Equal pay reviews: checklists
Section 12 of the Personnel Today Management Resources one stop guide on equal pay reviews. Other sections.
These checklists have been devised by the EOC to help organisations to equality-check their pay practices. 'No' answers point to practices that could be having a discriminatory impact on pay. These checklists are designed for use as part of the EOC's five-step equal pay review.
Checklist 1 General pay structures
Design
Is everybody in the organisation covered by the same job-evaluated pay structure?
Yes / No
Is the job evaluation scheme analytical and free of sex bias?
Yes / No
Were those involved in the design of the structure trained in equal pay principles?
Yes / No
Was the likely impact on men and women checked prior to implementation?
Yes / No
Do the grade boundaries reflect distinct differences in the relative value of the jobs?
Yes / No
Is there an objective justification for the structure?
Yes / No
Implementation
Were those involved in the implementation of the pay structure representative of the workforce and trained in equal pay principles?
Yes / No
Is the structure transparent?
Yes / No
Has the structure been clearly communicated to staff?
Yes / No
Are men and women who perform equal work receiving equal average basic pay and equal average total earnings?
Yes / No
Does your statistical analysis confirm that neither men nor women predominate at the top and bottom of grades?
Yes / No
Checklist 2 Pay on entry, pay protection and progression
Design
Are there clear rules governing pay on entry, pay progression and pay protection?
Yes / No
Were those involved in the design of the rules trained in equal pay principles?
Yes / No
Were the rules checked for potential bias at the design stage?
Yes / No
Was the likely impact of the rules on men and women checked prior to implementation?
Yes / No
Was there an objective justification for the rules?
Yes / No
Implementation
Do the rules apply in principle to all employees?
Yes / No
Are those involved in the implementation of the rules trained in equal pay principles?
Yes / No
Are the rules transparent and have they been communicated clearly?
Yes / No
Are the rules applied consistently and even-handedly in practice?
Yes / No
Where managerial discretion applies, are there clear guidelines on the exercise of discretion over starting salaries?
Yes / No
Is there a right of appeal against decisions?
Yes / No
Impact
Does your statistical analysis show that men and women performing equal work are treated equally regarding entry salaries, pay protection and pay progression?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether current pay practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether historical pay practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
Monitoring and review
Do you regularly monitor and review entry salaries, pay protection and pay progression?
Yes / No
Do you regularly review the objective justification for your rules and practice on entry salaries, pay protection and pay progression to ensure they remain valid?
Yes / No
Do the rules and practice still meet standards of best equal pay practice?
Yes / No
Checklist 3 Performance/competence-based pay
Access
Are all groups of workers included in the performance/competence pay system or systems?
Yes / No
In particular, are part-time workers, temporary or casual staff, those on maternity leave or taking career breaks or any other group that is likely to be predominantly female, included in the performance/competence pay system?
Yes / No
Does the same performance/competence pay system apply to different groups of workers with jobs of equal value?
Yes / No
Do men and women have equal access to opportunities to develop or acquire competencies, and do they benefit equally from them?
Yes / No
Design
Have all those involved in the design and development of performance/competence appraisal schemes been trained in gender awareness and the avoidance of bias?
Yes / No
Are the criteria/objectives rewarded by the appraisal system objectively justified and checked for possible gender bias?
Yes / No
Are performance/competence criteria that may favour attributes and roles perceived to be 'male' (assertion, leadership, decision-making skills) and those perceived to be 'female' (co-operation, consultation and other people-related factors) included in a balanced way?
Yes / No
Do the performance/competence pay systems avoid using criteria or objectives that could be indirectly discriminatory, such as those related to attendance and flexibility in hours of work?
Yes / No
Are performance/competence targets or objectives equally achievable for men and women?
Yes / No
Implementation
Have all those involved in implementing of the performance/competence pay systems been trained in gender awareness and the avoidance of bias, as well as in the operation of the scheme?
Yes / No
Where managerial discretion is used, are there clear guidelines on the exercise of that discretion over performance/competence appraisal and payments?
Yes / No
Is the performance/competence pay system transparent to all employees - does each employee receive information about their individual performance ratings and how they convert into pay?
Yes / No
Impact on outcomes
Does the distribution of performance/competence assessments within each grade show there may be gender bias between women and men employees?
Yes / No
Is the distribution of performance/competence payments broadly similar between men and women within each grade?
Yes / No
Is the distribution of performance/competence payments broadly similar between women and men across the organisation (such as within and between schemes)?
Yes / No
In a scheme where performance/competence payments are consolidated, do men and women undertaking equal work achieve equal earnings over time?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether historical practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
In a scheme where performance/competence payments are not consolidated, are the average distributions of such payments similar between men and women undertaking equal work?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether current practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
Can any differences in pay between men and women that you have attributed to performance/competence be objectively justified?
Yes / No
Is the treatment of non-consolidated performance/competence payments for pension purposes the same or similar between men and women undertaking equal work?
Yes / No
Monitoring and review
Are performance/competence objectives, targets, ratings and assessments regularly monitored by gender and by a breakdown of full-time/part-time etc?
Yes / No
Are performance/competence payments regularly monitored by gender and by full/part-time etc?
Yes / No
Have schemes been checked for their impact on women who have taken maternity leave?
Yes / No
Is the exercise of managerial discretion within the performance/competence assessment and pay system monitored by gender?
Yes / No
Checklist 4 Incentive-based productivity/bonus schemes
Is the base point for the measurement of productivity/bonus demonstrably equivalent for work generally undertaken by women and that generally undertaken by men?
Yes / No
If not, have adjustments been made to the measurement system to take account?
Yes / No
Do the measurement steps above the base point represent equivalent levels of additional effort (mental and/or physical) for work generally undertaken by women and work generally undertaken by men?
Yes / No
Does the system for converting productivity into bonus or other payments result in equivalent pro rata payments for full-time and part-time staff where appropriate?
Yes / No
Does the system for converting productivity into bonus or other payment result in broadly similar payments for women and men?
Yes / No
Are the average payments for women over a suitable period equal to the average payments for men?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether current practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
If differences have been revealed, have you checked whether historical practices are causing the pay gaps?
Yes / No
Can any differences in pay between men and women that are attributed to performance/competence be objectively justified?
Yes / No
Checklist 5 Market factors
Can you clearly identify appropriate external markets for the jobs in your pay systems?
Yes / No
Do you apply the same principles and guidance for using market rates in pay determination to all internal jobs?
Yes / No
Is there an even distribution of male and female jobs in your external labour market database?
Yes / No
Have you asked your provider of market comparisons/databases for confirmation that the process has been equality-proofed?
Yes / No
If you use a job evaluation scheme for internal and external matching for market purposes, has it been audited for sex bias?
Yes / No
Have those involved in preparing market rate data, advising on its use and applying this to pay determination, been trained or given guidance in avoiding gender bias?
Yes / No
Is there clear and objective justification for pay rates that are determined by market comparisons?
Yes / No
Are market rate additions checked regularly to ensure they are still justified?
Yes / No
Checklist 6 Benefits
For each benefit offered:
Where men and women are doing equal work, are the proportions of men and women receiving the payment or benefit equal?
Yes / No
Where men and women are doing equal work, is their average payment/value of benefit equal?
Yes / No
If not, can the benefit still be objectively justified?
Yes / No
Does the benefit still meet current standards of best equality practice?
Yes / No
