Companies are being urged to include action plans with their 2020 reporting. If they don’t include flexible working, they won’t work.
By Emma Stewart MBE, Co-Founder, Timewise
There’s a month to go until the 2020 gender pay gap reporting deadline – and it would be good if we could see a shift in the right direction. It’s a very complex issue, and closing the gap is a complex process, so we weren’t totally surprised when last year’s figures indicated that it was barely budging. But surely, in the third year of reporting, we might expect to see more concrete change?
The problem is that the roots of the gender pay gap lie in age-old structures and systems that are still the norm in many workplaces – and in many families. Clearly, these kinds of barriers take time to overcome. But time isn’t enough; practical changes are needed too, which is why companies are being urged to include gender pay gap action plans as part of this year’s reporting.
I’d argue that if these action plans don’t refer to flexible working, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on. As we’ve explained elsewhere, of the four underlying reasons behind the gender pay gap, three can be tackled by flexible working. The lack of women in senior roles, the gendered allocation of caring responsibilities, and the over-representation of women in poorly paid and part-time roles, in low-paid sectors, can all be addressed by more, better part-time and flexible jobs.
We’re not alone in this view, either; the CIPD’s 2020 guide to gender pay gap reporting agrees that flexible working is an integral part of action planning. And the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee is on the record as saying that “Flexible working for all lies at the heart of addressing the gender pay gap.”
So it’s not a nice to have or an optional extra; companies who are serious about closing their gap need to take flexible working seriously. And because this kind of change won’t happen overnight, that work needs to start now.
On a positive note, it does feel that the penny has dropped, and that companies are increasingly aware of the role that flex can play in tackling the gender pay gap. We’re encouraged by the number of organisations who are coming to us for help with creating and implementing flexible working action plans.
But we’re also very clear that having a policy isn’t enough. Being ‘open to flexible working’, or ‘willing to discuss flexible working’ won’t really cut it, unless these statements are underpinned by a robust roadmap. One that includes building a leadership-driven flexible culture, designing properly flexible jobs that suit the business and its employees, and training HR and line managers on how to recruit and manage them.
And doing so won’t just help close your gender pay gap. By taking action on flexible working, you’ll address other business imperatives such as inclusion, talent attraction and retention, and maximising performance. You’ll also boost your employer reputation, which is critical in this era of skills shortages.
So if you’re working on your gender pay gap action plan right now, here are two things you can do. Firstly, make a commitment to addressing or improving flexible working and flexible recruitment. And secondly, come and talk to us about how to do it. We’d be happy to be referenced as part of your plan, if you’re keen to roll up your sleeves and work with us.
I can’t wait to see a real shift in the gender pay gap numbers. Let’s start working towards that right now.
Published March 2020
