BBC releases gender pay gap report

As most people will be aware, the BBC recently revealed how much their top presenters earn, which has again raised the issue of the gender pay gap. Chris Evans, Radio 2 and former Top Gear presenter, topped the list, earning more than £2.2M during the financial year 2016-2017, whilst the top female earner was Claudia Winkleman, presenter of Strictly Come Dancing, at just £450K-£500K during the same financial year. With the UK introducing gender pay reporting, steps have been taken to close the gap. The release of these figures has informed women what action they can take if they are of the opinion they receive less salary than a male colleague performing the same, or similar, job.

Firstly, a female employee can ask her employer to provide evidence to show whether or not there is any disparity between her salary and that of a male employee who carries out roughly the same work as her (and vice versa!). If there is a difference, s/he can also request what the reasons for it are.  This can lead to an Employment Tribunal, should the employer not be able to resolve through their internal grievance procedure.

The reporting of gender pay applies to employers with over 250 members of staff.

What can your organisation do to ensure equality?

• Review your current payroll for fairness between genders
• Ensure you have clear job descriptions in place
• Research the market
• Think hard about the value the employee offers