September 5, 2017
Third of firms concerned unexplained gender pay figures could damage their reputation

While a third of companies have already completed their gender pay gap reports, many remain reluctant to publish the figures; and a majority (70 percent) want to include an explanatory narrative to help support their findings. According to the new survey by Mercer, although perceptions of the regulations have improved since being made final, companies find the regulations complex (41 percent), confusing (29 percent) and misleading (28 percent). The result is, while a third of companies completed their analysis at the end of May, most (44 percent) plan on leaving it to later in the year (Oct 2017-Jan 2018) to report; and 28 percent don’t know when they will report. When looking for root causes of the pay gaps, 54 percent of respondents have conducted some sort of analysis (e.g. equal pay audits and bonus programme analysis) in the last three years. Looking ahead there is a dramatic change in the attention being given by organisations to actions beyond pay, and some leading organisations are addressing this issue already.









Perhaps it’s something to do with the housing issues many people from the younger generations now have to deal with; i.e. either live with parents or endure an overpriced house share, but those under 35 are reported to actually prefer working from the office to remote or home working. This differs from baby boomers, who would rather work from home. According to the survey by Maintel there are differing preferences between the multi-generational workforce, with those aged under 35 feeling they are most productive in the office (48 percent), while only 19 percent of those above 55 agree. Another reason why younger workers cling to the office is due to the fact that they require the face-to-face support of experienced co-workers. The survey also discovered that 28 percent found getting hold of colleagues or managers a challenge when working remotely. And it may also be down to the social aspects of office life and when seeking promotions – ensuring the visibility of hard work. On the other hand, older employees have responsibilities at home, and remote working allows them to be more efficient with their time.














