Employers
are turning to the tried and tested technique of job evaluation as a way of
dealing with pressure to conduct equal pay audits.
According
to research published today by IRS Employment Review, although critics have
claimed the technique is bureaucratic and a “bogus science”, research shows
that it has taken on a new lease of life – particularly in the public sector,
where employment procedures are often more structured and formalised.
Almost
half of the 162 companies and public sector bodies taking part in the survey
already use job evaluation to determine the relative importance of roles within
their organisation – and a third more plan to introduce it in the near future.
IRS
Employment Review managing editor, Mark Crail said: “Job evaluation is not an
easy task. It requires a considerable amount of planning, and it is essential
to get employee communications right if it is going to work.
"But
employers are finding this is a useful technique when used in conjunction with
equal pay audits. Although only a minority of employers have gone down this
road, both the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Kingsmill Review of
women’s pay have recommended that larger companies in particular should do so,
and the Government now requires public sector organisations to audit for
equality.”
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