Pay Gap Transparency: Equality and Pay in the Workplace

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When it comes to equality in the workplace, it’s no secret that one of the biggest topics up for discussion is the pay gap.

While many people may initially think of the discrepancy between the wages male and female workers are paid, there are also pay gaps between those with disabilities and even ethnic minorities.

In recent years, there has been an increasing need for understanding and action to minimise (or even entirely negate) these disparities – and pay gap transparency is stepping in to help throughout a host of workplaces.

What can pay gap transparency assist with?

When the proper reporting protocol is implemented by businesses, they will be showing their workforce that they are taking action and are committed to providing top services by improving relations and valuing employees. This will raise the reputation of the business and also the brand – and this will not only help to improve market sentiment, but also attract better talent when hiring in the future. For employees from ethnic backgrounds, it can help to improve their ability to progress within roles and be taken more seriously when it comes to promotions and pay increases (this will still apply to women and those with disabilities, of course).

To ensure that transparency plays a role in change, it can be important to understand the top statistics. For the UK these are as follows:

8 in 10 U.K. employers pay men more on average than women at 8.3%
Black employees earn 9.2% less on average than white employees
Disabled employees are paid 13.8% less than their able-bodied counterparts

What can employees do if they feel their pay gap needs addressing?

If you feel like you have a significant pay gap or that your company is not reporting properly (or even not addressing these issues year after year), then you may want to seek legal advice from an employment law advisory service. You can do this by finding a local specialist in the field who will be able to give you relevant assistance, as they should understand the legislations that businesses in your area should be compliant with.

It can be extremely important to voice concerns when it comes to any form of workplace discrimination to help drive change, so don’t be scared to stand up and take action where necessary. Workers from all around Frisco often consult wage theft lawyers near San Francisco in order to improve their conditions. Their role is to help employees recover unpaid wages, secure compensation for illegal deductions or damages and bring equity in their workplace.

What can UK businesses do to ensure proper pay gap reporting for transparency?

When providing reports that can be used to assist with transparency and lowing wage gaps, employers in the private sector will need to include important information like the median and mean for pay gaps (including those for bonuses and the percentage awarded to each of the demographics in question), the portion of each demographic during each pay quartile and proof of pay data for any given pay period. When all of this is included, a wider understanding of how the pay gap is being tackled (if at all) can raise the awareness for action. The good news is that employers that disclose the above information will be more likely to provide reasonable, data-driven analytics to support salary decisions, which can minimise workplace discrimination overall.