Pay Equity for Small Businesses: Three Step Guide to Fairer Pay in your Organization

In this resource, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, in collaboration with economic Security4Women, has developed a three-step guide for small businesses to address pay inequity. Small businesses face a unique set of issues when it comes to managing and improving equality between women and men in their workplace. These typically include higher impact of parental leave costs, challenges in implementing flexible work options, limited or no human resource support or function, and inadequate data collection systems and processes. Despite these challenges, there are many benefits to be gained by small businesses that address pay equity and gender equality more broadly.

The three steps discussed in the guide are as follows:

1. Getting Started

• Develop an understanding of the key issues
• Articulate why pay equity is important for your business
• Commit to addressing pay equity issues

1. Reviewing Your Data

• Collect relevant payroll data
• Analyze the payroll data for the women and men

1. Take Action

• Identify any gender pay gaps and investigate causes
• Build a clear set of goals and action plans
• Monitor and review pay equity continuously