After the pay gap data is revealed, what's next for HR leaders?
HR teams should expect new questions coming their way in the wake of gender pay gaps going public, according to an expert.
Australia's law to publish the private sector's gender pay gap took effect in February - revealing a 21.7% gender pay gap across the sector.
The data further mandated employers in the sector to unveil their gender pay gap to their workforce, which might have revealed unsettling data to employees and stakeholders alike.
In the wake of this development, Natalie Flynn, founder of gender equity platform Equidi, said HR teams need to be prepared for questions coming from various sides.
"Existing employees may start asking questions if their salary is below the average, and prospective employees will be able to see if there's a values alignment between what the company says it's doing on gender equity progress and what its metrics actually say," Flynn told HRD in an exclusive feature.
"Shareholders, customers, and partners will also be able to see this data, so if they want to look at your gender diversity progress, that'll be very evident. It'll impact recruitment and talent, and HR teams need to be prepared to field a lot of questions that they haven't had to in the past."
But while the data might have revealed some unsettling gaps in the workforce, Flynn said it will be more important how employers take meaningful action.
"So, if you look at your numbers today and they aren't what you hoped, what can you do about it?" she said.
It echoes the remarks from Mary Wooldridge, chief executive officer of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, when the gender pay gap data was released early this year.
"The time for talk and excuses is over. Change takes action and employers need to double down on ensuring all employees are fairly represented and equally valued and rewarded in their workplace," she previously said.
Flynn outlined the steps HR leaders can take on addressing the gender pay gap in the workplace. Read more about them here.
