Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Equal pay reviews won’t just go away

by Personnel Today 11 Mar 2003
by Personnel Today 11 Mar 2003

We’ve said it’s a hot topic before, and this week’s front-page coverage of
an equal pay claim just confirms it. If the claim by Unison on behalf of
teaching assistants is successful, it will lead to a flood of similar disputes,
potentially costing county councils millions.

Whatever your business, a pay review should be on your priority list of
things to do this year. The Government’s taskforce insists pay audits must be
conducted and acted upon to meet new requirements on company reporting. All
central government departments are supposed to be leading by example and are
committed to equal pay reviews by this Spring. France, Canada, Sweden and even
parts of the US have already made pay audits mandatory and there’s the threat
of that here if employers fail to put adequate systems in place.

Personnel Today has broken ranks with employer groups like the CBI to back
the mandatory route. We have been frustrated by examples of institutional
sexism and evidence that past warnings about serious claims have been ignored.

The workplace is still riddled with inequality and HR is in a unique
position to do something about it. Women working full-time still earn 19 per
cent less an hour than men, while women working nights, often to fit in around
childcare, do not receive the same perks as men.

Even in HR itself, we have the situation of female HR chiefs’ pay lagging
behind their male counterparts by 25 per cent. It’s a miracle that young women
are still flocking to HR with that disparity looming over them.

Find out if your organisation has a pay problem by kick-starting a review
now. Consult with the unions and staff representatives and regularly review to
ensure continuing fairness. The Equal Opportunities Commission has a
seven-point action plan to implement pay reviews, so seek its help today.

New ways for the public sector

Mary Mallett follows a long line of impressive local government HR directors
this week by taking over the presidency of Socpo (the Society of Chief
Personnel Officers).

Her enthusiasm for the job and for the challenges facing HR in the public sector
is palpable and timely.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The public sector may have initiative overload, but there are no signs of
weariness or a desire to water down the reforms so badly needed to improve
services.

As the special supplement with this issue shows, there is tons of dynamism
in public sector HR and a willingness to think radically. Pushing the
boundaries on old organisational ways requires resilience and determination.
The profession should be proud of the shifts it is making already.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Police to get new guidelines on diversity after damning report
next post
EEF warns of funding gap for modern apprentices

You may also like

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders receive 400% pay rise

4 Jul 2025

FCA to extend misconduct rules beyond banks

2 Jul 2025

‘Decisive action’ needed to boost workers’ pensions

2 Jul 2025

Business leaders’ drop in confidence impacts headcount

2 Jul 2025

Why we need to rethink soft skills in...

1 Jul 2025

Five misconceptions about hiring refugees

20 Jun 2025

Forward features list 2025 – submitting content to...

23 Nov 2024

Features list 2021 – submitting content to Personnel...

1 Sep 2020

Large firms have no plans to bring all...

26 Aug 2020

A typical work-from-home lunch: crisps

24 Aug 2020

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+