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International Equal Pay Day 2024: Joint Campaign by Salary Transparency Platforms to Empower Employees with Pay Data

24 Sep 2024

September 18, 2024 — London and New York

In an unprecedented move to combat pay inequality, a group of salary transparency platforms — Levels.fyi, Real Salary, Salary Transparent Street and WorkVue —have joined forces on International Equal Pay Day 2024 to launch a campaign aimed at empowering employees with real-time pay data.

Together, these platforms are leading the charge to put pay transparency directly into the hands of workers, equipping them with the knowledge they need to close the persistent gender pay gap, which remains at a staggering 20% globally.

This campaign is about more than just numbers. By democratizing access to pay data, these platforms are providing employees with the tools to advocate for fair compensation, negotiate confidently, and make informed career decisions. The joint effort marks a pivotal moment in the fight for pay equity. The growth of legislation for transparency is making pay data accessible and a right for every worker.

"When you put pay data into the hands of employees, you level the playing field," says Dr. Zara Nanu, MBE, founder of WorkVue. "Data and bottom-up transparency can ensure that we close the pay gap for good."

Platforms like Levels.fyi, which provides over 1.5 million professionals each month with pay benchmarks, and Salary Transparent Street, which empowers workers with real-time salary transparency, are working to ensure employees are no longer kept in the dark. Zaheer Mohiuddin, co-founder of Levels.fyi, underscores the importance of this collective effort:" Our annual gender pay gap reports equip leaders with insights to identify and close the pay gap."

Similarly, Hannah Williams, founder of Salary Transparent Street, stresses the necessity of this movement: "I was once underpaid by over $20,000 as a Senior Data Analyst. Without transparency, I wouldn’t have known. This campaign gives workers the tools to know their worth and fight for it."
The secrecy surrounding salary data has long been one of the biggest barriers to achieving pay equity. These platforms aim to break the silence that has allowed pay gaps to persist and this campaign is a unified call to action for employees to take control of their future by understanding their present worth.

Join the Movement
As part of the International Equal Pay Day 2024 campaign, these platforms are encouraging employees to access salary data reports, real-time pay comparisons, and negotiation tools. This joint effort marks a critical step toward ensuring that pay transparency becomes the norm rather than the exception.

The message is clear: Equal pay starts with data. By harnessing the collective power of of that data in a transparent way, employees across the world can demand what they are worth—and make pay inequality a thing of the past.

For more information on how to access pay data and become part of the movement, visit https://www.levels.fyi/, https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/, https://www.real-salary.com/, https://workvue.io/

Media Contact:
Zara Nanu
[email protected]
+44(0)7944926705

Future of Work Leaders Advisory Council: Shaping the Work and Pay Landscape for Generations to Come

24 Sep 2024

In the age of automation, the world of work is changing at a rapid pace – and so is pay. This presents a challenge to ensure workers have insights and data available so they can adapt and thrive in an evolving world of work and make more informed career choices, including when it comes to pay. Technologies are needed to analyse data to empower workers with insights about pay, skills, and work trends so they can take charge of their own future of work.

Our ambition at WorkVue is to develop such technologies, providing workers with data and information to help them make dynamic decusions . To support this, WorkVue has also assembled an independent body, the Future of Work Leaders Advisory Council: a collaborative initiative joining young professionals with the goal to provide an environment where members can voice their ideas, propose innovative solutions, and contribute to the development of tools that will empower their peers in navigating their careers and job transitions.

Its purpose is threefold. Firstly, to drive impact: The Future of Work Council was set up to use the voices of young leaders to help shape data and insight solutions to empower people in work, including how they are paid. Secondly, the Council aims to influence policy by becoming a leading voice for employees in the knowledge economy, engaging in community-building and advocating for a future of work that meets people's needs and aspirations. Lastly, the Council proposes innovative services, products, and features that address the real challenges and needs of people navigating their careers and job transitions. Members of the Advisory Council range from university graduates to professionals in large global corporations and government workers.

The Council focuses on the following key themes: pay (how to ensure income stability or growth during the process of job transitions); skills (with a focus on how we shift the balance on value for tangible and non-tangible skills); and the impact of AI and automation on jobs.

The Council aims to empower and elevate the voices of young professionals critical to shaping the future of work. They achieve this through the creation of pay and skills transparency, labour market intelligence, and services aimed to help future leaders own their working careers in a volatile, changing landscape of work. This intersection of this data can help workers make more informed choices, and career transitions.

More countries affirm support for closing the gender pay gap by 2030

24 Sep 2024

New commitments to strengthen the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) and the campaign for equal pay for women and men were made on the sidelines of July’s G20 meetings in Brazil.

BRAZIL (ILO News) – Chile and Turkey have committed to joining the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) and two more countries have agreed to increase efforts to close their national gender pay gaps.

By joining EPIC, the two countries bring the number of governments who have signed up to EPIC’s goal of equal pay for women and men to 27. In addition, Spain – which is already an EPIC member – and Japan have agreed to do more to support EPIC’s target.

In total, EPIC currently has 63 members, drawn from employers’ and workers’ organizations, international bodies, academia and civil society, as well as governments.

The new commitments came at an event hosted by EPIC and the Brazilian government, during G20 meetings in Fortaleza, Brazil, in July. Brazil, which currently holds the presidency of the G20, has identified gender equality and the promotion of diversity in the workplace as key priorities for the G20 Employment Working Group (EWG).

The event, Together Let’s Close the Gender Pay Gap NOW, was organized by EPIC, in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment (MTE). The aim was to accelerate progress toward achieving Target 8.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlight how equal pay for work of equal value strengthens the ability of countries to achieve the other SDGs, thereby reducing hunger, poverty, and inequality.

Delegates discussed the complex challenges that pay inequalities between men and women represent, and shared experiences and best practices on closing the gender gap and promoting pay equity in the world of work. Pay discrimination, based on gender, ethnic and racial inequalities, along with the disproportionate amount of unpaid care work shouldered by women and their exposure to violence and harassment at work, are the main factors hindering women’s access to labour markets.

The Chief of the International Labour Organization’s Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Branch, Chidi King, moderated the discussion, which featured opening remarks by the Brazilian Minister of Labour and Employment, Luiz Marinho, and a keynote address by the Brazilian National Secretary of Care Economy and Women’s Autonomy of the Ministry of Women, Rosane Silva.

In her remarks, King highlighted that despite significant progress in gender equality policies and actions, equal pay remains elusive. "Around the world, women earn less than 80 cents for every dollar that men earn. For women with children, women of colour, women refugees and migrants, women with disabilities, indigenous women, and many others, especially those in the informal economy, that figure is even lower. It is for these reasons that, over recent years, many countries have introduced new legislation with the aim of closing the gender pay gap. However, despite these efforts, no country has yet managed to achieve this goal in its entirety,” she said.

Secretary Silva shared Brazil's experience in drafting the Equal Pay Law, which, among other measures, established a Working Group to develop actions for advancing wage and employment equality. She also highlighted the creation of the Inter-ministerial Working Group (IWG), which is tasked with drafting the National Care Policy and to which the ILO provides technical guidance.

Representatives from Brazil, Canada, the United States, the International Organization of Employers, and the International Trade Union Confederation also participated in the discussion, sharing their experiences and challenges in reducing gender-based income inequality.

Officials from the governments of Chile and Turkey expressed their countries' commitment to joining EPIC, while Japan and Spain outlined specific measures that their countries will implement to reduce the national gender pay gap.

ILO Deputy Director-General, Celeste Drake; Interim Representative for Brazil at UN Women, Ana Carolina Querino; and OECD Deputy Secretary-General, Yoshiki Takeuchi, spoke at the closure of the event and shared their reflections on the remaining opportunities and challenges ahead.

"We have a collective responsibility to close the gender pay gap: to make it visible, measure it, find innovative and practical solutions to address it, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.5.,” said Drake.

International Equal Pay Day 2024 / Pay of the Future: Solutions to close the gender pay gap

24 Sep 2024

To celebrate International Equal Pay Day, the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) held a high-level event on 18 September 2024 at UN Women in New York, New York. The event reflected on progress made and importantly, what still needs to be done to achieve equal pay for work of equal value. Speakers from international organizations, the sports industry, government and employers’ and workers’ organizations shared how they’ve successfully moved the needle in their sectors through different policies, initiatives and tools.

The event began with a video that highlighted the importance of the gender pay gap, illuminating how 20 cents – the gender pay gap – makes material differences to women’s lives over days, weeks and years. The video also introduced EPIC, sharing how it is working with all stakeholders to promote equal pay for work of equal value.

Sarah Hendriks, the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Director of UN Women, delivered opening remarks, highlighting that the gender pay gap remains a stark manifestation of inequality. She shared that equal pay for work of equal value is a matter of justice and rights as well as an economic imperative. Hendriks highlighted Goals 5 and 8 (on gender equality and decent work and economic growth) of the Sustainable Development Goals, urging renewed efforts to close the gender pay gap by 2030, especially in the context of the approaching Summit of the Future and Beijing+30.

Ashley Bernard, Founder and CEO of Haven Hill and the event’s keynote speaker, highlighted the progress made toward achieving equal prize money in professional squash. She explained that significant strides were possible by merging the sport’s governing bodies, establishing unified regulations, and fostering collaboration with men. As a result, tournament organizers were compelled to offer equal prize money. This approach has proven that "a rising tide lifts all boats," as revenue, viewership, and prize pools have increased since closing the gender prize gap. Looking ahead, Bernard emphasized that true equality in sports requires not only equal pay for equal work but also equal treatment, visibility, and leadership opportunities for women.

A panel discussion covering a range of solutions to close the gender pay gap, from legislative reforms to business practices, followed. Paddy Torsney, Permanent Observer to the UN, Inter-Parliamentary Union, shared success stories from around the world, including Iceland’s equal pay certification and Rwanda’s gender-responsive budgeting. Emily M. Dickens, Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary, SHRM, discussed the role of human resources in addressing pay gaps, advocating for pay transparency and inclusive hiring practices. Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and Chair, AFL-CIO International Committee, highlighted the historical role of unions in fighting for gender pay equity and the need to address low wages in feminized sectors. He stressed that equal pay is essential not just for women but for achieving broader social and economic justice. Adina Sterling, Associate Professor of Management Columbia University pointed to early educational choices and workplace cultures that impact career trajectories and ultimately contribute to the residual pay gap. Béatrice Maillé, Legal Advisor and Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN, emphasized that closing the gender pay gap is a journey that requires cooperation among different groups and shared Canada’s Pay Equity Policy as a key success in Canada’s journey toward achieving equal pay for work of equal value.

The closing remarks by Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon Special Representative to the United Nations and Director of the ILO Office for the United Nations reaffirmed the importance of the right to equal pay for work of equal value, enshrined in ILO Convention 100. Samuel-Olonjuwon warned of the risks posed by artificial intelligence in deepening gender inequalities and called for collective action as the world approaches critical milestones like Beijing+30.

Overall, the event underscored that while progress has been made, significant work remains to close the gender pay gap, and it will require a concerted global effort across governments, businesses, and civil society. EPIC, which now includes 64 members, continues to serve as a powerful catalyst in this movement, promoting knowledge sharing, legislative reforms, and social dialogue.

Photo credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Closing the gender play gap: Towards pay equity in sports

20 Sep 2024

Following the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the OECD welcomed Iceland’s Prime Minister Mr. Bjarni Benediktsson as well as experts and World Champion and Olympic athletes for an engaging discussion on gender equality and pay equity in sports, ahead of International Equal Pay Day. Speakers reflected on progress made so far, the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and practical approaches to ensuring fair pay for women athletes.

The event featured:

- Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD

- Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland

- Joanna Lohman, Former professional footballer, U.S. national team and Sport Diplomat, U.S. Department of State

- Dame Laura Kenny, 5x Olympic Champion, 7x World Champion former cyclist, UK

- Elizabeth Broderick, AO Founder and Convenor of the Champions of Change Coalition, Australia and Former UN Special Rapporteur for Discrimination Against Women and Girls

- David Berri, Professor of Economics and Department Chair, Southern Utah University

- Julia George, Communications Lead, Women in Sport

- Sarah Gregorius, Former professional and international footballer, 3x World Cups, 2x Olympian, New Zealand

- Thora Helgadóttir, Former professional footballer, Iceland

- Sophie Power, Ultramarathon runner, UK and Founder, SheRACES

The recording is now available online at https://youtu.be/pQRXFyBU9GQ

An EPIC story and teachings from Novartis India

18 Sep 2024

In 2018, Novartis became the first pharmaceutical company to join the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). The organization made four initial commitments to achieve gender balance in management and ensure pay equity and transparency for all employees globally. India was one of the final countries to roll out pay transparency in time for pay conversations at the start of this year. Today we unveil the behind-the-scenes of this seismic social and business change.

In September 2018, Novartis made four specific commitments to help close the overall gender pay gap and set an example for other organizations to follow, thereby driving change in society more broadly. These included achieving gender balance in management, monitoring pay equity with global consistency, removing the use of historical salary comparisons from their internal and external job offer process and creating pay transparency. All in time for people’s pay conversations at the beginning of this year.

The global organization is continuing to strive for progress. This is why in September 2023 Novartis renewed its pledge. The organization is committed, by the end of 2027, to maintain gender balance in management, constantly review their HR practices to eliminate any further potential sources of bias, make the requirements of the new EU Pay Transparency Directive the global minimum standard for pay equity and transparency and embed appropriate KPIs into the business goals where appropriate and in accordance with applicable laws of each country in which we operate.*

As Novartis is expanding their remit toward the renewed commitments, there is a lot we can learn from the challenges and opportunities that the local implementation team in India faced, and their experiences. That’s why today we unveil the behind-the-scenes preparations that the local Novartis India team did before the big launch.

What were the biggest challenges in India?

Hemang Pareek, Rewards Head Novartis India - “From a cultural standpoint, there are a lot of stigmas around how one’s compensation is perceived. People are very private about their salary and are not comfortable talking about it. Novartis is one of the very few organizations in India implementing this and has no precedence in the market. Frankly, we had colleagues fearing that this implementation might conclude with attrition rates being negatively impacted.

The biggest challenge was breaking the stigma and ensuring that people have the maturity to take the newly available data on their compensation letter as something useful for them, to have meaningful conversations with the leadership to ensure how they can grow in Novartis.”

With a workforce of over 8,000 employees from diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring pay transparency and gender balance for Novartis in India was crucial for the organization. And for doing so, the team focused on a methodical change and training approach, managing to cover more than 80% of the people managers with interactive educational experiences.

Neha Awasthi, Change Lead for EPIC in Novartis India – “One of the primary challenges was fostering a mindset shift. We aimed to build trust and accountability through open conversations about compensation. For instance, we conducted Train-the-Trainer workshops where leaders, identified as EPIC champions, were equipped with a thorough understanding of the EPIC pledge, rewards philosophy, and the intricacies of external benchmarking processes. These workshops provided a hands-on platform for role-playing exercises, enabling champions to navigate pay conversations effectively.

Employee engagement was another significant challenge. Disengagement posed a risk of increased attrition rates. To maintain motivation and commitment during the transition we implemented a location-centric approach, spanning workshops across Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Genome Valley offices. This approach ensured that the EPIC pledge was not just a policy but a lived experience for all employees.

Addressing concerns, debunking myths, and garnering buy-in from stakeholders at all levels were essential. We held multiple sessions to address these issues and ensure everyone was on board with the changes. This meant alignment at country leadership level and cascade through champions in all the pockets of the organization.”

What helped move the needle in the right direction?

Neha Awasthi, Change Lead for EPIC in India – “Taking a flashback back in 2018 we have started to discuss the possible changes, but the Pandemic was hitting hard India, we then had many other business priorities and changes to implement and less than one year before the official live date we have started to really prioritize this fully. I still remember my very first task: create a team. Budget allocation during mid-year reviews was crucial. This not only addressed immediate concerns but also demonstrated our commitment to fair pay practices. Then, we had a top – down approach to trainings. With the help of 50 EPIC champions, as well as sponsors from all business levels, we’ve managed to educate and inform not only leaders and managers, but also individual contributors. The goal was to all have the right information on benchmarks, peer ranges, and external ranges, empowering them to make informed career decisions.”

The big moment: pay conversations

We were curious to learn more about how the pay conversations went in India. That’s why we reached out to Ganpat Anchaliya, Head NOCC FRA Operations Novartis India and Vrishty Rustagi, Director DDIT US & India, Novartis India. What were their first thoughts when having the enriched compensation letters and how did the conversation go? Let’s hear it from them.

Ganpat Anchaliya, Head NOCC FRA Operations - “Compensation is a personal element for everyone and it's a very important one as well, many times people have their own perceptions around this. Bringing PIR transparency and authenticity is a game changer in how we operate. No other company has brought this transparency to its associates in India and with such a large associates set up, there were many unknown and risks to be managed when rolling out EPIC. There were multiple trainings planned, as none of us were 100% prepared for the live conversation. We had, I’d say, positive and negative reactions from individuals. For example, one of my direct reports found out that he was at a lower level of PIR compared with benchmarks. He started to believe that he was not paid reasonably well. After having detailed discussions on how all factors, such as complexity and impact of the role, play a role in benchmarks placements, he understood the situation well and was satisfied with the additional information and clarifications. But yes, there were some of these complex initial reactions. In general, we saw positive reactions and reflections from our people post sharing the PIR information, and i must say that the well planned and delivered trainings from our P&O teams played the most important role in this.”

Vrishty Rustagi, Director DDIT US & India – “The implementation had a very gradual, progressive approach. We were preparing for it for some time. The enrichments bring a lot of transparency in terms of where does one stand. I am also a people manager, and I feel this level of transparency for individuals is removing all the possible rumors and paves an open and transparent discussion around concerns, but also what might be the next step and development plans.”

In India, where diversity thrives, the topic of pay carries a spectrum of emotions. The change efforts were not only to upskill and socialize the EPIC pledge among leaders and employees but also to make a mindset shift: from managing the change to celebrating pay transparency.

As Neha, the Change Lead for EPIC in Novartis India is concluding: “This holistic approach to pay equity and transparency has helped us foster a culture where employees feel valued and empowered, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and equitable workplace.”

*Novartis policy requires that all employment decisions are based solely on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the candidates for the role, without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, or any other personal characteristics which are unrelated to the job. Novartis, as a global company, complies with the laws of each country it operates within.

Logib pay system recognised as EPIC's good practice

2 Sep 2024

Logib pay system, a tool developed by the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality, has been awarded the "EPIC Good Practice" label. This recognition highlights Logib's effectiveness in helping companies establish transparent and systematic pay practices.

Logib uses a job evaluation method which takes requirements and demands of job functions into account to design a clear and structured pay system in order to reduce the risk of pay discrimination.

Designed to guide employers, especially SMEs, Logib ensures that pay is linked to job requirements. Marc Pieren, founding partner of Comp-On AG, noted, "Contrary to common belief, pay practices in the majority of companies in Switzerland are neither clearly structured nor systematic. Logib pay system helps companies to set salaries in a gender-neutral and comprehensible way".

Logib pay system is available to all employers free of charge. It is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized companies and organisations that would like to receive guidance on setting up a pay system or want to gain an insight into their pay practices.

More information on the tool: www.ebg.admin.ch/en/develop-a-pay-system-with-logib

Directly to the tool: www.logib.admin.ch/lohnsystem

Marion Reimers, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, talks about the gender pay gap in sports

29 Aug 2024

Join Marion Reimers, a Mexican sports journalist, analyst, and television host, as well as a UN Women goodwill ambassador, to learn more about pay equity in the world of sports.

International Equal Pay Day 2024: Joint Campaign by Salary Transparency Platforms to Empower Employees with Pay Data

Future of Work Leaders Advisory Council: Shaping the Work and Pay Landscape for Generations to Come

More countries affirm support for closing the gender pay gap by 2030

International Equal Pay Day 2024 / Pay of the Future: Solutions to close the gender pay gap

Closing the gender play gap: Towards pay equity in sports

An EPIC story and teachings from Novartis India

Closing the gender play gap: Towards pay equity in sports

Logib pay system recognised as EPIC's good practice

Marion Reimers, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, talks about the gender pay gap in sports

International Equal Pay Day 2024 / Pay of the Future : Solutions to close the gender pay gap