The new year starts with some clarity on what you can expect to be paid BEFORE you apply for a job.
January 1st is when Washington’s new pay transparency law takes effect, but according to job site, “Indeed”, we already see pay ranges in 48% of their job postings here compared to 44% for California.
Indeed career expert, Scott Dobroski, tells Northwest Newsradio it’s a time and money saver for workers and businesses because there’s less time wasted on applications for jobs people would turn down. “You are going to attract candidates who actually want to stay at the job longer,” Dobroski says, “It comes down to finding the right match and keeping expectations aligned. Dobroski says that also lowers turnover, hiring and training costs.
The other benefit, Dobroski says, “Pay transparency is a great way to reach equal pay for equal work.” He says women, people of color and other marginalized groups are still paid less for many jobs than white males but that it can be reduced when everyone goes in knowing what to expect from a salary offer.
Dobroski says business that disclose job pay ranges will draw more applicants at a time when many are struggling to hire workers.
The following is taken from the summary of testimony against the original bill, SB 5761:
This bill goes way beyond the current requirements. It may require information to be public that is proprietary or confidential and unique for an employers. Smaller businesses may not be able to compete in a bidding war. It infringes on an employee’s privacy rights, particularly if they are in the process of leaving a job and their old job salary is being posted. There have been articles written on the Colorado law and the ability to recruit remote workers. There could be some unintended consequences. There should be further work on this bill. This is a burden on small businesses. Nothing defines postings. Many small businesses hang help wanted signs in the window. There are tremendous penalties. There would be a cost to L&I (Department of Labor and Industries) to notify small businesses of the requirements. Many small businesses are at 50 or fewer employees, not 15 employees. This is a big burden even for large employers. It’s not just a switch that you can turn on.
Labor and Industries’ guidelines on the new law, created since the testimony was offered, do define postings and make it clear that a “Help Wanted” sign is not a posting.
