Last year, the government suspended the requirement for organisations with 250+ employees to submit gender pay gap reports, to allow them time to focus on the impact of Covid-19. This year, reports must be submitted by 30 March for public sector organisations, and by 4 April for those in the private sector.
It’s already been shown that the pandemic is affecting women more than men, as schools and nursery stay closed and lower paid roles bear the grunt of the recession. So, what will this year’s gender pay gap figures reveal about your organisation and the labour market generally? Well, it’s up for debate. With furloughed workers – most of whom are likely to be women – excluded from the reports, pay disparities could well be temporarily distorted. And an artificial fall in inequality this year will inevitably have a knock-on effect on future reports, when employees return from furlough and the pay gap widens again.
What’s sure is that figures will be scrutinised. It’s critical that you get your reporting right, for your reputation, to retain your best people, and to attract new talent – especially in the middle of an economic crisis. Failure to provide equal pay also has a direct financial cost, as paying out such claims can be very expensive. Not so long ago, Birmingham City Council faced a payment of £757m to settle equal pay claims brought by mainly women who missed out on bonuses.
Join us on Wednesday 3 March at 9am to discuss the best way to present your data, to explain these pay differentials and fluctuations to the public. We’ll advise on your requirements, work on your narrative, and consider what additional figures may be worth publishing alongside your submissions. The training will be delivered by our employment lawyers, Alex Christen and Angharad Aspinall. We’ll also be joined by Jane Baalam, an HR professional and specialist in pay and reward with more than 20 years’ experience, who is an associate at Capital People.
This virtual event is aimed at:
- HR directors
- Finance directors
- Those responsible for signing off pay gap reports