Bridging The Gap: Practical Approaches To Gender Pay Equity

Today, gender pay equity is more than just the right thing to do. We have achieved a world where gender pay equity has gone from being a moral good, into an actual socially accepted business competent practice in contemporary workplace settings. Many businesses have reduced gender gaps, but the gender pay gap persists as a topic that tangible policies can address. Despite strides toward equality, women continue to grapple with systemic barriers where a significant portion of female employees experience some form of bias and discrimination. The need of the hour for gender pay equity involves serious work, from analysing the existing remuneration patterns and re-evaluating the structures. Here we highlight how organizations can go from discussing equal employment opportunity to creating opportunities in the most fair and effective workplace where talents are sourced, recruited, embedded and rewarded without biases.

Gender Pay Equity is the foundation of a fair workplace, ensuring that skill, performance and experience are determining factors for compensation rather than the gender of an employee. Today, it represents a vital step toward fostering inclusivity and equality within the workplace. Organisations that prioritise pay equity benefit from improved employee satisfaction, higher retention rates, and enhanced reputation, ultimately drive innovation and productivity. Furthermore, gender pay equity helps attract top talent from diverse backgrounds, aligning with the broader goals of diversity and inclusion, which are increasingly critical in today’s competitive landscape.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2024, gender parity is still five generations away at the current rate of progress. While these figures reflect a long journey, modern workplaces today are advocating for progressive policies and building an unbiased community at work, with the endeavour to achieve gender parity.  Let’s explore some avenues on how companies can achieve true gender parity:

Top-Down Approach: Leadership’s Role in Gender Pay Equity
To advance and sustain gender pay equity, it is critical to secure leadership commitment. Alongside policy endorsement, it is key that the commitment includes allocating resources, establishing measurable goals and holding talent accountable void of the gender. Open communication by the leadership on why pay equity is a high priority provides trust and paves way to culture of fairness. Leading by example also motivates the organization to make gender pay equity a priority and continue to work towards it at every level.

The Competitive Edge: Why Pay Equity is a Smart Business Strategy
The benefits of gender pay equity include enhanced productivity by encouraging a fair and motivated workforce. It also attracts diverse talent which in turn drives innovation resulting in an array of viewpoints. Employees who feel valued and compensated are comparatively more engaged and committed, reducing turnover and associated costs. The positive public image brought about through these practices, puts the organisation ahead from a reputation standpoint, attracting top talent and customers alike. Ultimately, gender pay equity builds a more successful and thriving company.

Equal Pay for Equal Work: Conducting a Pay Equity Audit
It is crucial to conduct a Pay Equity Audit to understand statistics and inferences better. Collecting comprehensive compensation data across roles which include base pay, benefits, and bonuses is the primary step. The next phase involves comparison and grouping of data collected based on gender, race, and job level. The most important step is analysing the collected data to identify any discrepancies or patterns of inequality. Finally, an action plan is devised that implements corrective measures, adjustment of salaries and execution of new policies, if need be. This process will help maintain fairness and transparency in pay practices.

Creating Clear and Fair Compensation Guidelines
To begin with, defining clear criteria for pay based on role, experience and performance is important – this is the foundation of transparency. Regulating salary ranges across positions based on current market rates and internal points of reference. Measurable performance outcomes can be established via stringent guidelines and consistent objectives. Compensation structures must be reviewed on regular basis to warrant fairness across the organisation, and within the competitor ecosystem. Most importantly, communicating these policies with employees will help build trust and transparency and avoid any disparities in the ongoing efforts to maintain equity.

Integrating Pay Equity into Hiring and Promotion Processes 
Integrating pay equity into hiring and promotion processes requires a strategic and consistent approach. First, establishing clear and standardised job roles with transparent compensation structures will secure uniformity across the board. Secondly, regular pay audits are essential to identify and address any disparities, reinforcing fairness in compensation. To reduce bias in hiring, implementing a structured interview process with a specialized and diverse hiring panel is crucial. This minimizes the risk of any historic or unconscious prejudice, ensuring candidates are evaluated objectively on merit. Similarly, promotion practices within the organization should be transparent, providing equal opportunities for all employees to develop and showcase their skills. Performance reviews should be based on measurable outcomes and clear objectives to ensure a fair and objective evaluation. Additionally, providing training on unconscious bias for all decision-makers is a big plus.

Building an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Connecting gender pay equity to broader diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals is essential for fostering an inclusive workplace. Gender Pay equity is not just a standalone issue; it is a critical component of a comprehensive DEI strategy. By ensuring that all employees are compensated fairly, organisations signal their commitment to valuing diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Embedding gender pay equity into DEI initiatives fosters a culture of accountability and transparency. This approach not only addresses pay disparities but also supports the recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented groups.

When organisations prioritise inclusivity in their pay practices, they enhance employee satisfaction and create a stronger, more engaged workforce, which ultimately drives long-term growth and success.

(The authored above has been exclusively written for BW People publication by Urvi Aradhya, CHRO - K Raheja Corp )