With only one Tweeter“…if you’re applying for my old job as a senior reporter, you shouldn’t ask for less than $115,000…” Victoria Walker sparked the #shareyoursalary movement to normalize open conversations about compensation. “I believe being transparent is a way to achieve fairness in the media,” Walker said. Walker’s post encouraged others to share their salary and benefits strategies. This reminds employers in New York that pay transparency will soon become a mandatory part of hiring in the city.

Job seekers in New York will no longer have to try their luck in the dark when asked about their salary expectations. Starting May 15, 2022, employers with four or more workers in New York City will soon be required to post the minimum and maximum pay scale for any job in the city. The city’s Pay Transparency Act aims to help mitigate gender-based pay disparities by establishing a uniform field for pay practices.

Int. 1208-2018 amends New York City Human Rights Law and applies to external job postings and internal announcements regarding promotions or transfer opportunities. The posted salary scale must represent the compensation that the employer intends to offer “in good faith” at the time of the posting. Temporary secondments in temporary work companies are excluded from the scope of employers covered by the law on pay transparency. An employer operating in New York must count all other employees, including interns and independent contractors, to assess whether they meet the four-worker threshold required by law.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights is expected to issue interpretive guidance before the law’s effective date. In particular, guidelines regarding the establishment of “good faith” pay scales and the applicability of the law to remote workers are unclear. In the meantime, employers are advised to assess the adequacy of the law and, if necessary, carry out a compensation analysis of the relevant positions and be prepared to communicate salary scales for external job offers. and internal.

New York City is second only to Colorado in requiring salary transparency in job postings. Eight other jurisdictions: California, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island, Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Toledo, Ohio, require employers to disclose salary ranges upon request. Several other jurisdictions are considering similar legislation this year.

As legislation is often snatched from the headlines, employers should expect pay transparency laws to continue to gain traction. Employers are encouraged to review pay equity resources, engage their legal counsel, and consider implementing policies that promote pay transparency at all levels; job seekers are prepared for it.