Gender pay gap reporting: Why companies should see it as an opportunity

Offers insights into organisations' pay structure and culture

With just under a month until the gender pay gap (GPG) reporting deadline, less than 15% of eligible organisations have published their results, with some experts predicting a sizeable proportion will fail to make the early-April cut-off, writes Rachel Mapleston, business analyst at MHR.

No doubt many employers view GPG reporting as an administrative headache - a box-ticking exercise, and potentially damaging too. And with no financial sanctions for non-compliance, some organisations may even be questioning whether it is worth the hassle. But that misses the point. The purpose of GPG reporting is not to single out employers for public ridicule, but to better understand the differences between the average pay of men and women in the UK, and to then consider new ways of bringing parity to working practices. With this in mind, organisations should see the process as a...