The Government Equalities Office has published guidance for employers on the evidence-based actions they can take to support women to progress, to help to close the gender pay gap and increase gender equality in the workplace.
According to the GEO, one of the drivers of the gender pay gap is that women are not progressing in the workplace as fully as their talents would allow. Improving, measuring and evaluating recruitment, promotion and talent management processes; supporting part-time workers; and creating an environment where women feel that they fit and belong, can enable women to progress. By taking steps to support women to progress, employers can make the best use of their skills and experience, help to attract and retain talent, and improve productivity and performance. Evidence suggests that the following actions can support women in your organisation to progress and help to close the gender pay gap.
Create an inclusive culture
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Support women’s career development
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Progression for part-time workers
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• Improve recruitment and promotion processes • • Measure and evaluate policies to support diversity and inclusion
The four-page guidance action note sets out in more detail how employers can support women to progress to help to close the gender pay gap and increase gender equality in the workplace.
An infographic poster has also been published which sets out the evidence-based high level actions employers can take.
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Changes to gender pay gap reporting under consideration 11 June 2019
In a parliamentary review of the effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting, under discussion was the consideration of extending reporting to smaller firms before the formal review of the gender pay gap legislation in 2022.
Hilary Spencer, Director, Government Equalities Office (GEO), who was providing evidence to the Treasury Committee, said that there are a number of ways to take reporting in the future. One option being to lower the threshold, another to ask for more data on gender, and another to ask for data about different characteristics.
When asked what the timescale for any changes would be, the Director referred to the formal review of the gender pay gap legislation, which is five years after it was introduced (2022) but then went on to say:
“However, our view is that there is a pretty crucial window between years 3 and 5 where, if year 1 was people getting up to speed with their reporting requirements and year 2 is trying to start making a difference, you want to start seeing changes between years 3 and 5. In our view, there is probably an argument for making some changes to the reporting regime from year 3 onwards…” When asked if proposals will be put forward to government soon, the Director’s response was yes, that the GEO is actively working on this and will be putting advice to Ministers on options going forward, including questions about ethnicity pay gap reporting. The question of action plans is another area that the GEO is currently putting advice together on for Ministers. There have been, in some sectors, a call for making action plans compulsory in some way so the GEO has been exploring what that might look like. Enforcement was also discussed although the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) were not present at this particular review and they are the enforcers of gender pay gap reporting. However, the GEO said that it is considering a whole range of things. One is whether it requires companies to publish more information about what they are doing, i.e. their policies. Another is whether to ask them to publish more data such as looking at numbers of women on boards or retention post maternity leave.
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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