Employer requesting previous salary history for security checks

Yshay

Does anybody know if it is okay for a nearly new employer to request a candidate to share details of salary from previous jobs via email?

It doesn't sound aligned with data protection requirements. I also don't mind a background check at all, but am not sure why they should request this type of details to be shared by candidates..

Doop

Sounds strange. Have you accepted a position form them? already agreed a salary?
Surely if you have then it makes no odds and they'll see the info from your p45/p60 anyway.

If you are still negotiating with them say you arent sure all in for the total salary because your employer operated a bonus system and commission, just fudge the issue tell them youll find out and come back to them. Sounds like a sly negotiating tactic on their behalf imo.
Or if comes to it just lie give them the figure you want them to know.

thesimpsons

They can ask, and some people will have no problem giving info, but it sounds like they fishing for salary expectations.

BT - ur new employer doesn't have one get your P45 details if you don't want them to know prior salary. Give them your PPS number only and ask then Revenue to withhold previous pay from the P2C they give to the new employer.

Yshay

I have already accepted a contract with the staffing agency and agreed to the salary from them. There are good possibilities of being converted to full time employee at the end of the contract and at that point I would be able to re-negotiate my salary.
This is why I am hesitant to share salary history with the potential employer at this stage.

Mrs OBumble

What industry? In some theres a need to check you're not living beyond your means

ongarboy

I've switched jobs in the Funds industry twice in the last 5 years and was also asked to provide last 3 month wage slips on both occasions. It seems to be routine now as part of background check. My guess is that if you inflated or exaggerated your salary expectations when negotiating the salary, they can check your actual most recent salary that way to see if you were being honest. I suppose why else do recruiters ask what your last salary was if it doesn't/shouldn't matter? Wouldn't it be tempting to add to it to get a higher current salary if you thought you wouldn't get caught? Many private sector jobs for experienced staff are salary negotiable.

Ohmeha

It's unavoidable in your case to provide your salary if you have received an offer and want to accept, be it contract or permanent, it's about as data-sensitive as requesting your references.

An employer requesting evidence of salary before any job/salary offer should raise a red flag if you don't want to be low-balled. I've only ever accepted jobs where I received the salary offer from discussing my salary expectations and not forced to disclose what I was already on during the interview process. Employers are all different in this respect.

Some employers may legitimately need evidence of previous salary but I'd be certain in many cases it's also to profile what they can pay you initially or even over the potential medium/long-term of your employment.

JustAThought

No - p60 but not salary details. they are fishing to lay you lower. Be prepared to lose the role over it - otherwise it is a steady race to the bottom with no progresson .
They are not entitled under daya protectiom to have this information. contact the daya protection coissioner & outline your issues - it is an abuse of the legislation & excessive data gathering.

Irish_Elect_Eng

ongarboy wrote: »

I suppose why else do recruiters ask what your last salary was if it doesn't/shouldn't matter? Wouldn't it be tempting to add to it to get a higher current salary if you thought you wouldn't get caught? Many private sector jobs for experienced staff are salary negotiable.

The main reason recruiters ask you your salary is to determine if you a potential candidate for the role. They will know the proposed salary range, say 50-60k, but may not be able to share that with you. If you say that you were earning 85k in your last role then it is not worth putting you forward for a position. I am well paid in my current role due to my experience and my pension & other T&Cs are generous, when I apply for a role, I make sure that the recruiter know exactly what my minimum salary will have to be for me to entertain an offer, it saves time for both of us..

JustAThought

Irish_Elect_Eng wrote: »

The main reason recruiters ask you your salary is to determine if you a potential candidate for the role. They will know the proposed salary range, say 50-60k, but may not be able to share that with you. If you say that you were earning 85k in your last role then it is not worth putting you forward for a position. I am well paid in my current role due to my experience and my pension & other T&Cs are generous, when I apply for a role, I make sure that the recruiter know exactly what my minimum salary will have to be for me to entertain an offer, it saves time for both of us..

Thats to evaluate - but the subcontractor looking to get copies of your last payslips or salary to prove you earned thay - that is very dubious and a disturbing new thing. Coild be those 'industry salary reports' they are collecting ata for to upsell on the back of the opportunity of having the OP handy to demand it from - but frankly is sounds extremely shady.

For example a package in a bank thay would provide a modest salary, say 60k, with a additional spend of 20% which you could allocate to further education, or to shate purchase and a (taxable) cash bonus (gauranteed) ; with additional car parking space in the city centre and pension matched contribution would be very hard to display on a p45 but it all adds up. Add to this annual VHI for a family (2-3k), gym and social allowance of 3k per annum and sunsidised canteen or foodstamps - and you have a perspective on why this is so unethical and dubious. Of course all the things listed here are real contemporary examples.

I had a role once where I had travel officially 40% of my time - and a per diem day & overnight set amount depending on whether my travel was in Ireland, the UK, or International - travel of 6 hours of less was allocated a different rate - this all factored as part of the attractiveness ( or unattractivemess) of the role but there was no mistaking the difference it made in my take home pay - and ability to leverage a good mortgage out of it. This was a set per diem travel rate, and not expenses or food, hotel or mileage which of course are different.

OP is correct is assuming this crowd is taking the fundamental p*** ; and they know it too.

Other regular annual extras - in service life assurance/death benefit , pension top-ups, share allocations (foc in stages depending on stage of contract & status),
Free laumdry & free canteen etc.

With the rigjt tech company or bank or big multinational this would be quite typical for a mid level manager.

daheff

Doop wrote: »

Sounds strange. Have you accepted a position form them? already agreed a salary?
Surely if you have then it makes no odds and they'll see the info from your p45/p60 anyway.

If you are still negotiating with them say you arent sure all in for the total salary because your employer operated a bonus system and commission, just fudge the issue tell them youll find out and come back to them. Sounds like a sly negotiating tactic on their behalf imo.
Or if comes to it just lie give them the figure you want them to know.

ongarboy wrote: »

I've switched jobs in the Funds industry twice in the last 5 years and was also asked to provide last 3 month wage slips on both occasions. It seems to be routine now as part of background check. My guess is that if you inflated or exaggerated your salary expectations when negotiating the salary, they can check your actual most recent salary that way to see if you were being honest. I suppose why else do recruiters ask what your last salary was if it doesn't/shouldn't matter?

A lot of people exaggerate their current salary to get a bigger salary when they move. Companies have got wise to this and are now looking for previous history to see if you really did get that salary (and by extension had the responsibilities you claimed -why pay people loads for no responsibilities?)

In my opinion, its all an excuse to low ball you for the salary on the job. My answer to this would be no history is being provided as its not relevant to them. They should pay you what they think you are worth, and what they feel is an appropriate market wage for the role they are looking for you to fill.

If they say no to you at this stage because of this, its most likely that they want to pay peanuts to you.

road_high

Slightly taken aback by this thread and some of the responses. Surely your previous salary (of all things) is an absolute private matter and zero business of your new employer whatsoever. They may of course be curious to know, but that's a very different thing to having to tell them.
As other poster have said, it's surely something you can arrange with Revenue.