CIPD welcomes suspension of gender pay gap reporting enforcements, but urges businesses to delay rather than avoid reporting

26 Mar 2020 10:07 AM

The CIPD has welcomed the relaxing of this year’s gender pay gap reporting requirements, in recognition of the pressure employers are under, but is encouraging organisations to continue reporting if they can.

The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, has welcomed the relaxing of this year's gender pay gap reporting requirements, in recognition of the pressure employers are under, but is encouraging organisations to continue reporting if they can.

Charles Cotton, senior reward advisor at the CIPD, comments:

"The Government’s decision to relax this year’s gender pay gap reporting deadline is testimony to the incredible and unprecedented pressure that organisations, and the HR profession in particular, are under. Keeping our workforces safe and paid, as well as supporting new working practices to help businesses survive, must remain the priority throughout this crisis."

"Given the reporting data is based on a snapshot date in April last year, most employers will already have the data already, and most of their narrative too. It should just be a question of delaying their reporting to when the current crisis has passed."

"Longer term, we urge companies to continue to honour their reporting commitments. The Coronavirus stands to have a disproportionate impact on women in the labour market, because of the high proportion of women working in retail and hospitality. This makes it more important than ever that we don’t take our eye off the ball and risk losing momentum in our efforts to close the gender pay gap."

Employers do not have to report gender pay gaps