Gender pay gap reports are due to be made by 4 April 2020 for private sector employers, but it has been confirmed that enforcement will be suspended this year, with the government citing the ‘unprecedented uncertainty and pressure’ businesses are currently experiencing as a result of COVID-19. This means that for this year, if employers do not meet the usual deadline for making their gender pay reports, no fines or other enforcement measures will be used to ensure compliance.
Gender pay gap reporting was introduced in 2017 and requires companies with over 250 employees to publish the difference between the average earnings of men and women employed by them. The information has to be displayed on that organisation’s website and must also be disclosed to the government which publishes it online.
It was only announced on 24 March 2020 that the need to make gender pay reports would be suspended for this year, so many employers would already have been collating and finalising their data, and may even have it ready to publish.
There is no harm in going ahead and making the gender pay report, despite the fact that the need to do so will not be enforced. Whilst the current coronavirus crisis undoubtedly poses significant challenges to all businesses, the way that organisations are being seen to respond to it is also important, and that includes how staff are treated, including the importance placed on achieving equality within that business.
As a result, our view is that employers should look to the future and ensure that gender pay reports are still made, even if they are slightly delayed this year.