ORGANISATION & CULTURE
skills a candidate requires and the internal job architecture, rather than by a candidate’ s past ability to negotiate.
By asking these questions, underpaid candidates were, in essence, taking their underpayment from employer to employer, baking inequality into their entire career path. However, the EU Pay Transparency Directive anchors this, ensuring that it’ s no longer just poor practice, but a legal liability.
Two businesses that have leaned into the shift are Citigroup and Microsoft, with both recognising that asking for salary history often perpetuates historical pay gaps. To combat this, these firms have moved toward‘ Realistic Range Disclosure,’ meaning they put a price tag on the role, not the person.
For Citigroup, embracing transparency is more than a compliance exercise; it is a declaration that“ equitable, competitive pay” is the bedrock of attracting and retaining talent. To support this, the firm has overhauled its global operations, introducing standardised, market-based salary structures and clear bonus opportunity guidelines across various countries.
“ Citi’ s work to champion equality is reflected in our decision to be transparent about the results of our pay equity review and our unadjusted or‘ raw’ pay gap,” says Sara Wechter, CHRO at Citigroup.
By doing rigorous annual reviews, Citigroup is able to measure and address pay equity on a global scale, while ensuring that it removes any gender-based disparities. As a result, Citigroup’ s 2024 analysis highlighted that the business has narrowed the global gender pay gap to less than 1 %.
Tech giant Microsoft has followed a similar path. By using their global scale, Microsoft can ensure that no matter where a candidate is located – be that London, New York or Singapore – they will be treated the same. Removing pay negotiation has therefore allowed these firms to focus on attracting – and then retaining – high-quality talent.
70 July 2026