Warning over Irish private and public firms that paying men and women differently for the same work is illegal
Paying men and women differently for the same work is illegal and Irish companies will have to work swiftly to prepare for new reporting regulations, Mazars has warned.
Mandatory reporting will likely come into force next year and oblige many companies to disclose details about the amounts they pay their male employees compared with their female workers. That will require companies to start preparing their plans now, the accountancy firm said.
The gender pay gap in Ireland is running at just below 14%, Mazars said.
“Pay gaps are disruptive and can have serious business consequences leaving enterprises vulnerable to issues such as enforcement actions, lawsuits and loss of contracts. Formal reporting of organisations’ gender pay gap will shine a spotlight on those companies who promote equality and diversity and actively seek to support women,” it said.
Mazars Ireland’s Sonya Boyce said that companies should assess pay structures to find out whether there is a gender pay gap and develop “a clear action plan on how to tackle a gender pay gap”.
