Bridging the Gender Pay Gap: Strategies for Small Businesses

Transcript

Episode summary

• Gender pay gap and ways to overcome it in small businesses. 0:00
• Karen Kirton discusses the gender pay gap in Australia, highlighting stagnant progress and factors contributing to the gap.
• Gender equality in the workplace. 2:09
• Lachy Gray discusses the importance of addressing gender bias in the workplace, citing it as a reflection of societal issues and a challenge for businesses of all sizes.
• Gray clarifies the difference between equal pay and gender pay gap, highlighting the legal requirement for equal pay since the 1960s and the broader context of gender pay across organizations.
• Lachy Gray discusses gender diversity and flexibility in the workplace.
• Pay equity and transparency in the workplace. 7:53
• Karen Kirton highlights the importance of having a remuneration policy in place to address pay equity and retention issues.
• Workday's findings suggest that people quit when they can't discuss their pay, emphasizing the need for a transparent and documented process.
• Karen Kirton suggests using the WGA website for educative resources on pay parity and remuneration policies, especially for smaller businesses.
• Lachy Gray agrees that managing expectations is key, citing the importance of advertising salary ranges or salary information upfront in job listings.
• Lachy Gray and Karen Kirton discuss the taboo nature of pay transparency in business, with Lachy advocating for greater visibility and fairness in the compensation process.
• Pay transparency and unconscious bias in the workplace. 15:11
• Lachy Gray proposes pay transparency to address perceived inequity, but feedback from employees raises concerns about resentment and potential negative impact on wages.
• Company implements clear role definitions and salary review processes instead, addressing employee concerns while still promoting transparency.
• Karen Kirton discusses the challenges of implementing fair compensation practices in small businesses, citing the need to overcome unconscious bias and cultural norms.
• Kirton recommends a simple exercise to identify and address personal biases, involving writing down five "I am" statements and considering how they may impact others.
• Self-awareness, bias, and privilege in hiring. 21:36
• Karen Kirton reflects on her own biases and how they may impact her business, such as preferring to work with other women in her industry.
• Karen considers how her self-perception may change depending on the context, such as being a busy parent during school holidays.
• Lachy Gray recognizes his own privilege as a white, male, and Caucasian person, and acknowledges the bias towards people like him in society.
• Lachy and Karen discuss the importance of recognizing and overcoming biases in hiring processes, such as the tendency to favor people who are similar to us.
• Hiring biases and structured interviews. 28:28
• Lachy Gray and Karen Kirton discuss the importance of using a structured interview process to avoid bias and ensure fairness in hiring decisions.
• They explain that a structured interview process involves using the same interview script for each candidate and rating them based on objective criteria, rather than relying on subjective impressions.
• Karen Kirton discusses using debriefing with a team member to check for biases in hiring decisions, providing examples of both positive and negative biases.
• Karen Kirton shares a personal experience of struggling to understand a candidate with a thick accent, raising concerns about potential negative bias in the hiring process.
• Gender pay gap, hiring practices, and diversity in the workplace. 34:18
• Karen Kirton and Lachy Gray discuss the challenges of hiring diverse candidates, including unconscious bias and navigating complex situations.
• They emphasize the importance of involving everyone in the decision-making process and considering multiple perspectives to ensure fairness and equity in hiring practices.
• Karen Kirton and Lachy Gray discuss the importance of transparency in HR processes, particularly in relation to pay equity.
• Lachy Gray plans to spend time checking out a website and providing feedback on its name, as they believe it needs a rebrand.