November 14th, 2007
This is from the KnowHR blog in response to the American Association of University Women research showing that one year out of college, women make 80% of what their male counterparts make…after ten years it is down to 69%. This is based on research that was conducted this year. The full post is here.
5 Things HR Needs to Do Right Now to End Pay Inequality
It’s time for HR to take a stand. To stand up and say “It’s our responsibility to provide equal pay for equal work.” That it’s not acceptable to pay women less than men right out of school. To think it’s just okay that men make more. Here are 5 Things HR Needs to Do Right Now to End Pay Inequality:
- Do a normalized study of pay equity in your organization. Find out if your organization’s results mirror the AAUW findings. If they do, be afraid, be very afraid.
- If you’re paying women less than men for equal skills and experience, then fix it. Today. Don’t pull that “We need to reconcile this over years” BS. You have to fix it now. Best time to plant a tree? Ten years ago.
- Put gender-based pay inequality on the discussion for each and every pay strategy session that you have with other senior managers.
- Ask yourself, “With all the data and testing that we do, how could it be that women make less right out of school?” Think about the culture of your organization. If you talk the talk about diversity, do you walk the walk and pay fairly?
- Scream from the rafters that you won’t tolerate gender-based pay inequality, make it a much-discussed policy, and fire people who think it’s okay to pay men and women differently for the same job.
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