Salary Inquiries Becoming a Thing of the Past

Lara Shortz’s article, “Salary Inquiries Becoming a Thing of the Past,” was published in October 2017 in the California Hotel & Lodging Association Newsletter.

From the article . . .

Attention employers in San Francisco, you are the latest to be prohibited from asking questions about a job applicant’s compensation history, a move designed to close the gender pay gap.

The Parity in Pay Ordinance, which takes effect next year (July 2018), will ban employers (hotel and resort owners/operators among them) in the City by the Bay from seeking such information during the hiring process. Indeed, under the new law – which defines employers to include job placement and employment agencies (e.g., recruiters and executive search firms) acting on behalf of their company clients – salary history cannot be considered or relied upon by an employer in determining whether to extend a job offer or in formulating its terms. That being said, if a prospective employee voluntarily discloses his or her salary history without prompting, an employer may take steps to confirm the information and use it when making hiring decisions.