How we approach the Gender Payment Gap on #EqualPayDay

The gender pay gap is a problem in today's culture that some businesses prioritise higher than others.Here at Shoplo, it's a no-brainer for us.Regardless of your gender, religion, culture, age, or sexuality, your salary is a reflection of your skills.British PM Theresa May recently urged small and medium businesses to publish their gender pay in announce to cut the gap.And that's exactly what we're going to go over today.

One thing that's important to remember:There are very few duplicate roles at Shoplo. That is, no 2 people have exactly the same tasks.While the pay gap in the EU is decreasing, it's not decreasing nearly quick enough as women in the EU still earn on average 16% less than men.But our homeland, Poland, boasts one of the smallest gender pay gaps in Europe, sitting at 7%. (source).The gender pay gap in Poland is one of the lowest in the OECD.Why is that?According to the same source, young women in Poland are 43% more likely to have a university degree compared to their male counterparts.But there's a major difference in the subjects studied.

• 75% of university graduates of courses in health and welfare-related studies were women
• 16% of university graduates of courses in technology were women.

While Polish women are more likely to have a University education, they're less likely to have a qualification in a field that's in demand at Shoplo.

The day we all coincidentally dressed the same

Positions held by Women at Shoplo

We employ 42 people.19 are women.At Shoplo, women also make up:

• 50% of junior positions
• 42% of middle-level positions
• 35% of senior positions
• 57% of team leader roles
• 33% of managerial roles

Let's take a closer look.At Shoplo, we employ 21 talented individuals in our tech team.That's 21 people who require some form of higher-education to hold the position that they hold.Of those 21 techies, 4 are women.Why so few?Women make up 16% of technical University graduates in Poland. Most of those women find employment in corporations either in Poland or abroad.Under-representation of women in technical, senior and managerial roles is an on-going challenge faced by many Polish companies.But the shoe is on the other foot for Shoplo's Marketing and Customer Success teams.Our Marketing team consists of 6 people, 5 of them being women.Our Customer Success team is 13 people, 8 of them are women.More women apply for both these positions than men. Compared to developer positions, women make up the majority for no reason other than the fact that they have the superior skills.Another interesting insight from Kasia, Shoplo's HR manager is that many women won't apply for an advertised position if they don't meet every single criterion.This means that a lot of women miss out on potential jobs because they see 'required skills' as non-negotiable demands.

How are we eliminating the gap?

So how can we, a small company of 45-ish people continue to bring down and eliminate the pay gap?

• Comparing the salaries of men and women in equal positions
• Conducting comprehensive analysis to understand why this is the case
• Taking whatever steps are necessary to eliminate that gap.

This same approach is used to identify gender pay gaps by ethnicity and disability.

The day that gravity forgot about the Shoplo team.

Conclusion:

#EqualPayDay is far from a day to celebrate.It's a time to draw attention to a problem that should have been solved in 1963 when President Kennedy announced the Equal Pay Act.As a team, Shoplo is committed to equal pay for everyone, regardless of gender, sex, race, culture or religion.If you're interested in working with Shoplo, take a quick look at our careers page.