Practical Steps for Building an Effective Pay Equity Self-Audit Program

Active

Program Number

3325

Program Date

2023-03-07

CLE Credits

Businesses are under increasing scrutiny regarding pay equity, both by internal stakeholders and external regulators. Further, pay equity is a significant component of many DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) programs, as well as an increasing focus of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance). Achieving sustained pay equity, however, typically requires excellent compensation policies, annual self-auditing, and a budget to make annual pay equity adjustments. Simply put, it requires a program.

In this webinar, Craig Leen and Kathleen Parker will discuss step-by-step how to create a comprehensive and effective pay equity self-audit program.

The learning objectives for the program are as follows:

Analyze the primary federal and state laws that inform the legal standard in this area, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Executive Order 11246, the Equal Pay Act, relevant OFCCP Directives, and related pay equity and pay transparency laws in California, New York, Illinois, and other states, while also addressing a few case examples that illustrate pay disparities that would potentially violate those authorities.

Identify the internal employees/departments and external professionals who would be needed to develop a comprehensive and effective pay equity self-audit program. Discuss the importance of setting up the program under attorney-client privilege to the extent possible, and the types of experts (such as economists or I/O psychologists) that would be brought in to conduct the self-audit. Review the steps to creating the program, including setting compensation policies, establishing pay analysis groups (also known as similarly situated employee groups), determining the factors used to set compensation, determining how pay disparities will be evaluated, and setting a budget that allows for sufficient pay equity adjustments.

Identify legal guidelines, best practices to follow, and concerning practices to avoid. Discuss the importance of setting starting pay in an equitable manner (and without regard to prior pay), the need to consider equity in promotions as part of pay equity, the importance of auditing for wage compression, and the key influence that supportive caregiver and parental leave policies have on pay equity.