Step 4 - Justify

Justify the gaps

Look at your analyses and highlight significant gaps, that is, gaps which are over 5%. (Keep an eye of gaps of less than 5% by regularly monitoring). 

First of all, don't be alarmed. You probably will see a number of gaps. You need to establish the causes of these gaps. Is there a genuine and material reason for the difference in pay that has nothing to do with the sex of the roleholders? Reasons could include criteria such as length of service, performance or premiae for specialist skills. 

You need to then consider whether any of your pay policies and practices are contributing to any pay gaps. For example, maybe your managers have discretion in setting starting salaries. This can create anomalies which can in turn cause gaps. 

You may not know the cause of gaps because in some instances you are unable to explain why someone is getting paid at the rate they are getting paid. This is often due to a lack of an audit trail in the process of salary decision making. You may need to address this in the future with your Equal Pay Action Plan.