Pay & Employment Equity
The PEE review process
Introduction
Pay and employment equity reviews are based on the premise that women and men should have equitable opportunities at work to access rewards, to participate and to be treated with respect and fairness. Any gender difference in the distribution of rewards, participation levels and experiences of respect and fairness should be explainable and justifiable. Only by understanding what is happening, and why, is it possible to consider whether a gender difference can be justified.
The process design
The review process is designed to assist organisations to identify how gender affects employment in their workplace, the areas that already demonstrate gender equity, and the areas where there are gender differences that may require further investigation and response. The review focuses on the individual organisation. It does not address issues at sector or occupational level.
The process is a partnership exercise between employers, employees, and unions. Review committees are engaged in joint investigations and the development of response plans. The process is not one of bargaining for a collective agreement. The response plans developed through the process may be the subject of pay investigations and subsequent remedial pay settlements once the review process and response plan have been completed.
The review workbook, Working Towards Pay and Employment Equity for Women, sets out a six–step process for review committees, and uses three indicators at each step:
- Women and men have an equitable share of rewards.
- Women and men participate equitably in all areas of the workplace.
- Women and men are treated with respect and fairness.
Scope of the review
Rather than expecting review committees to review all of the policies and practices that might impact on pay and employment equity in their organisation, the process focuses only on the areas where there is a significant difference in women´s and men´s experience. Committees are led through a series of steps to help them identify the significant areas of difference, to assess whether these differences are explainable or justifiable, to prioritise the areas that need a response, and to determine the appropriate responses.
The review focuses on the impact and results of organisational policies and practices on women and men, not just on whether policies are in place or whether activities and processes occur.
Review findings so far
This report is based on results from the first completed pay and employment equity reviews. The report does not provide information about the number of cases in which a particular finding was made, and some findings have been made more than once. New findings will be included as they are identified.
Download the pdf [96kb, 11 pages], Download the rtf [201kb, 17 pages], Download the word version [97kb, 17 pages].
Briefings, training and resources
As groups of organisations indicate their readiness to plan for a review, the Unit holds briefing sessions to present the scope and purpose of the review, what is required for preparation, and the processes for applying to the Contestable Fund. The Unit regularly runs training modules on the review process, and also offers a number of resources to assist those undertaking reviews.
Project Managers´ Network Meetings
The Pay and Employment Equity Unit hosts informal two–hour morning meetings for current and upcoming project managers every three weeks (see Calendar of Events). The network meetings provide project managers with the opportunity to meet, learn from each others´ experiences, share strategies and resources, discuss emerging issues, build relationships and problem–solve together.
Project managers themselves decided that the meetings could be divided into two sections:
- An open forum to provide project managers with the opportunity to update each other on what stage they are at in their review process, to share learnings on what is working well and what is not, to discuss challenges, to share resources and strategies and to problem–solve issues as a whole group.
- Small group discussions on specific topics of interest, such as developing project plans, developing and implementing communications strategies, gathering information, validation options, surveys etc.
It was suggested that having small group discussions could be useful, as not every organisation is at the same stage in the review process. However, at times project managers have found it is beneficial to stay with the open forum. It is up to the group to decide that at each meeting.
We welcome your suggestions for both whole group and small group discussion.
For further information, contact the Unit at equity@dol.govt.nz.
Practical resources
The Pay and Employment Equity Unit is gathering a range of resources from organisations that have either completed a review or are currently going through the review process. These organisations have given permission for their material to be available to others, to assist them in conducting or preparing for a review.
The resources include:
- project plans
- terms of reference
- working together agreements
- communication strategies
- staff engagement methodologies, such as questionnaires, focus groups etc.
Other applications
While the focus of the pay and employment equity review is on gender, the process can also be used to consider other characteristics, such as ethnicity, age or disability.
The review workbook has been specifically developed for use by organisations carrying out reviews under the Government´s Pay and Employment Equity Plan of Action, but it is available for wider use from this website.
Other assessment tools
For assessment tools on Pay and Employment Equity visit the Assessment Tools resource on this website.