Transport Industry Gender Pay Gap Addressed by New Website
Source: Fullyloaded.com.au
There are some players in transport industry that are doing their best to address gender pay gaps such as Linfox and Toll whereas others such as rival K&S Corporation are not.
According to a website launched by The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) the transport industry gender pay gap is below average but not the worst or best among industries.
The website which was recently launched recognises those companies that are making efforts to bridge the gender pay gap, naming Linfox and Toll as companies who have taken action to address pay equity issues. The website recognises rival company K&S Corporation for failing to do so.
Linfox made it onto the list for their efforts which included a pay-gap analysis to address issues of inequality among the workforce’s salaries.
The WGEA has launched the new website to officially name companies that are not proactively addressing the issue of pay equity between men and women after having conducted a pay gap analysis.
The website allows direct company searches showing which organisations have completed a pay gap analysis and those that have started a strategy to mitigate the gaps found.
An article on the transport industry website Fullyloaded.com.au described how the freight sector’s largest companies Linfox and Toll Holdings have received commendations for having completed analysis and strategic responses towards achieving pay equality among men and women in the workplace.
The website cites K&S Corporation on the website as having completed the analysis but failing to take further action.
The article goes on to describe how 20.7 per cent of firms in the transport, postal and warehousing sectors haven’t completed a gender pay gap analysis of their business as yet, which as the WGEA says is the first step in tackling the issue. It is encouraging to note that most companies have conducted the analysis.
A representative from the agency, Helen Conway was quoted as saying:
“Most leaders genuinely believe they pay people in their organisation fairly, but without examining their payroll data they simply don’t have the evidence to back that up,” WGEA director Helen Conway says.
“Employers who analyse their data tell us they always find instances of pay gaps that can’t be explained or justified, at least the first time the analysis is conducted.”
The pay gap is not confined to any one sector, and according to Conway is spread across all sectors of the economy and all industries.
Under the Workplace Gender Equality Act, all employers are obliged to report the extent of their efforts in this space, but are not compelled to actually respond to that analysis, however they may be motivated to do so by the negative publicity they would gain from being cited on the website. The article on Fullyloaded.com.au went on to explain:
“There are clear business benefits to taking action, including: greater retention of staff and improved engagement and morale,” she says.
“Getting discretionary effort out of staff is impossible with any appearance of unfairness.”
