Recent pressure on the Government to reinstate gender pay gap reporting and introduce ethnicity pay gap reporting means that companies must get ready to collect the data they need to help stamp out pay inequality.
So consultancy Equality Pays has published a White Paper to help organisations close the pay gaps. “This White Paper sets out how organisations can get ahead of the curve to close their pay gaps and maintain a better legacy going forward, by embracing the unknown and vulnerability that pay gap reporting brings,” states Michelle Gyimah, gender and ethnicity pay gaps Consultant at Equality Pays.
Talking about gender, race and money are not the easiest topics for many, especially within the context of the workplace. “Add the public scrutiny that pay gap reporting brings and it can easily become a topic that is heavy and burdened with fear and shame. All of which breeds resistance to asking the hard questions and then doing the work,” points out Gyimah. “Because of the sensitivities around these issues, many organisations are often reluctant to share what is really going on within its walls. A mixture of vulnerability, shame and guilt can leave many organisations feeling that saying and doing nothing is a preferable option to trying to address issues and feeling exposed.”
SUPPORT TO CLOSE PAY GAPS
However, organisations that choose to do nothing about pay gaps “risk becoming irrelevant within a short space of time”, she warns. “The incoming workforce are not only the fastest growing demographic in the UK, but are also a demographic who are unafraid to only do business with and work in organisations that are aligned with their principles. In addition to this, they are not afraid to be publicly vocal about their choices.”
For example, “EHRC research showed that nearly two-thirds of women (61%) would take an organisation’s gender pay gap into consideration when looking for a new job, suggesting that those with larger pay gaps could be missing out on talent”, she adds. Gyimah believes organisations need support and education in how to acknowledge the task ahead in order to make real progress in closing pay gaps and creating truly inclusive workplace cultures. The Equality Pays’ White Paper helps organisations to overcome those feelings and create safe spaces from within to create change. For more information, contact mgyimah@equalitypays.co.uk.
In recent days, leading equality charities like the Fawcett Society have urged the Government to reinstate gender pay gap reporting this year, as reported.
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