Salary Ban Question, How will this affect you?

Salary Ban Question, How will this affect you?

In an attempt to eliminate the gender pay gap and keep wages fair amongst men and women, certain cities and states passed a law that prohibits employers from asking a candidate for their salary history. It is a proven fact that women earn .79 cents for every dollar men earn.

I have been in the recruiting industry for over 20 years and I can personally attest that the majority of women candidates that I worked with ask for less money that men for the same position offered. Women don’t want to come across as being greedy by asking for the maximum salary. Men, on the other hand, are more aggressive when it comes to negotiating an offer. They will ask for the maximum salary range and many times even ask for more than what is budgeted.

According to the Business Insider these are currently the locations that are affected by this law:

What can you ask? Employers can ask questions around bonus, commission, and other perks like profit sharing, 401k, and other benefits.

Employers typically make an offer to a candidate based on their current compensation rather than assessing the worth of the position. Employers should focus on determining each position market value when making an offer and match job offers to skills and competencies rather than salary history.

Overall, I think this will result in decreasing the pay gap between men and women. As a recruiter it will be hard not to this question anymore since it has become such a natural part of the conversation, but it is something we are just going to have to get used too as I feel many cities and states are going to follow suit and enact this law.

By: Valerie Haweny