New pay transparency laws: Pay Now or Pay Later
On November 1, 2023, in British Columbia and September 17th, 2023, New York enacted the Pay Transparency Laws. These laws prevent employers from asking about previous salaries and mandate the publication of pay ranges in job postings. Having a pay range in a job advertisement is as essential as having pictures in online dating!
These laws are being widely debated and are considered necessary for fairness. Employers should comply by including pay ranges in job postings, benefiting both job seekers and hiring managers. Some argue it’s crucial for combating workplace discrimination, while others believe it enables underpaid individuals to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
Pay transparency laws require employers to:
- Not to ask job applicants for their pay history information.
- Publish the expected salary or wage range for any publicly advertised job opportunity.
- Be consistent with the pay for men and women
Employers can still ask candidates if they are willing to quit their current job for the offered pay range, and if not, what pay range would they accept? Employers can still cheap out an offer a lower-skilled person a different job at a lower pay range, or a higher pay rate to land a star employee.
The only real changes are Employers can’t waste people’s time by posting job ads that say “depends on experience,” or “up to” or “starting at” and we need to ask how much money will make a candidate quit their job or get out of bed to come work!
Please don’t hesitate to chat with me about new pay transparency laws, but always retain the services of a good employment lawyer when making hiring policy decisions!
Learn more related information on our Job Seekers and Employers pages!