Yesterday, which was the first gender pay gap snapshot date under the gender pay gap reporting rules that are now coming into effect, employers that are affected by the new rules will be preoccupied with collecting the raw data from which their statistics will need to be compiled.
Some will have outsourced that process to consultants and payroll providers. For most the analysis required is unlikely to have been undertaken before and the results will therefore be awaited with interest.
But the really interesting part of the exercise will come later, when employers need to decide how to present the information and how to contextualise it. The finalised guidance, produced last week by the Government Equalities Office and ACAS, acknowledges how important this part of the process will be and potentially how complex and nuanced. Employers will be looking at the statistics published their competitors, particularly those with whom they compete for talented recruits. They may also be wondering about the expectations of those who commission their goods and services.
Withers will continue to comment as statistics and reports begin to emerge throughout the year and this fascinating and unprecedented process unfolds.
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