Over the last decade, we’ve seen several bills introduced by the Legislature to promote pay equity among workers. Most notably, the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act went into effect in 2018, which implemented a number of employee protections including a prohibition on pay differences among employees with similar jobs based on gender.
During the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers expanded on these employee protections with the passage of ESSB 5761. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, employers with 15 or more employees will be required to include salary and benefits information in job postings.
Employment law attorney and association allied member Catharine Morisset co-authored an excellent post with Dean Petitta about this new requirement. They explain the details within the new law, highlight the differences between external and internal job posting and provide a three-step plan employers can follow.
*** UPDATE ***
Catharine recently hosted a webinar on Washington’s new job posting requirements, which were adopted by the Legislature as amendments to the Equal Pay Opportunity Act. In case you missed it, you can watch a members only replay of Catharine’s presentation here.
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Here’s a quick summary of the three-step plan they recommend for consideration:
- Develop a plan to create a wage scale or salary range for all positions and how to make necessary adjustments.
- Develop a process by which you will consistently publish that information in connection with external job postings.
- Consider an internal audit of current employee salaries to make sure there are no significant discrepancies.
You can check out the full post from Catharine and Dean on the Fisher-Phillips website here.
Crosscut: How salary transparency could impact the job hunt in Washington state
