What is EQUAL-SALARY certification

And who is it for?

The EQUAL-SALARY certification is a process that allows companies to verify and communicate that they pay their female and male employees equally for the same job or for job of the same value. It is aimed at companies in all countries and across all industries with 50 or more employees (of which at least 10 are women) that are committed to closing the wage gap.

When you get certified, it’s a chance to put your values into action. To prove your commitment to equal pay for all. That means added value for your company, better employee recruitment and retention, more diversity in your team, a stronger reputation and much more. Plus you get the bonus of knowing that you’re doing the right thing.

Help your organization stand out for all the right reasons and get certified today.

 

Proudly certified companies

How does the EQUAL-SALARY certification work?

1

Salary analysis

The EQUAL-SALARY Foundation collects all of your employee salary data securely and anonymously. It is then analyzed to see if the wage difference is less than or equal to 5%, and if the R-squared value is greater than or equal to 90%. If all goes well, it’s time to move on to step 2.

2

On-site review

Following international quality standards, our auditing team makes sure EQUAL-SALARY requirements are met while assessing the following:

  • CEO/top management’s commitment to equal pay for all;
  • How well equal pay strategies are integrated into the HR processes and policies;
  • Employees’ perception of the company’s pay practices.
3

Certification

Depending on the results of the audit, your company is awarded the EQUAL-SALARY certificate from the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation. You’re then free to promote your certification on your company communications, to prove that you support and practice equal pay in the workplace.

4

Monitoring reviews

Your certification is valid for three years. During this period, you will need to undergo two monitoring reviews, to show your ongoing commitment to a fair and non-discriminatory wage policy. You’ve come this far; keep up the good work!

What sets EQUAL-SALARY apart?

Why ours is the certification your company needs

We’ve got

The credibility

EQUAL-SALARY is the only non-profit organization to promote equal pay between women and men using a methodology developed in collaboration with the University of Geneva, Switzerland, whose statistical analysis of salary policies have been recognized by the Swiss Federal Court of High Justice.

The backing

We’re the only private certification whose development has been supported financially by a government.

The partners

Ours is the only equal pay certification to be implemented by world-leading auditing partners, lending serious credibility not only to EQUAL-SALARY but to the equal pay movement as a whole.

EQUAL-SALARY checklist

Things to know and what to expect when applying for EQUAL-SALARY certification:

In today’s business climate, it’s not enough to say your company supports equal pay for men and women. You need to prove it. Getting certified allows your organization to demonstrate good governance and transparency. It significantly improves your ability to attract and retain strong talent, especially female talent. It also allows your organization to anticipate the risk of any potential unequal pay case.

Fifty or more employees on a national activity, of which at least ten are women

  • Full salary data in digital format (Excel)
  • A well-documented salary policy
  • Formalized HR processes
  • The involvement of employees through surveys and interviews
  1. A gender pay gap of less than five percent with a R2 of at least 90%
  2. A commitment to equal pay clearly supported by top management
  3. Fully implemented HR processes, including indicators implemented by gender

The costs of the certification depend on the size of the organization (number of employees and number of sites). They include the Certification fees, the salary analysis and the on-site audits.

The EQUAL-SALARY methodology is compliant with the requirements defined in the Equality Act (LEg). Thus, an EQUAL-SALARY certified company having passed the salary analysis as of July 2020 will not need to proceed to any other analysis in order to be compliant.

Moreover, the EQUAL-SALARY certification goes beyond a salary analysis and includes an audit which checks the top management’s commitment and existence of efficient HR processes in order to continually improve the status of gender equality in the company.

Together with the certificate, the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation provides a certificate of conformity for its methodology, which shall be presented to the external auditor as of July 2021, as mentioned in the Equality Act. Once certified, the company de facto meets the requirements on communication to employees as set out in law.

Quantitative phase:

Statistical analysis of salary data to measure the gender pay gap within the company and a list of individual discrepancies to be explained or addressed, where applicable.
The methodology has been developed in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

Qualitative phase:

On site audit to assess the company’s overall commitment to equal pay, and its implementation in HR processes. Employees are involved through surveys and interviews.

Depending on your preparation and readiness, the process takes minimum 4 to 6 months. The internal workload for the organization’s staff takes approx. 20 days.

The EQUAL-SALARY certificate is valid for three years. Following the main initial audit, the organization will need to undergo two monitoring audits in years 2 and 3.

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equal pay

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