#PayMeToo campaign – what we can all do at work to close the gender pay gap?

In their annual reports, businesses with over 250 employees must disclose the difference in men and women’s hourly pay. It’s the second year running that the government’s asked for this data.

Figures reveal the gender pay gap is narrowing, but progress is sluggish, particularly in the public sector and in London. There’s a 15% pay gap between male and female doctors, for example. Female architects are paid 25% less than their male equivalents. That’s before we even mention the inequality between pay for professional male and female football players!

Last year, cross-party MPs launched #PayMeToo, to gather information and suggest steps to address the gender pay gap. The campaign suggests some practical steps employees can take to empower women at work and ensure everyone gets fair remuneration.

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It’s not only a women’s issue

Within the workplace, forward thinking men and women can work together to bring about change. Women are responsible for valuing their contribution as employees and having a professional attitude to themselves and their colleagues. Men are responsible for checking their behaviour to ensure they don’t contribute to male ‘tribal’ behaviour that excludes women.

Equal pay, equal treatment

The issues behind #PayMeToo and the gender pay cap are not only about money. The findings reveal the companies that:

• Have a caring attitude towards all staff members.
• Create a working atmosphere that allows employees to question payment policies in a professional and non-sensational way.
• Make sure there’s no hidden sexist culture that makes women fearful of raising issues of inequality.
• Encourage staff to join a union.
• See their women in senior positions as an asset.
• Establish family-friendly policies that benefit both men and women within the company.
• Try to counteract ‘the motherhood penalty’ by enabling and encouraging shared parental leave.
• Use a range of strategies to minimize examples of stereotyping in the working environment.
• Think favourably about flexible working times that would help women feel they could take on further hours.
• Check the proportion of men receiving bonus payments against the proportion of women receiving them.
• Make sure the company’s commitment to gender equality is not just a paper exercise. Some companies talk, others walk the walk.

VERCIDA can help you find jobs with employers who are committed to encouraging talent and diversity.