It can be tricky to approach your company to ask if they have conducted a pay equity audit. You may be worried about your boss, or your HR team’s response.
Fear not! Here are some easy tips you can use to help the process go smoothly!
1. Print Our Flyer and Share Some Facts
Looking for the easiest route? Print this flyer and put copies on your boss or HR manager’s desk. This will cover the conversation and send a message that pay equity matters to you as an employee, without needing to turn it into a confrontation.
If you’re more inclined to have a discussion, we also have you covered! Read on:
2. Have a Conversation about Pay Equity
To approach the topic, here are some easy tips:
- Discuss with a leader that you would consider a trusted advisor. Bonus points if they are like-minded about becoming a champion for pay equity.
- Let them know this is coming from a helpful place. You would like to prevent people from becoming upset, or even leaving the company due to these rumors.
- Inform them of some of the benefits that can come from proving your company has pay equity. Read this article for more details.
- Remind them that legally speaking, actually conducting an audit will likely be viewed more favorably than taking no action.
- Re-assure them that this is not a threat; rather you are trying to ensure that the company is doing the right thing, and that your coworkers feel like their voices are heard.
Emphasize the benefits to recruiting:
“Did you know that more and more companies have been running pay equity audits lately? I wanted to understand if that is something we have done here at [x company], and if so, what were the results? Also, I think proving that we have equal pay would go a long way to helping us hire for some of our open roles on the team!”
Let your employer know it matters to you personally:
“I’m very passionate about pay equity, and I was wondering what we have done as a company to address this. Could you share any insights or details you have about how we’re doing as a company? Knowing I’m being paid equally would mean a whole lot to me personally.”
As a concerned corporate citizen:
“I’m bringing this up because I’ve been hearing a lot about this from fellow coworkers, and I felt like it would be best if I brought it to your attention. People are concerned about whether we have pay differences. A few people apparently have been discussing salaries, and there are concerns about whether our pay is out of whack. I think if our company did an audit, it would alleviate a lot of the concerns that are being brought up.”
If they approach with legal concerns:
“If you’re concerned about this from a legal standpoint, I’m definitely not trying to raise any concerns on that front. In fact, I’ve done my research and this actually helps companies avoid lawsuits by making sure they’re keeping good records on employee pay. Plus, it goes a long way to resolving employee concerns.”