Almost half (46 percent) of organisations who are taking steps to reduce the gender pay gap are actively promoting women into senior roles. One third of employers who are reducing the gender pay gap have improved flexible working for parents. Alexandra Sydney, Jobs Expert – totaljobs
The conversation around gender pay inequality in the workplace has led to 40 percent of working women saying they’d likely quit if they found out a male colleague in the same role was being paid more.
Taking steps to close the gap?
The research conducted by totaljobs to coincide with Equal Pay Day on Saturday 10th November, also showed that there has been positive change since the introduction of Gender Pay reporting in April this year.
The new legislation holds companies of 250+ employees to account, requiring them to be open about any gender pay discrepancy and ensuring transparency, and it appears to have benefited women. Nearly half (46 percent) of workers whose employer is taking steps to reduce the gender pay gap that exists in their organisation said their companies are actively promoting women into leadership or senior role, according to totaljobs’ research.
Whilst the legislation is a great starting point, the gender pay gap remains most prevalent amongst women in senior roles. This shows a systemic issue in senior management across a breadth of UK companies. Totaljobs found that 18 percent of workers whose employer is taking steps to reduce the gender pay gap, do not actually know what these measures are. The gender pay gap is a measure of the difference between men and women’s average earnings across an organisation, whereas Equal Pay, covered by the Equality Act 2010, enshrines in law that men and women in the same employment performing equal work must receive equal pay.
Rise of flexible working
The research also found that for businesses that are actively trying to reduce the gender pay gap, almost one third of workers (32 percent) reported that their employer was improving flexibility for parents – a key way to retain top female talent with family commitments. Furthermore, one third of Brits (33 percent) said their company is taking steps to reduce unconscious bias for hiring managers, such as teaching self-awareness.
Alexandra Sydney, Jobs Expert at totaljobs, said: “With six months passing since gender pay gap reporting, UK employers have a greater awareness of the issue, and are seeing its impact on their teams, in particular their female employees. A light has been shone on pay inequality, and with data to back it up, women are able to have more transparent conversations regarding pay at work.
“It is reassuring to see that more women are actively being promoted into leadership roles. ONS figures released last month announced that the gender pay gap has fallen to its lowest level yet, demonstrating that companies are responding to the pressure applied by the compulsory pay reporting implemented in April.
“That said, there is still more to be done. Saturday marks ‘Equal Pay Day’ in the UK, which is a fitting reminder of the challenges female employees continue to face in the modern workforce. Employers must ensure they’re taking appropriate steps to alleviate gender pay gaps in their organisation, in order to foster an inclusive environment and retain top talent.
“Female employees can tackle the issue of pay head on and shouldn’t be afraid to set up a meeting with their manager or HR department if they feel as though they are being underpaid.”
