To help companies comply with the new Regulations, XpertHR has launched a new model gender pay gap report template, which includes a supporting statement to help companies put their gender pay gap data in context and provide an explanation about it for employees and other interested parties.
Under the new legislation, private-sector and voluntary-sector organisations with 250 or more employees will have to publish information on their gender pay and gender bonus gaps, documenting the differences between men and women’s pay for the first time. Their first gender pay gap report is due by 4 April 2018, based on data relating to the snapshot date of 5 April 2017. Similar rules apply to public-sector employers, although they have 12 months from their snapshot date of 31 March 2017 to publish their first report.
An employer’s gender pay gap report will need to cover its mean and median gender pay and gender bonus gaps, as well as the proportion of men and women receiving a bonus payment, and the proportion of men and women in each of four pay bands.
While there is no legal obligation on organisations to publish any form of commentary on their gender pay gap figures, employers should be aware of the potential damage to their reputation of failing to do so.
Jo Stubbs, Head of Content at XpertHR, says, “A gender pay gap usually results from the roles in which men and women work and the salaries that these roles attract. For example, men are more likely to hold relatively well-paid technical and IT-related roles. Having a gender pay gap does not necessarily mean that employers have discriminated or acted inappropriately. However, there are lots of misconceptions out there, with many people assuming that it means that men and women are being paid differently to do the same work. Organisations will need to explain the facts behind their figures to existing employees, potential recruits, customers and suppliers, to avoid any misunderstandings – and they can use a supporting statement to do this.
“Of course, however it has arisen, having a gender pay gap isn’t something that most organisations will want to be complacent about – and a supporting statement can also be used to set out any actions that they are taking to reduce their gap, and progress made.
“Our model report illustrates a possible reporting format with a supporting statement to accompany the figures, and comes with guidance notes for employers. The template complements our others tools and information on this subject including our guide on “How to measure and report a gender pay gap” and our Gender Pay Gap Reporting Service.
To access the new gender pay gap model report, register here.
Further information can be found at: www.xperthr.co.uk