If you live in the Bay State, your salary history soon will be nobody’s business but your own.
The Massachusetts Legislature has passed a law forbidding employers from asking job candidates about their salary history. It is the first law of its kind in the U.S., according to a New York Times report:
The new law will require hiring managers to state a compensation figure upfront — based on what an applicant’s worth is to the company, rather than on what he or she made in a previous position.
The legislation is intended to help close the pay gap between men and women, and it received bipartisan backing, the Times reports. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has signed it into law, and it goes into effect in July 2018.
The Times reports that the law offers other key protections. For example, companies no longer can require an employee to remain silent about how much he or she earns. The Times also reports:
And the law will require equal pay not just for workers whose jobs are alike, but also for those whose work is of “comparable character” or who work in “comparable operations.” Workers with more seniority will still be permitted to earn higher pay, but the law effectively broadens the definition of what is equal work.
Trying to negotiate a higher salary in your own state? Check out the following:
What do you think of the Massachusetts law? Let us know
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