The Equality and Human Rights Commission has called for enhanced pay transparency measures as part of the UK government’s review of equal pay legislation. The watchdog argues that workers should possess a legal entitlement to obtain information about their colleagues’ compensation when they suspect pay discrimination, with particular emphasis on addressing disparities affecting women.
Under the EHRC’s recommendations, employers would be required to respond to staff questionnaires requesting details about colleagues performing similar work. Such inquiries could encompass annual salary, hours worked, bonuses, overtime payments, and job descriptions. Workers would additionally have access to information regarding job evaluations conducted by management, including job grades, salary benchmarks, and evaluation records. The proposals would also permit staff to request a ranking of employees within comparable teams based on annual basic pay and hours worked.
A significant aspect of the recommendations involves establishing a mandatory response timeframe for employers. The EHRC emphasized that without such a requirement, organizations may delay responses, provide incomplete information, or avoid answering altogether. The watchdog suggested that mandatory measures should replace voluntary compliance approaches to effectively achieve the policy objectives of the consultation.
The recommendations also address recruitment practices, with the EHRC proposing that employers be prohibited from requesting information about applicants’ current salaries during the hiring process. The government is currently examining whether to reintroduce questionnaire rights that were eliminated in 2014 as part of efforts to reduce regulatory burden on businesses.
According to recent statistics, the median gender pay gap in the UK stood at 6.8% for full-time workers, with significantly wider disparities in certain sectors such as finance. The EHRC suggests that implementing pay transparency requirements alongside restrictions on salary history inquiries could contribute to reducing both pay gaps and workplace discrimination.
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