SIX HELPFUL HINTS TO NARROW THE GENDER PAY GAP
| Published date | 06 March 2023 |
| Publication title | Coventry Telegraph |
"Working women deserve equal pay, but at current rates of progress, it will take more than 20 years to close the gender pay gap," commented TUC general secretary Paul Nowak.
"That's just not good enough. We can't consign yet another generation of women to pay inequality," he continued, pointing out that mandatory publishing of pay figures isn't helping.
"Companies must be required to publish action plans to explain what steps they'll take to close their pay gaps, and bosses who don't comply with the law should be fined."
It's important to stress that working women should not be held responsible for driving policy change and closing the gap. However, if you want to ensure you're doing everything in your power right now to get the salary you deserve, negotiation can be key.
"Working mums often feel nervous about asking for a pay increase, particularly if their employer has agreed to reduce their working hours or has given them flexibility to juggle their work alongside childcare," says Joanne Moseley, employment lawyer at Irwin Mitchell (irwinmitchell.com).
"Working fewer hours does not mean that you are less committed and can't ask for a rise, but if you want to succeed, you need to sharpen your negotiation skills and present a compelling business case that demonstrates why you should be paid more."
Here, business experts share some essential hacks for negotiating on pay...
1. Benchmark your salary The first step when you want to request a pay rise is to compare your salary to those for similar roles, and decide on a figure you're going to request.
"Use sites like LinkedIn or Glassdoor to identify the fair market pay for your job role," says Sirsha Haldar, general manager of UK, Ireland and South Africa at HR and payroll company ADP (uk.adp.com).
While the cost-of-living crisis has sent bills soaring, it's important to think rationally about what you can achieve in terms of a pay boost.
"Manage your salary expectations accordingly and ask for a raise that is realistic for your company to pay whilst in line with the current market," Sirsha adds.
"Be sure to take your experience and tenure with the business into consideration as well."
2. Get the timing right Once you've confirmed who has the final say on salaries (this might not be your boss so it's best to check), arrange a meeting with the...
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