Dive Brief:

• Amazon has forbidden hiring managers from asking job applicants about their pay history, Buzzfeed reports.
• The policy took effect Jan. 1 and is in direct response to the 13 salary history bans adopted at the state and local level. "Amazon is taking a proactive stance to be consistent for all candidates residing in, or applying to jobs in, the United States," it told hiring managers in a memo.
• The company is banning direct and indirect questions about current or previous base pay, equity compensation, bonuses, benefits and variable pay. Hiring managers also may not consider salary history, even if an applicant volunteers the information. Likewise, they may not use LinkedIn Recruiter or similar tools to estimate or obtain someone's salary history, Buzzfeed says.

Dive Insight:

Employers in the U.S. now have various state and local salary history bans to keep an eye on, and more are likely on the way. In response, employers are increasingly opting to preemptively ban such questions internally. 

Amazon joins several other high-profile companies with this move, including web hosting company GoDaddy. Katee Van Horn, then-VP of global engagement and inclusion, told HR Dive last year that women can leave their “compensation baggage” behind when they apply to GoDaddy; “We pay them what the job is worth.”

Similarly, some employers are attempting to close their pay gaps for current employees. Citigroup announced plans to do so this week; it didn't say how much the increases would cost the company, but Salesforce made headlines last year when it spent $6 million to close its gender pay gap.