REWARD INSIGHT
Gender pay gap – the next steps?
Samantha Mann MAAT MCIPPDip, CIPP senior policy and research officer, reviews recent developments, recommendations, reports and guidance
I t would appear that achieving 100% compliance in the first year of operation is simply not enough for the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee who published their report on gender pay gap reporting in the summer, as they made a number of recommendations for change. Improving gender equality in organisations Before I go on to consider some of those changes – particularly those that will have the biggest impact on our profession – let us first take a quick look at some of the suggestions from the Government Equalities Office and the Behavioural Insights Team that demonstrate what actions employers can take in order to achieve a reduction in their gender pay gaps. The guidance – which is set out in the report, Reducing the gender pay gap and improving gender equality in organisations: Evidence-based actions for employers (https://bit.ly/2Az0Kri) – details successful approaches that have been taken and confirms, if such confirmation is needed, the importance of using high quality data to achieve successful outcomes. Actions that have proven to be effective
include: ● use skill-based assessments with standardised tasks during recruitment ● use structured interviews during recruitment and promotion as unstructured interviews increase the likelihood of unfair bias influencing decisions ...further research to improve
their effectiveness: ● improve workplace flexibility for men and women – and up to a senior level ● encourage the take-up of shared parental leave ● recruit returners who have previously taken an extended career break for caring or other reasons ● set internal, specific and time-bound targets detailing what change will be achieved and by when (a point that the BEIS committee also recognise in their report). Actions that have shown to have both positive and negative impacts and require further research as to their effectiveness: ● unconscious bias training ● diversity training on its own is unlikely to change behaviour ● leadership development training ● performance self-assessments ● diverse selection panels. In its report, Gender pay gap reporting (https://bit.ly/2LR2D7p), the BEIS committee considered briefly what actions should be taken to actively reduce gender pay gaps but sought to focus on the experiences during the roll-out of gender pay gap policy and heard from a number of witnesses as to the effectiveness of this policy.
the evidence base of their effectiveness...
● encourage salary negotiations by showing salary ranges – this helps applicants to know what they can reasonably expect – research has proven that women are less likely to negotiate their pay ● introduce transparency into pay and reward processes ● appoint diversity managers and/or diversity task forces ● include more women in shortlists for recruitment and promotion. The guidance also includes a number of actions that show promise but require further research to improve the evidence base of
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2018 | Issue 45
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