The Salary History Trap

Jake is interviewing for a marketing coordinator position at TechCorp, a growing software company. He is currently earning $38,000 at his small nonprofit job but knows that similar positions at tech companies typically pay between $55,000 and $65,000. During the interview, everything is going well until the hiring manager, Ms. Chen, asks:

"So, Jake, what's your current salary?"

Jake hesitates, realizing he's in a tough spot. He knows that if he tells the truth about his current $38,000 salary, TechCorp might offer him something like $42,000-$45,000, thinking that he will be happy with an offer of a higher wage than he currently makes. The position should pay closer to $60,000, based on market rates and the actual earnings of other marketing coordinators at TechCorp. However, he does not want to lie during the interview process.

Jake knows that his nonprofit salary does not match his skills or market value, and he is concerned that revealing it could lead to a lowball offer and hurt his long-term earning potential.

Two bills were submitted to Congress in March 2025 that would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. H.R. 2007 would require employers to disclose the pay range of a position to applicants. H.R. 2219 would prohibit hiring companies to ask an applicant what their current salary and benefits are.

Please discuss the following with your peers:

• In your opinion, what should Jake do in this situation?
• Is it fair and ethical for employers to base new salary offers on previous wages? Why or why not?
• How might this practice perpetuate pay inequalities across different industries or demographics?

There is a delicate balance between legal requirements, ethical responsibilities, and human reactions' effect on employee evaluation and feedback. Organizations need to design performance systems that are both legally compliant and perceived as fair by employees. By ensuring fair and ethical employee evaluations, the performance management system can effectively motivate employees and support performance throughout the organization. A fair and ethical performance management system provides managers with a good foundation for performance discussions with employees.

However, not all performance discussions are perceived positively. Therefore, it is important that organizations train managers and employees on the benefit of performance discussions and how they can be conducted effectively. Some organizations also use pay for performance strategies to reward employee performance, so it is important that employee performance is evaluated accurately.

Read the following article: Employee Performance Evaluation Laws: 2025 Guide to Key U.S. and Global Regulations.

• What laws should be considered when conducting a performance evaluation?
• When conducting performance evaluations, what can managers do to prevent discrimination?
• What ethical principles should be considered when rewarding employee performance?
• As a manager, what would you do if an employee disagreed with their performance review?

Use this template to complete this assignment: U5 IP Template.

You have recently been hired as a performance management consultant for a mid-sized organization that specializes in software development and tech solutions. The chief executive officer (CEO) believes that the company’s performance management system requires a significant overhaul. Currently, employee evaluations are using inconsistent methods, which is leading to confusion, dissatisfaction, and a lack of clear direction among organizational members. The CEO has asked you to conduct an in-depth analysis of three distinct approaches to evaluating employee performance. As part of your initial consulting project, you are required to present a comprehensive assignment

Read this article: Performance Management Strategies.

• Describe 3 approaches to evaluating performance including measuring performance, results, and behavior.
• What is the difference between each approach?
• What are the advantages of each approach?
• What are the disadvantages of each approach?

Use this template to complete this assignment: U2 IP Template.

Below you will find "The Nursing Shortage Case".  Read the case and use your creativity to complete the assignment.

The Nursing Shortage Project

This Is A Hypothetical Case  (This is an extended period of time assignment)  Do Not Forget The Due Date ( September 14, 2025 no later than 11:59pm)
Prior to Covid-19, the Unemployment rate in the U.S. was approaching an all-time low. What this means is that those individuals who wanted a job or could work were employed. This does not mean that there were no jobs available. Even during the pandemic, there were still jobs that needed to be filled.  One of the areas with the most vacancies in this country prior to the pandemic was the Nursing profession. Virtually every hospital across our country was aggressively recruiting nurses, and this continues now. Due to a large number of vacancies, some hospitals are being forced to turn to foreign-trained nurses. Experts anticipate nursing positions to be in short supply for years to come. As a result, there is a conflict between supply and demand thus creating almost a bidding war between hospitals and even poaching between hospitals.
PURPOSE OF THIS CASE: The purpose of this exercise is to give you experience in creating a hypothetical, thought-provoking, enticing, and actionable advertisement using the AIDA guidelines.REQUIRED UNDERSTANDINGS: You must be thoroughly familiar with the contents of Chapter 5, particularly the AIDA process, and with the nurse recruitment program at a hospital of your choosing.You will be graded on your use of the AIDA guidelines as well as your analysis of the hospital's website and your creativity.Make sure that you post all of the items required above.INSTRUCTIONS:
1.
     a. You are to select a hospital in your hometown or in the area where you are currently residing or one in which you may be interested in seeking employment.  Setup an interview with the HR Manager at the hospital that you choose.  You are to introduce yourself and explain to them what you are doing and to discuss their Advertising Process (ex. where they advertise, what is their process, who develops their advertisement both online and other, what is their success rate.  Write an overview (No longer than 1 page) describing your interview with the HR Manager
     b. You are to review the hospital’s current online Nurse's advertisement.
     c. Based on the information available on the hospital's website, and the information that you collect from your interview, you are to create your own advertisement for a nurse’s position.  Be sure to use pictures, color, and by all means the AIDA process.
     d. You are to copy the hospital’s website and then create YOUR OWN ADVERTISEMENT USING THE AIDA PROCESS.     You Must Get Creative!!!!  It must contain pictures, color, verbiage (including important information about the job)  You MUST Create your own Advertisement! e. The Name of the fictitious hospital that you are to use is:   GLOBAL  GENERAL  HOSPITAL
2.  Once you have created your advertisement, go back to the advertisement that you choose and analyze the current online nurse advertisement and then answer the following questions:
      a. How would you improve on it?   Explain why you would make the changes.
      b. What recruiting sources would you recommend and why?REMEMBER: THIS IS ONLY A PROJECT!!!!!! (DO NOT SEND TO A NEWSPAPER and DO NOT POST ONLINE)
3.   GRADING:
Strong written communication skills are important in every aspect of Management. Therefore, you will be graded on grammar and spelling, so proofread your work.
You will be graded on your use of the AIDA guidelines as well as your analysis of the hospital's website and your creativity.Make sure that you post all of the items required above.

Many of the major US labor laws governing unions arose in the early 1930’s, however, unions existed well before this time. In fact, labor unions can trace their history, in some form, back to medieval craft guilds. Thus, organizing members of a profession to address issues within an industry has played a great role in the development of modern business practices. There is great value in studying the history of organized labor.

For this assignment, discuss the following with your classmates: 450 words

• In your opinion, what were the major issues in labor-management relations in the US before 1930? What role did the industrial revolution play in labor-management relations during this time period?
• How were these issues addressed differently in the US before modern employment laws were enacted
• Historically, what role has the HR profession played in labor-management relations and the development of US employment laws?  Should that role change, if so how?