Guidance

What works to reduce the gender pay gap: women’s progression in the workplace infographic

Published 22 March 2019

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One of the drivers of the gender pay gap is that women are not progressing in the workplace as fully as their talents would allow.

Improving, measuring and evaluating your recruitment, promotion and talent management processes; supporting part-time workers; and creating an environment where women feel that they fit and belong, can enable women to progress.

By taking steps to support women in your organisation to progress, you can make the best use of their skills and experience, help to attract and retain talent, and improve productivity and performance.

Evidence suggests that these actions can support women in your organisation to progress and help to close the gender pay gap.

Create an inclusive culture

  • make senior leaders accountable for addressing the barriers to women’s progression

  • create and communicate guidance on the positive and inclusive behaviours everyone in your organisation is expected to demonstrate

  • senior leaders should role model positive and inclusive behaviour

Progression for part-time workers

  • highlight managers and senior leaders who work part-time

  • normalise part-time working and job-sharing for male employees

  • clearly advertise that part-time working and job-sharing is available, particularly in senior roles

  • provide training to line managers on how to support employees who want to work part-time and progress

Support career development

  • implement standardised performance management processes that consider both performance and potential

  • regularly review work allocation based on workload, skills, experience and potential

  • provide training to line managers on how to provide high quality feedback, and support those with high potential

Improve recruitment and promotion processes

  • during recruitment, be specific about the skills and experience that are relevant to the role

  • implement clear and transparent recruitment, reward, and promotion processes.

  • use name blind and skills-based recruitment and structured interviews

Measure and evaluate policies to support diversity and inclusion

  • set specific, time-bound objectives for diversity and inclusion

  • measure and evaluate policies and practices that support women to progress

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