Hmm... during job applications, HR already asked for current and expected salary, and when go for interview ask to bring along latest payslip usually.
Does HR usually need to call current employer before or after offering the job or after sign offer letter ?
Why HR asked for payslip? It is as a proof for the payment that you been receiving/claimed to receive. I as a HR personnel received tonnes of false claims on candidates salary. Some lump in their non contractual bonus, their medical, their additional EPF, their OT, their travel allowance, their claim in their salary. Is it justifiable?
First, lets understand about the mechanism of salary structure. Each company has a placement/budget in the market salary benchmark. Either they are a @P50 (average paymaster - 50% of the market), @P75 (top 25% paymaster) or @P90 (top 10% paymaster). Each company must set their salary bracket based on their strategy and they have to adhere to it in order not to burst their manpower budget.
Company also have an internal benchmark in order to ensure that an internal equity is not disrupted by hiring a new person. Imagine you have 10 people with 5 years of experience, earning RM 5k in your company and suddenly the manager hire a new person with similar years of experience but earning RM 7k.
People do share about salary irregardless how much we emphasize about P&C of it. Don't you think it will cause an uproar?
2nd - Don't be worried about your payslips copy. You indicate your expectation earlier in your CV and if the company is willing to accommodate to your expectation, they will call you in. A good recruiter will be able to tell if the company able to afford you or not instead of sending you blindly for the interview. The recruiter need to indicate to the hiring manager about the candidate expectation as they supposed to perform the first round of interview with the candidate.
3rd - If you already provide your expectation, passed the interview, fit the bill but your expected salary is higher compared to the rest? This is where HR use your payslips to justify to hiring manager/management on either upgrading your level/position/job grade for a higher salary. You negotiate your salary during the interview or after the interview with HR.
4th - For reference check, normally HR don't check about salary as it is mainly about performance/work related issues. Furthermore HR don't normally call the other company HR for reference unless there is a red flag in your CV/documents such as falsifying documents. HR usually called your ex-supervisor/manager/colleagues to check about your performance.