The gender pay gap and pay equity is at the forefront of our minds now more than ever. Our government sees it as a priority, and our employees are more aware of it and how it impacts them. Research is telling us that gender and cultural equality and pay equity can empower your organisation to succeed.
So, there are many reasons to think about policy and practice in your organisation. There are some simple changes you can make once you’ve analysed and understood your current practice. Some organisations may need to adjust how people are paid in job groups and pay bands. Others may need to review their policy and procedures and guide managers when they are hiring and reviewing performance.
A couple of years ago I was hiring two new team members for the same role. The female candidate asked for less than the male candidate. Both had expectations within the range and it would have been simple to make offers that met their expectations. And I nearly did just that!
Then I thought about what that would mean for the female candidate. She would be forever playing catch up. It was much smarter and easier to offer her the same as the male candidate.
Yesterday it was announced that the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles is reconvening as the next step in pay equity for New Zealand women. The working groups priority is to ensure women working in women-dominated jobs get paid fairly.
The working group meets today to start the process of considering two issues:
· determining the merit of a claim as a pay equity claim
· how to select appropriate male comparators when assessing the work subject to a pay equity claim.
If you think your organisation may not meet the pay equity principles getting a head start on reviewing and analysing your remuneration policy and structure now would be a good idea.