Brokers might be in for a shock when the equal pay survey hits their desk, says Russell Guest.
At a time when Brokers are already drowning in legislation and paperwork the last thing they need is a potentially explosive new piece of paper landing on their desk. This is exactly what might happen thanks to the introduction of the Equal Pay Questionnaire, and Brokers need to be prepared for it, no matter how busy they are.
However, research we've carried out recently among Brokers suggests that the majority of them - 58% in fact - aren't up to speed with what the introduction of the Questionnaires might mean for their business. In short, they enable employees to request information regarding their colleague's salaries if they feel that they might be the victim of discrimination.
The male/female pay divide has always been a contentious issue, and this new development threatens to exacerbate the situation. The male dominated nature of the Broker sector means that many employers can expect to be served with questionnaires from female employees determined to find out if they are being paid less than their male counterparts.
How these questionnaires are filled in is going to be an issue for Brokers, they need to make sure they're fully informed regarding the implications of the information they put in them. Expert advice is essential to ensure that they're not creating more problems for themselves when completing them. From speaking to Brokers we know that only 31% have actually sought professional advice, so the majority are putting their business on the line.
As if the Questionnaires weren't bad enough on their own, there's also the issue of the Data Protection Act 1998. What you put in the questionnaire could potentially land you in trouble with other employees, as they might feel that information you disclose about them breaches the Act.
The whole situation is going to be very difficult to handle, as it's a question of finding a balance between completing the Questionnaire in a satisfactory manner and not breaching the Data Protection Act. This is going to make the whole process even more time consuming unless you know what you're doing.
We predict that the introduction of Equal Pay Questionnaires will initially result in a flurry of questionnaires being served. Whether this continues depends on whether conceptions regarding the male dominated nature of the sector are accurate. No matter what happens in the future though, Brokers need to brace themselves for impact over the next few months.
