industry focus
The gender agenda
The still largely male-dominated world of loss prevention could this year be placed under the gender pay spotlight.
The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2016 requires employers to report on four key areas as a snapshot date of 5th April each year – starting from this year. The employers must publish the overall gender pay gap figures using mean and median average hourly pay.
In addition they must highlight the number of men and women in each four quartiles based upon the employer’s overall pay range, including an equal number of employees in each group. They must also highlight the difference between men and women’s bonus pay over a 12 month period and, finally, the proportion of men and women who received a bonus in the same 12 months.
The objective of the information required is to provide a snapshot of inequality so that businesses can aim towards parity of pay in order to not breach the legislation. According to leading gender pay lawyer Emma Batten of Freeths LLP, businesses need to look at their current payroll systems to see if they are geared up to provide this information so as to make sure they are compliant by April 5.
If they find the information lacking in transparency, they should seek external help, particularly if they are larger businesses with complex pay arrangements. She says the companies need to look at the remuneration packages on offer to employees to understand what is caught within the definition of ‘pay’ and what is not. And they must also look to bonuses offered to staff which is reportable and assess how this information can be accessed.
“Businesses need to look at producing voluntary accompanying information to assist with explanations of any pay gaps,” she said.
Also, there are publication requirements which may mean that the information has to be shared publicly such as through the company website.”
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