On October 12, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a landmark new law barring California employers — and their agents — from inquiring about applicants’ previous salaries and benefits.

The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

Here are 3 steps to take now to prepare:

1. Remove all salary questions from hiring forms (including job applications, candidate questionnaires and background check forms)
2. Update interviewing and negotiating policies and procedures
3. Train recruiting, hiring managers and interviewers on the new law to include instructions regarding the importance of ensuring that candidates are not pressured (even indirectly) to disclose salary history and how to respond to requests for pay scale information

Read more here and reach out to your Baker McKenzie lawyer for more details.