In 1968, a strike by sewing machinists at the Ford Dagenham plant led to the introduction of the Equal Pay Act 1970, which prohibited any less favourable treatment in terms of pay and working conditions between men and women.
Yet, despite its initial promise and intentions, just over 45 years later, there is still a significant gender pay gap in the UK.
In July 2015, prime minister David Cameron pledged to end the gender pay gap in one generation by making it mandatory for organisations employing more than 250 staff to publish details about the difference in average earnings between male and female workers. In October, the government extended these plans to also cover large employers in the public sector and to stipulate that bonuses must be included within the reporting requirements.
But how realistic is Cameron’s aim given previous attempts to close the gender pay gap have not succeeded in doing so?
Read more about the issues impacting gender inequality in the workplace and what is needed to overcome this in Will there ever be a solution to the gender pay gap?
Looking to the future, a further challenge for employers is how to best motivate and engage tomorrow’s employees. As the composition of the workforce itself and the way in which work is undertaken both continue to evolve, employers will increasingly have to consider what elements are most likely to engage multiple generations in the workplace.
Some organisations are already making great headway in this area. This is why the Employee Benefits Awards 2016, for the first time, includes a category designed to reward Best benefits for a multi-generational workforce. The deadline for submissions to the awards has now been extended to 29 January 2016. Find all the information you need to enter at www.employeebenefitsawards.co.uk
Debbie Lovewell-TuckEditorTweet: @DebbieLovewell
