Employers
are being warned to review pay systems more regularly to ensure compliance with
new Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) guidelines launched today.
In
light of the new framework, a one-off audit is no guarantee against sex
discrimination creeping back into pay systems at a later date.
Gary
Bowker, employment law consultant at Mercer, is advising firms to be vigilant
and continually check their systems to make sure there is no sex bias:
"It’s vital that staff administering pay are fully trained in identifying
sex discrimination in pay systems. When collecting pay data on gender,
companies could take the opportunity to conduct an audit to ensure the whole
workplace is bias free.
"Conducting
an initial pay audit will help determine equal pay problems but it is crucial
that periodic checks are made," he said.
The
new EOC model suggests that firms look at all elements of remuneration
including basic-pay, bonuses, pensions, medical insurance and company cars.
