The Institute of Public Policy and the Women’s Foundation are pleased to announce the release of the Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines. The guidelines seek to help close the gender pay gap through advancing standards for pay equity in Missouri.
Three main practices for employers to implement were highlighted by the report as a way to identify and address equity issues. The first advises employers to identify if a problem exists through self-audits. The second urges employers to re-evaluate the current compensation, pay and non-wage, system. The third requests employers to promote and ensure pay transparency.
The release of the Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines coincided with Equal Pay Day on April 12th. Founded in 1996, the day serves as a reminder that women, on average nationally in the United States, earn 79 cents to every dollar a man earns. The date is symbolic as it represents the additional number of days a year a women must work to earn the same amount of money a man earned in one year.
In 2014, women in Missouri earned only 71 percent of what men earned, according to the Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines Brief.
The commission of the Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines resulted from Governor Nixon issuing Executive Order 15-09 on December 4, 2015. The order aimed to minimize the gender-based wage gap by directing state agencies and private sector employers to use the guidelines to address issues of equity presented in the Status of Women in Missouri.
Upon the release of the Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines, Governor Nixon directed an interagency effort to review the Guidelines and make recommendations on how to implement them within the state agencies. The goal for this coalition, which is headed by the Office of Administration, is to achieve pay equity in the state workforce.
“Equal work deserves equal pay, and these guidelines will serve as a valuable resource for current and future policymakers as we work to eliminate pay disparities and ensure all Missourians are compensated fairly,” Governor Nixon said. “Women make up over half of state employees and an increasing percentage of women are now the primary breadwinners in their families. That’s why pay equity is essential to the overall strength, vitality and competitiveness of our economy. I thank the Women’s Foundation and the University of Missouri for developing these best practices and bringing needed attention to this important issue.”
Explore the entire Pay Equity Best Practices Guidelines report.
Also, the Women’s Foundation and the IPP have released a brief of the report to highlight some overarching concepts.
Learn more about Executive Order 15-09.
Look at the report that set everything in action: The Status of Women in Missouri.
Related article: http://governor.mo.gov/news/archive/gov-nixon-directs-office-administration-lead-interagency-effort-pay-equity