The April 2022 gender pay reporting deadline has been and gone, and reports are in. But around 10% of employers still haven’t reported or were late to do so. Here are our thoughts…
Missing the deadline – The Equality and Human Rights Commission (the enforcement body) is yet to issue a fine so it seems that the ‘late report’ badge and naming and shaming are not enough to change the behaviour of those businesses who fail to comply.
Why bother – one of the most interesting stats from the reporting is the number of women (or not as the case may be) in the upper quartile (highest paid roles). Overall, there has been a drop in the number of businesses that have increased female representation at the highest level. With recruitment being such a challenge, stats showing that women don’t make it into your top roles may not be helping.
Bigger picture – most businesses are grappling with a tough recruitment market and the stats in gender pay reports could well be adding fuel to the fire and giving prospective candidates an excuse not to join! Stagnant year-on-year data shows little commitment to progress and late reporting (or not reporting at all) shows that compliance isn’t taken seriously.
