At this time of unparalleled disruption, it may be welcome news to qualifying businesses that the government has decided to relax this year’s deadline for gender pay gap reporting.
That said, one of our collective greatest strengths is being able to solve pressing current issues while advancing other important agendas at the same time. Closing the gender pay gap is just such an issue.
Considering the publication date is only two weeks away and that therefore the data has presumably already been gathered, we would encourage companies to voluntarily publish their findings as close to the existing deadline as possible.
Anything less will damage the UK’s standing and credibility at confronting gender pay disparity, and perhaps even bring greater media scrutiny on qualifying companies which don’t report.
As recently as October 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that British women can expect to earn £263,000 less than men over their careers. With the UK currently languishing 21st in the global rankings for gender equality, delaying reports such as this only serves to worsen our chances of achieving equality in the future.
