Every year we see a rush of last-minute submissions for gender pay gap reporting and it’s evident that some key themes keep on cropping up. The common pitfalls that keep cropping up mean we can help you address them here and now.  Here’s our top ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for Gender Pay Reporting – for both this year and for next. 

1. Do – dig into your results. Innecto offers a ‘deep dive’ analysis for our clients that identifies weak spots in pay practice which are driving your underlying issues. Undertaking this analysis means you can fully understand any long-term systemic problems with gender and the way that men and women are paid. This also enables you to communicate the complexity which sits behind your results, giving a full and fair picture of pay at your organisation.  

2. Do - talk to your internal communications/marketing teams. If you’re struggling to put together a complex message on Gender Pay, pick up the phone to your in-house comms team. Marketing professionals are trained to pick out and communicate benefits rather than features and are an excellent resource when developing messaging.  Let your marketing team help you craft a good narrative. 

3. Do – present your results relative to last year – even if they’re worse. Unfortunately, some organisations will see a stall or even an increase in their Gender Pay Gap. This could be down to changes in distribution at the top/bottom. Initiatives to improve the gap, such as increasing your intake of women at the entry level, can have a negative impact on results in the short term. Likewise, changes at the executive level can unduly tip the scales – if a senior woman leaves and is replaced with a male colleague, you may see a significant knock-on in your results. The tricky bit is communicating these developments without sounding like you're making excuses. 

4. Do – frame things within a long-term context. Balancing the Gender Pay Gap is a marathon, not a sprint. Fluctuations in your results in the short term are not the end of the world, as long as you have evidence-based initiatives in place to support a targeted plan.  

5. Do - highlight successes and work taken on to address equality in the workplace. Give details on work you’ve already done or are doing around inclusion and diversity, and how this ties in with your supporting strategy. For example, a spotlight on recruitment activity –  eg. to redress the balance of male to female executives.  

6. Don’t – leave things unexplained. Even a nosedive in results needs explanation without excuses. Be honest – make a comparison to last year, explaining and contextualising any stall or increase in the gap. Tackling difficult results head-on is much better than trying to brush them under the carpet and reflects better on your reputation as an employer.  

7. Don’t – set unrealistic targets. With the best will in the world, eliminating the Gender Pay Gap is a huge challenge. Whilst Gender Pay reporting has rightly shone a spotlight on individual employers, it’s a far wider issue than direct discrimination within organisations - it is a societal problem and one which nearly all companies face. Your goals should be ambitious, but achievable.  

8. Don’t – leave until the last minute! If you’re worried about gender pay, Innecto can help.  

For more information on how we can help you with your approach, please visit our Gender Pay Gap Reporting page, or contact us here.

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