Michael Ryan Discusses How Employers Should Prepare for Pay Transparency Queries

Foley & Lardner LLP Associate Michael Ryan is quoted in the Law360 article, “3 Ways Employers Can Prepare For Pay Transparency Queries,” discussing what steps employers can take as pay transparency laws take effect to prepare for inquiries from current employees who are entitled to learn that information about their own positions.

Ryan recommends that employers plan for requests before employees make them. While the requirement to disclose salary ranges in job listings has gained a lot of attention, he said that the laws that obligate employers to provide information upon request have been around for some time.

“This is, in that sense, very similar to personnel files,” Ryan explained. “An employee in most states has a right to at least look at their personnel file.”

Ryan noted that employers should establish policies that designate a person – usually in human resources – who will be responsible for handling salary range requests in order to ensure a degree of uniformity.

Even employers who don’t have workers covered by a salary transparency requirement should prepare, Ryan said.

“These laws are not going anywhere. As of 2022, several of these states didn’t have such laws for applicants or employees. Here we are in 2023 and they do,” he added.