Commission and British Chambers of Commerce publish equal pay guide for small businesses

EQUAL PAY

Commission and British Chambers of Commerce publish equal pay guide for small businesses

The Equality and Human Rights Commission and the British Chambers of Commerce have jointly published a quick and easy guide to help employers examine their pay systems to ensure they comply with equal pay laws. The process is relatively simple for a small organisation and should take no longer than four hours, according to the guidance.

%ADVERT%

A final word

“Businesses want to pay people fairly for the job that they do. This guidance should help smaller businesses analyse any pay gap and make any changes required by law. Taking action now to make pay systems transparent and fair should help businesses recruit the best talent to enable the private sector to drive economic recovery” - David Frost, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce.

“Employers need pay systems that are both transparent and fair. While transparency is not enough in itself to reduce the pay gap between men and women, it does provide clarity; it is difficult, if not impossible, to resolve a problem that cannot be seen. What we ask of small and medium size employers is not difficult; it takes minimal time and effort but can offer a real return. Linking equal work to equal pay will see employees rewarded fairly for the work they do. Employees will enjoy the benefits of working for a company which actively promotes equality while employers will protect themselves from a potentially costly and time consuming equal pay claim.” - Dr Jean Irvine, Commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Want to know more?

For a copy of the guidance go to www.equalityhumanrights.com/equalpay-quickstart.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals. For more information visit www.equalityhumanrights.com.

The British Chambers of Commerce “sits at the heart of a powerful nationwide network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce, serving over 100,000 businesses across the UK, which employ over five million people”. For more information visit www.britishchambers.org.uk.