Their challenge
Legislative regulations such as gender pay reporting and the future introduction of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, as well as changes in societal expectations are creating a groundswell movement towards increased openness around pay and reward. As a global litigation and dispute resolution law firm with nearly 3,000 employees, Kennedys sought to proactively address new legislative requirements, ensuring that as a forward-thinking employer it could uphold its reward principles, including greater transparency in employee rewards.
Our solution
Innecto undertook an audit of existing reward practice and pay equity in the UK and across several European offices including France, Ireland, Spain, and Denmark. This included a detailed review of existing reward and recruitment documentation and in sessions with key business stakeholders, evaluated activity against a checklist of questions to explore current practice. The sessions explored key themes including:
- Equal pay for equal work / work of comparable value;
- Pay and career progression transparency;
- Pay gap reporting;
- Joint pay assessment implications;
- Information and communication methods.
This enabled us to understand how reward activities were being delivered, and what impact increased pay transparency would have going forward. In addition to obtaining stakeholder input, we also conducted a detailed data analysis to establish the implications of current reward application, highlighting any areas of potential risk. This included assessments for pay gaps by level and function, reviewing market alignment and exploring the implications of recruitment practice on pay decisions. Bringing together these findings, we created a report highlighting recommendations and a proposed roadmap for the firm to follow to achieve its objectives. Tactical activities were then outlined with a realistic action plan to ensure legislative compliance, while breaking down tasks into quick wins and longer term activities.
The outcome
As a result of the audit and the roadmap development, working groups were created, using the report as a basis for action and giving the team confidence that the right activities were being prioritised across the firm.
Kennedys now has an enhanced understanding of what is needed to comply with legislative changes, while also enabling the whole firm to proactively prioritise and progress the agenda on pay transparency.
Client feedback
The EU Pay Transparency Directive is complex to understand and although only a few of our European offices are impacted, we were keen to be ahead of the game in terms of preparation to comply. Innecto were able to provide us with clear guidance and insightful analysis that has been easy to digest, with practical recommendations and a realistic roadmap for required changes to reward practice. I would highly recommend them to any organisation who have a strategic focus on increasing pay transparency.
