Launch Of YWCA Equal Pay Awards

YWCA Announces Launch Of YWCA Equal Pay Awards

13% PAY GAP NO APRIL FOOLS, SAYS YWCA

Tuesday, 1st April 2014 - YWCA is once again shining the spotlight on equal pay, with the national inaugural YWCA Equal Pay Awards, recognising best practice amongst business leaders actively addressing equal pay within their organisations.

Research and statistics report the gender pay gap is still prevalent. The New Zealand Income Survey (June 2013 quarter) reports the median full-time hourly earnings for males was $23.67 and $22.34 for females. Therefore, if females were to earn as much as males, the female average income would need to increase by 13%.

More concerning are industry studies. The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants surveyed its own sector to discover that male chartered accountants with five years’ experience or less earn $3,605 more than their female counterparts, debunking the myth that pay gaps emerge when women start families, typically around 31 years old in New Zealand. This kind of evidence is common within other private sector industries.

The YWCA Equal Pay Awards will acknowledge those on the journey to address equal pay, with the YWCA inviting corporates and SMEs to share their stories of success, inspiring change for wider business.

Those wishing to enter must demonstrate best practice in processes, cultural intent and commitment to addressing equal pay within their organisation.

In 2012, YWCA and DDB NZ launched the award-winning, ‘Demand Equal Pay’ campaign, highlighting the fact that men then reportedly earned 10% more than women. The campaign cleverly captured what equal pay looked like in reverse by presenting scenarios where men were asked to pay 10% more for products and services.

The YWCA Equal Pay Awards, however, turns the issue on its head by seeking to recognise businesses who are taking a leadership role in this area.

“Equal pay is still a key focus for our organisation,” says YWCA Auckland President, Vanessa Ceelen. In 2012 we were amazed how few people were aware there was a pay gap at all. Today, the gap is wider still and the social and economic impact of this cannot be ignored.

“While it’s crucial for us to raise awareness through hard-hitting campaigns like ‘Demand Equal Pay’, it’s also vital we work alongside the business community to recognise those organisations who are taking the issue seriously. Many corporates are already engaging the right measures to ensure the pay gap is at least reduced in the short term, with a long term view toward closing it altogether.

“Today, as we launch the YWCA Equal Pay Awards, we are inviting them to come forward and share their outstanding Human Resource, Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity programme agendas, so they can be acknowledged as thought leaders and trail blazers for equal pay.

“We are already aware of some outstanding case studies who we’d love to recognise as part of a high profile campaign that will celebrate and acknowledge a short-list of winners announced in June this year,” adds Ceelen.

Through the awards programme, YWCA aims to share best practice initiatives to encourage and inspire other organisations to start the journey. The awards are as much about educating and informing around solutions, than highlighting the problem.

The YWCA Equal Pay Awards will be judged by a first class panel who are experts in their respective Human Resources and consultative fields, with an in depth knowledge of diversity and change management, gender equality and equal pay in the work place.

Meet the Panel:

• Martin King, General Manager Human Resources, Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ) Ltd, leads the Human Resources team of one of the most attractive employers in the country supported by outstanding Diversity & Inclusive Culture policies and management. Martin has been integral to implementing 100% equal pay within the entire CCANZ business
• Galia Barhava-Monteith, director and strategic change consultant of GBM Consulting, specialises in end-to-end delivery of Diversity-enabling strategies in the work place. She is also the Deputy Chair at the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW) and the founding director of Professionelle Charitable Foundation, dedicated to addressing the needs of all professional working women in New Zealand
• Susan Doughty is a Director of dsd Consulting Ltd, specialising in remuneration and reward advice to the NZ market. Susan is an expert in her field with over 15 year’s specialist experience. She is a certified Global Remuneration Professional and has recently completed a contract as the Acting GM – Rewards & Mobility at Fonterra
• Carolyn Savage is the President of Business & Professional Women New Zealand, an organisation with a history of empowering women since 1939. She is also a Senior Architect of the ECL Group

Says Ceelen of the YWCA Equal Pay Awards judges:

“Our outstanding panel could not be more qualified to adjudicate these awards. Throughout the awards programme, we intend to profile excellent insights into equal pay and the solutions and strategies available to address the issue.”

The entry cut-off date is Monday, 26th May, with winners announced on Thursday, 12th June.

To learn more about the YWCA Equal Pay Awards, entry details and criteria, visit www.ywcapayequity.org.nz.

JUDGES’ QUOTES:

Galia Barhava-Monteith, Founding Director GBM Consulting and Professionelle Charitable Foundation
I chose New Zealand to be my home and I am passionate about the country and what we can do as a nation. But to achieve that, we need to leverage our entire workforce and ensure everyone - men and women, migrants and people with disabilities - can contribute to our economy and our future and that they will be equally rewarded for their efforts. As a nation, I believe that we will achieve the greatness we are capable of when we are comfortable with debate and discussion about controversial topics such as equal pay. When we challenge how things are done to find better and more equitable ways of doing them.

Susan Doughty, Director, dsd Consulting
As a remuneration specialist, I have unique insight into pay practices across organisations and have witnessed first-hand the challenges associated with ensuring equal pay and equality. I am excited by this initiative as it brings the diversity debate front and centre and encourages and empowers organisations to take the first steps along the journey to best practice. I am excited to have a voice at the table, encouraging organisations to take an active part in the debate. Providing benchmarking and tools will help guide future organisational decision-making and will result in fairer pay practices for all.

Martin King, GM HR, Coca-Cola Amatil NZ Ltd
The main problem surrounding equal pay is that people simply aren’t aware the problem exists, let alone the impact it has on us socially and economically. Corporates need to lead by example. While SMEs may lack the resource to tackle the issue head on, corporates don’t have this excuse. They have the infrastructure to make equal pay a priority, but the question remains, how many organsations are actually doing this? The time to act is now, when corporate reputations have never been so important, especially when it comes to attracting the right talent. Stand-out candidates want to be sure they’re working for good corporate citizens. Addressing the Diversity agenda is central to this. While Diversity is broad reaching, equal pay must surely be the foundation, because if you don’t address the fundamental issue of equal pay, you can’t address the rest.

Carolyn Savage, President of Business & Professional Women New Zealand
We need to be the voices of the 21st Century. To be the voice of reason and ensure all women are paid for equal value of work as their male counterparts. New Zealand will then be world leaders again, as they were 121 years ago.

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