The majority of businesses believe that employers should be named and shamed for equal gender pay failings, according to a new survey by Peninsula, the employment law consultancy.
According to the survey, which questioned 3630 employers, 87 percent believe that female workers should be paid the same salary as their male counterparts. While 74 percent said that businesses of all sizes should be named and shamed if they fail to pay genders equally.
Employment law director for Peninsula, Alan Price says:
“Why, in 2015 are we still debating the issue of equal gender pay rights? With all the advancements in other areas of society why should women accept anything less than equal pay for the same job as their male counterparts? The answer is they shouldn’t. Women demonstrate an equal capacity to men in completing tasks and adding much needed value to the workplace. With that being said, it is an incredible step forward to see that the government have implemented a strategy to eliminate the current gender pay gap, which in all honesty has been a long time coming.”
“Women have the right to expect equal pay and to have the opportunity to progress in whatever role they decide to pursue.”
Price believes it makes excellent business sense, “Encouraging and supporting female employees to reach their full potential will not only demonstrate your commitment to developing a stronger workforce, but it will undoubtedly serve to increase company productivity and profitability.” Price says. “Failing to account for equal pay rights for women will mean missing out on the opportunity to reward talented and ambitious female employees for their contributions to your organisation, and may result in valuable employees leaving, which could be detrimental to future growth.”
Price concludes, “It is within the best interests of all larger organisations to get on board and support this positive motion and ensure that women get the respect and opportunities they rightfully deserve. It is great to see that barriers are being broken down, and hopefully this will newly gained momentum will continue to grow and gender pay inequality will soon be a thing of the past.”
Amie Filcher is an editorial assistant at HRreview.
