Equal pay matters
Equal pay for work of equal or comparable value is a basic human right. Regardless of where we work – or our sex, gender, race, age, abilities or care-giving status – we are all entitled to be paid and treated fairly at work.
Five years after the publication of our report – Equal pay matters: Achieving gender pay equality in small-to-medium enterprises, the Commission has undertaken an evaluation of the Pay Equality Toolkit resource materials.
Our report showed that small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) needed unique, targeted resources on the concept of gender pay equality and SME tools to support its implementation. The Commission’s Pay Equality Toolkit provides these materials.
Why was an evaluation needed?
Industrial Relations Victoria, supported by the Equal Workplaces Advisory Council, engaged the Commission to conduct an evaluation to assess the use and perceived effectiveness of the Toolkit since its release, and to identify what further supports may be needed to strengthen its uptake among small businesses in Victoria.
It examined whether the Toolkit is supporting small business to identify and address gender pay inequality in their workplaces, and the extent to which it has influenced business practices, awareness, and capability. The report describes the outcomes of the evaluation and practical insights to inform future improvements to pay equality in Victorian small businesses.
Key findings
- Small businesses in Victoria that are concerned about pay equality and know about the Pay Equality Toolkit spoke enthusiastically about how useful it is in their business processes. The Model Policy tool is used widely to ensure equal pay is considered in business practices and the Capability Matrix tool is useful in recruitment practices.
- The Toolkit compares favourably with others like it around the world, with its intersectionality being a core feature.
- Pay equality in small business needs to be promoted more widely to increase the uptake of the Toolkit. The economic and staffing benefits of equal pay should be a key focus.
- SMEs would like to hear about how the Toolkit has been used in a variety of stages of SME engagement. Case studies would be useful to enable continuing use of the Toolkit throughout the lifecycle of a business.
