Gender pay gap

Back in July this year the Government published a consultation on proposals for mandatory gender pay reporting for larger employers, which would include employers being required to publish information about the pay of male and female employees. Following on from this it is now proposed that such information will also include the amount awarded in bonuses.

This does suggest a positive move towards ensuring equality amongst staff in the workplace. However, the devil is (as always) in the detail and so we will need to see exactly what information larger businesses will need to disclose to properly assess the impact of this. Too general or vague information may not actually move us much further and such information is unlikely to help in establishing whether staff are being paid the same amounts for the same work.

The Government’s proposals are a step in the right direction. However, we should also continue to look at what else can be done to ensure equality amongst the workforce. For instance continuing to encourage more female senior appointments and the sharing of family related leave (under the new shared parental leave rules) may have a much better practical impact.

Larger employers will have to publish the amount awarded to men and women in bonuses as part of proposed legislation to reduce the gender pay gap.”