Pay is inevitably an emotive issue. Just in case we needed reminding, this was highlighted again this week with Equal Pay Day taking place on Wednesday 4 November. This is the date from which female employees are calculated to effectively work for free until the end of the year compared to male staff.
Now, I know the day is intended to raise awareness of a serious issue – and there is no denying that it certainly does this – but I also wonder how demotivating it must be for many female employee to be told that they may as well not be being paid until the end of the year. This is particularly the case for those lower down the pay spectrum who may not feel that they have it in their power to effect change within their organisation.
To further compound the issue, this week, research by KPMG also found that almost a third (29%) of female workers earn less then the living wage, compared to 18% of males.
But, on a more positive note, some organisations are taking steps to tackle the issue.
After the government extended its gender pay gap reporting requirements to public sector employers with more than 250 staff last month, Camden Council voluntarily published pay data for its workforce, including analysis of median earnings across pay brackets according to gender, ethnicity and disability.
Its highest pay variance across its graded pay levels stood at 12%, while across the majority of its pay levels, this difference was below 4%.
Now we just need more employers, both in the private and public sector, to follow their lead.
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck Editor Tweet: @DebbieLovewell
