[UK] Employers pledge to stop questioning salary history

In the UK, over a hundred employers have pledged to stop asking candidates about their salary history, in order to help address the gender pay gap, HR Magazine reports.

Employers including the Samaritans, TripAdvisor and Women in Sport were among those signing the pledge as part of a campaign led by Fawcett East London, a grassroots arm of gender equality charity the Fawcett Society

In the US, more than states have reportedly banned salary history questions, preventing employers from asking prospective employees about their current or previous salaries at job interviews or on application forms.

Naomi Elster leads the Fawcett East London campaign, she said a similar law in the UK could reduce pay gaps and stop past discrimination in pay being carried forward.

Speaking to HR magazine, Ms Elster said, “The evidence is really clear that removing salary history is a really simple and effective way to start closing the gender pay gap.

“The simplest way to think about why this might be that you only need to be underpaid once for it to potentially follow you for your entire career, and there are lots of reasons that women can end up being underpaid.

“Salary history bans are easy for employers to introduce – all it takes is a tweak to application forms – but they have a big impact, not just on the pay gap but also on team dynamics.”

Fawcett Society research found that 90 per cent of people feel salary history is an unfair way to decide pay.

Jemima Olchawski - Fawcett Society chief executive - said salaries should be decided based on skills and experience.

Ms Olchawski said, “Employers ought to decide what salary to pay someone based on the skills and experience required for each role, not what a person previously earned. Closing the gender pay gap is vital for tackling other economic disparities between men and women, such as the gap in retirement savings.”

Source: HR Magazine

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the UK, over a hundred employers have pledged to stop asking candidates about their salary history, in order to help address the gender pay gap, HR Magazine reports.

Employers including the Samaritans, TripAdvisor and Women in Sport were among those signing the pledge as part of a campaign led by Fawcett East London, a grassroots arm of gender equality charity the Fawcett Society

In the US, more than states have reportedly banned salary history questions, preventing employers from asking prospective employees about their current or previous salaries at job interviews or on application forms.

Naomi Elster leads the Fawcett East London campaign, she said a similar law in the UK could reduce pay gaps and stop past discrimination in pay being carried forward.

Speaking to HR magazine, Ms Elster said, “The evidence is really clear that removing salary history is a really simple and effective way to start closing the gender pay gap.

“The simplest way to think about why this might be that you only need to be underpaid once for it to potentially follow you for your entire career, and there are lots of reasons that women can end up being underpaid.

“Salary history bans are easy for employers to introduce – all it takes is a tweak to application forms – but they have a big impact, not just on the pay gap but also on team dynamics.”

Fawcett Society research found that 90 per cent of people feel salary history is an unfair way to decide pay.

Jemima Olchawski - Fawcett Society chief executive - said salaries should be decided based on skills and experience.

Ms Olchawski said, “Employers ought to decide what salary to pay someone based on the skills and experience required for each role, not what a person previously earned. Closing the gender pay gap is vital for tackling other economic disparities between men and women, such as the gap in retirement savings.”

Source: HR Magazine

(Quotes via original reporting)