Various cities, states, and countries around the world have passed or are developing pay transparency laws and guidelines to encourage employers to provide job seekers with more payment details that can help them assess whether or not a job is worth their time to apply to. This can also create a fairer environment for negotiating payment terms both during and after the hiring process, so both existing and prospective employees will have a better understanding of current salary rates and job expectations.
Being transparent about payment amounts upfront can benefit both parties, since job candidates can then make an informed decision about whether or not a job is offering enough compensation to make the job worthwhile to them; while employers will receive more applications from job seekers that are truly interested in their job at the stated payment amount or salary range, potentially cutting down on wasted time or protracted negotiations between parties that otherwise may have had vastly different expectations as to how much a job might or should pay.
Payment transparency rules vary widely across different locations. In some areas, it may be against the law for some types of employers to not list either a specific or estimated payment amount or range in all of their job listings. In other areas, listing payment details might only be required of an employer upon request, as part of the interview process. While in other areas, there might not be any regulations at all, yet; however, these rules are quickly evolving across the world, and job listings that are used to find candidates across multiple locations may be subject to the rules of some or all of those disparate localities.
However, even in areas where these laws exist, the rules might not apply in the same way across all employers or types of jobs. The size of a company (number of current employees), primary location of the company, location of the job (where the job will be performed), and whether or not it’s a temporary or permanent position can all have an impact.
For instance, in some areas an employer is only required to list salary specifics in their job listings if they’re part of a company that has four or more permanent employees within the area that they’re hiring in.
So you might be wondering, how does pay transparency impact hiring cast and crew? Again, there are no easy answers, since the rules vary from place to place. But because a lot of projects are led by independent content creators and very small production companies, they may not be legally obligated (depending on their location and other factors) to reveal specific pay details upfront, unlike a job ad being listed directly from a larger employer.
However, regardless of the local laws or the size of any company, we encourage all employers and projects to list payment amounts and pertinent information in as much detail as possible.
We believe that listing facts upfront is beneficial for everyone involved, including the employer and the prospective employees – attracting the best and most appropriate applicants to the content creators’ projects, while allowing the talent to make informed decisions about what projects they’d like to apply (or not apply) to.
We’ve also found that not providing pay info in job listings and casting calls can lead to fewer and lower quality applications, compared to projects that list payment details upfront. (And of course better paid projects also often attract more and better talent as well.) Additionally, as noted above, employers that fail to provide pay details might not be complying with salary transparency laws in some localities.
That said, while we strongly encourage full payment transparency in all job listings and casting calls in which payment is involved, we cannot be responsible for compliance. Ultimately, compliance with payment transparency regulations are the responsibility of the companies and individuals conducting the hiring, and the regulatory agencies involved with enforcement.
DISCLOSURE: This communication is on behalf of Backstage, LLC or its affiliates (“Backstage”). This communication is for informational purposes only, and contains general information only. Backstage is not, by means of this communication, rendering legal, financial, accounting, business, tax, or other professional advice or services. This communication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your interests. You should consult a qualified professional advisor. Backstage does not assume any liability for reliance on the information provided herein.