Progressive, one of the largest providers of insurance in the United States, has announced its hiring plans for 2018. It has also announced that it will no longer ask job candidates to disclose salary history.
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The company joins a growing list of large employers to ban salary history questions. In January, Amazon announced it would no longer ask job candidates about current or past earnings.
Gearing Up
The announcement from Progressive details plans to hire more than 7,500 people in 2018. Positions include IT and analyst roles, corporate functions, and customer care and claims roles.
Most of the jobs are based at larger Progressive sites, but hundreds are remote work opportunities. Here’s a breakdown of the number of positions expected to be filled at each large Progressive location:
- Austin, Texas – 725
- Cleveland, Ohio – 1,300
- Colorado Springs, Colorado – 900
- Phoenix, Arizona – 350
- Sacramento, California – 325
- Tampa, Florida – 1,300
“Progressive is a company where you can come for a job and build a career, in any business area from technology to customer service,” said Lori Niederst, chief human resources officer for Progressive. “For example, we have many people in high-level leadership positions who started their careers in claims or in our call centers. Progressive values you as an individual, and the uniqueness you bring to our organization.”
Getting Progressive
The company’s decision to stop asking about salary history appears to be motivated by corporate culture, as opposed to a growing number of city and state laws that prohibit employers from using or seeking a candidate’s current or prior salary information.
“We’ve always based our pay on market research,” said Niederst. “We hope this change will give candidates who apply for our jobs confidence that they will be paid based on what they bring to Progressive, regardless of whether their previous employers paid them fairly.”
Niederst indicated that company values were also a factor in the decision.
“Our Progressive culture is rooted in our core values,” she said. “These values aren’t just a poster on the wall—they guide our business decisions and define how we treat each other.”
In addition to competitive salaries, Progressive also touts an annual bonus plan; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits; extensive training programs; career development options; and a casual work environment.