Gender equality initiative launched
Employment Law & HR update 16/09/2011
Human resources directors from some of the UK's biggest
companies and public bodies are working with the government as part
of an effort to encourage employers to sign up to a framework for
voluntary equality reporting.
The 'Think, Act, Report' initiative was launched this week by
women and equalities minister, Theresa May, along with the heads of
personnel from organisations including Tesco and BT. Its aim is to
improve transparency when it comes to gender equality issues in the
private and voluntary sectors.
May said they aimed to close gaps in gender equality that had
not been eliminated by the Equal Pay Act.
"Decades after the Equal Pay Act, the full time gender pay gap
remains at 10 per cent and the gap for all men and women remains
nearly 20 per cent," she explained. "I - and the rest of the
Government - am committed to breaking down the barriers women face
in the workplace. That's because promoting equality and equal
treatment isn't just the right thing to do, it's also crucial to
promoting growth. It's important to business."
Employers who take part in Think, Act Report will be asked to
pin-point any issues they find in their workplaces concerning
gender equality - or inequality - and then publically report on how
they plan to address them and the progress they make in doing
so.
BT personnel director, Caroline Waters, said, "I really believe
this is another step forward on the agenda. Transparency has always
been on our inclusion philosophy and flexible working has always
been one of our platforms [at BT].
"Transparency is not just making us more attractive to women,
but ethical investors - it just makes business sense."
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