How can our companies implement pay equity policies?
Embed “equal pay for equal work” into HR systems through standard job evaluation frameworks, analyse compensation metrics and encourage structured governance mechanisms to identify and close gender pay gaps.
Ensure objectivity by engaging external auditors to review pay-equity across the full employee lifecycle (hiring, promotion, incentives) and ensure public reporting of the results of such reviews.
Select Examples:
Deloitte
Sector: Professional Services (Audit, Consulting, Financial Advisory)
Challenge Identified: As part of an internal audit, Deloitte took cognisance of the gender pay parity, and lack of diversity in leadership roles in the company. div>
Intervention: Deloitte established internal review systems to monitor gender pay gaps and career transitions.
Organisational Levers:
- Deloitte promotes transparency through voluntary global gender pay gap reporting and DEI transparency reports, supports women through education, sponsorship and mentorship initiatives, conducts global research (Women @ Work reports), and collaborates with initiatives such as the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, 30% Club and Catalyst.
- Progress against employment, promotion and pay parity goals are reported to the Global Executive and Global Board of Directors semi-annually. The firm also monitors all roles and analyses all significant gender pay differences so action can be targeted across the talent lifecycle.
Impact: The Deloitte Global Executive comprises 23% women and the Deloitte Global Board of Directors is 33% women, progressing toward the aspirational goal of 30% female representation in Deloitte Global leadership roles by 2023 and 40% by 2025. Since 2019, twenty-five percent of Deloitte member firm partners, principals and managing directors are women, with the goal of reaching 30% by 2025.
Source: Deloitte. (n.d.). Gender balance and gender impact report initiatives. https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/about/story/purpose-values/gender-balance-gir.html
Source: Deloitte. (n.d.). Gender balance and gender impact report initiatives. https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/about/story/purpose-values/gender-balance-gir.html
Schneider Electric
Sector: Energy Management & Industrial Automation
Challenge Identified: Gender pay gaps lead to unfair practices and attrition among women employees across countries.
Intervention: Schneider Electric systematically reviews compensation across countries to close gender pay gaps and embeds “equal pay for equal work” into its global HR systems.
Organisational Levers Used:
- Use of analytics and standardised job evaluation frameworks
- Governance structures to ensure fairness in compensation
- 100% executive and country-leadership commitment to gender equality through the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles
- Transparent reporting on gender equality outcomes
Impact: Equal pay principles are institutionalised within global HR systems, with leadership accountability embedded at executive and country levels. Progress on these metrics is tracked through mandatory reporting mechanisms, which also add to the success of this initiative.
As part of the Schneider Sustainability Essentials for 2025, the company has committed to attain and maintain a pay gap below 1% by 2025 for both women and men. At of the end of 2022, the pay gap was -1.6% for women and 1.02% for men.
Source: ILO, UN Women. (2020). Case Study – Schneider Electric “A Holistic and Gender Balanced Approach to Health and Well-being”.Funded by European Union.
Schneider Electric. (2022). 2022 Human Resources Report. Schneider Electric.
As part of the Schneider Sustainability Essentials for 2025, the company has committed to attain and maintain a pay gap below 1% by 2025 for both women and men. At of the end of 2022, the pay gap was -1.6% for women and 1.02% for men.
Source: ILO, UN Women. (2020). Case Study – Schneider Electric “A Holistic and Gender Balanced Approach to Health and Well-being”.Funded by European Union.
Schneider Electric. (2022). 2022 Human Resources Report. Schneider Electric.
UBS
Sector: Global Financial Services
Challenge Identified: Ensuring pay equity and fair compensation practices across global operations.
Intervention: Global financial services company UBS implemented a global pay-equity programme and regular internal as well as independent external equal-pay reviews.
Organisational Levers Used:
- Regular internal and independent external equal-pay reviews
- External auditors invited to examine organisation-wide HR policies and practices in each location
- Evaluation of compensation, development and promotion decisions across the employee lifecycle, from hiring through to retirement
- Review of employee salaries and variable incentives
- Interviews with senior leaders, HR specialists, randomly selected employees and line managers
- Equal-salary/equal-pay certifications in Switzerland, the UK, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore
Impact: The reviews found that women account for 39% of all employees across the company. In 2024, UBS reported a pay differential between male and female employees in similar roles across their core financial hubs of less than 1%.
Source: UBS Group AG. (2024). UBS Group Sustainability Report 2024.
Source: UBS Group AG. (2024). UBS Group Sustainability Report 2024.
