The fact that there is a gender pay gap at the BBC comes as no surprise. Organisations that are yet to publish their gender pay gap figures should be analysing how others have presented their data in order to learn from them. Gina Wilson, Employment Partner at Clyde & Co, comments.
In an interview this morning the Director General of the BBC correctly tried to provide additional information, over and above that required by the new regulations, to tell a more positive story about the way in which it values its workforce and is working to reduce any gap. However, at first glance the annual report itself doesn’t seem to include any of these additional details.
Businesses may now see that ‘naming & shaming’ is no damp squib. The press interest before these figures were released has been high and you would now expect that to maintain momentum. Depending on how long the story runs, the reputational damage could have a serious impact on the BBC’s ability to hire top female talent.
For the majority of organisations, the under-representation of women in senior positions, as well as the difficulties and lack of opportunities experienced by mothers juggling childcare responsibilities when they return to work, are key drivers of the gender pay gap. My advice to organisations yet to publish is that they must identify problem areas now, in order to work out what other information they should be including to explain why their gender pay gap exists and what they are doing to reduce it.
