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Submission - Jersey Business Retail/Jersey Business
I write in response to your email dated 24th August 2021 sent on behalf of the Gender Pay Gap Review Panel.
We have reviewed our previous response to the panel review two years ago (sent 25.9.2018) and the new questions in your email, to collate our response below. We have limited our answers to cover the questions posed that relate directly to business operations in regard to Gender Pay Gap, questions 1. 2.
- Do you think statutory measures should be introduced in Jersey for gender pay gap reporting? JBL response is the same as we highlighted in 2018 - As with the UK, legislation to compel certain size of businesses to include gender pay details in their annual business statistical returns would help publicise the issue and by that would create momentum to take actions to achieve less disparity. Care though needs to be given to SME's who already face a growing level of additional reporting/ returns, it may be that smaller businesses are covered by way of voluntary sample that is acceptable for statistical purposes. Also promotion of the benefits both to the business and the employee re developing flexible working practices should be encouraged as it helps support a more engaged workforce as well as attractive diverse talent to the business'.
- What are your views on other types of mandatory reporting such as the ethnicity pay gap? JBL response – As above, we recommend any new mandatory reporting is very carefully considered so that it doesn't add pressure to an already stressed post COVID business community. We believe any reporting should be widened to reporting on the diversity pay gap' and not just restricted to gender' or ethnicity'. Larger corporates already collect diversity data on their staff so collating this in larger across business sectors should be achievable.
On a separate point we are of the view that it is crucial the publicising of gender pay gap reflects like for like roles and levels of expertise/ skill ie ideally there should be no gender gap, so highlighting those industries/ roles where there is a gap will help prioritise where change is required. This should be the primary focus in our view rather than a simple average across multiple roles/ industries.