Sharing some myths I’ve heard about reporting pay gaps.
1. If we report our pay gaps, it's admitting we have an issue. Measuring and reporting pay gaps is the first step, and if you don't know what they are, then you can't work on addressing them. It takes vulnerability to admit you may have pay gaps, but it's OK to have gaps. It's what you do next that's the important part, understanding why you may have pay gaps, making a commitment and taking action to address them. Unconscious bias is often one of the largest factors contributing to pay gaps, and to bring it into the consciousness, we first need to acknowledge it's presence. It's not necessarily about intentional discrimination. 2. A pay gap over 20% is a bad thing. Again, it's about understanding the drivers, and the commitment and action taken once the gaps are measured. Many organisations on the Mindthegap.nz registry have over 20% pay gaps, and they have made public commitments to address them. Often it is about vertical underrepresentation in higher paying roles and overrepresentation in lower paying roles that contributes most to pay gaps. Remember long-term sustainable change takes time. 3. Our pay gaps may be taken out of context. When organisations sign up to the Mindthegap.nz registry, they have the choice to communicate what they want on their website or through their annual reports about their pay gaps, what factors may be contributing to them and what action they are taking to address them. It's not about publishing overall numbers and letting people decide what they mean. 4. If we publish our pay gaps, we will receive negative publicity. This is always a possibility, but many current and future employees and consumers are educated enough to understand the positive outcomes of reporting pay gaps, and often it's about firstly acknowledging pay gaps and taking action to address them. In the long-term it can demonstrate your commitment to show the actions you took to minimise your pay gaps, giving people a positive social responsible experience of your organisation. Reporting your pay gap will enhance your employer brand and EVP, especially for the younger generation now in the workforce who want to see equal treatment. 5. People are afraid to tell us their gender, ethnicity or sexual identity so we can't measure our gaps. If your people are not comfortable enough to bring their whole selves to work, including having their identities on record, you may have a bigger issue than pay gaps. You may have some work to do to understand why people don't feel safe enough to declare their identities. I would start there. Agree? Sign the petition to legislate pay gap reporting in Aotearoa. #petition #equalpay #genderpaygap #equalemployment #employeeexperience #gender #work #experience #people #change #future #publishing #sustainable #brand
