014 | Understanding & fixing your organisation’s gender pay gap, with Melissa Blissett

Gender pay gap reporting can feel like a blunt and brutal process for organisations. The data that legally has to be submitted on an annual basis will show if you have a gender pay gap but it doesn’t help explain why you have a pay gap, or what you can do to fix it.

Thankfully, financial wellbeing and pay gap analytics expert Melissa Blissett (from Barnett Waddingham) is here to help. In this HR Coffee Time episode, Melissa reminds us why pay gap reporting is so much more than a tick box exercise. She also talks us through how to carry out additional analysis to understand and fix your organisation’s pay gap.

If you know people analytics is an important skill to have to help you progress your HR career but it isn’t something you feel confident in, this episode is here to help. It’s the first of several episodes planned to de-mystify data-driven HR practices.

Key Points From This Episode

[02:18] A quick overview of gender pay gap reporting

[03:20] Introduction to Melissa Blissett, financial wellbeing & pay gap analytics expert from Barnett Waddingham

[04:56] What gender pay gap reporting is and why it’s important (regardless of whether you have 250 employees and are required to submit data about it)

[06:47] The other pay gaps (aside from gender) that exist including disability, age and ethnicity

[07:36] Intersectionality explained

[09:57] Why it’s important to go beyond the pay gap mandatory reporting requirements

[11:53] The pay gap analytics tool that Melissa has developed at Barnett Waddingham

[13:40] Melissa’s suggested DNA approach - Data, Narrative and Action planning.

[14:26] How a deeper dive into your pay gap analytics can lead to a far more powerful narrative to share with your organisation and the wider world

[17:09] Fay mentions episode 12 of HR Coffee Time, where Sally Dhillon emphasised the importance of having family friendly policies in place to help retain women and consequently reduce your gender pay gap

[18:03] Pay gap reporting isn’t an isolated exercise to be marked off at the end of the year; it is deeply impacted by other HR practices

[21:04] Fay mentions episode 6 of HR Coffee Time, where Lọ́lá Béjidé talks about the impact socio-economic background can have on talent entering your organisation

[24:45] Using a storybook to share stories from within your workplace

[25:45] Devolving responsibility for finding solutions to the pay gap to the team(s) where the gap exists

[26:47] Why having a gender pay gap isn’t always a bad thing

[32:02] How to get in touch with Melissa

[32:34] The HR Planner for 2022 that Fay is creating (and that you can download for free)

Useful Links From This Episode

• Review the HR Coffee Time podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
• The Bright Sky Career Coaching website
• Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
• Barnett Waddingham’s website
• The Essential HR Planner

Rate and Review the Podcast

If you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts.

If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.

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