{"id":879,"date":"2018-05-22T10:45:25","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T15:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.employco.com\/blog\/?p=879"},"modified":"2018-05-23T11:02:11","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T16:02:11","slug":"should-employers-be-allowed-to-ask-about-your-salary-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.employco.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/22\/should-employers-be-allowed-to-ask-about-your-salary-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Employers Be Allowed to Ask About Your Salary History?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Employment expert explains why it\u2019s illegal in many states to ask about past salary <\/em><\/p>\n

\"SalarySeveral cities and states have banned the infamous \u201csalary history\u201d question from the interview process, including California, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York City, New Orleans, and many more. But, why is this question being banned, and what do employers need to know in order to protect themselves?<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the thinking behind banning the salary history question is that it will help to minimize the gender pay gap,\u201d says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and Employment Trends Expert.<\/p>\n

The belief is that inquiring about salary history can create a vicious cycle in which women are paid less presently and in the future, simply because they were paid less in the past. Concerned civil rights activists point to the fact that women are offered less when compared to similarly trained and educated males, even when these interviewees are coming right out of college.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, social justice activists want to reverse this trend by wiping that question off the interviewer\u2019s docket,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cAnd, interviewees who lie or fudge their past earnings do so at their own peril: It is possible for employers to discover your salary history, as some employers ask for W-2 forms or pay stubs to confirm your compensation, or they might ask you to sign a form to permit them to ask your employer about your past earnings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson says that people also say asking about salary history is unfair when it comes to employees who are moving from a city with a lower cost of living.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, if a Chicago-based employer asks someone who lives in rural Indiana about their salary history, it could be seen as problematic because that employee is going to be faced with the high cost of city living although they are going to be receiving compensation based on their previous low cost of living,\u201d says Wilson.<\/p>\n

So, what should employers do?<\/p>\n