latest legislative effort toward closing the gender gap in wages. According to the author of the measure, closing that gap “starts with barring employers from asking questions about salary history so that previous salary discrimination is not perpetuated.”
According to SCMV Shareholder Dan Eaton, now is the time for California employers to take steps to prepare to comply with the new law to avoid missteps in the new year. In his The Law at Work column in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Dan outlines four things employers should do no later than January 1:
- Remove any question on their job applications or online postings seeking an applicant’s salary history
- Establish a salary range, or fixed salary, for every position for which they are hiring
- Ensure that salaries are negotiated within the framework of the new law
- Train interviewers not to prompt applicants to disclose their salary history
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