What we do

Close the Gap works in a variety of ways with organisations of all types and sizes, to encourage and enable action to address the gender pay gap.

Private sector

We work with individual companies, on a confidential basis, to support them to address the pay gaps in their organisations.  We know that employers who pay fairly, and manage diversity, increase their productivity, innovation and improve staff morale.

We have helped organisations to analyse their pay systems for unintentional inequalities, to identify and remove barriers to women's progression, to evaluate new pay structures, and to ensure their bonus practices are as fair as possible. We have supported employers to tackle issues with recruitment & selection, introducing flexibility, and making a business case for equality.

Public sector

We work with individual organisations and sector representative bodies to support work to address pay gaps, and to meet the requirements of the Gender Equality Duty.

We have supported public sector bodies to carry out equal pay reviews, develop gender equality schemes and equal pay statements, and identify and remove barriers to women's progression. This has included work on flexible working and recruitment & selection.

We have published guidance for the whole public sector on complying with the equal pay elements of the Gender Equality Duty, and Equal Pay Reviews and Job Evaluation: Guidance for Scotland's Colleges.

Smaller employers

We work to raise awareness of the pay gap with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly growth businesses in the key economic sectors.

We have produced a toolkit to support smaller organisations to carry out job evaluations for the purposes of equal value comparison, which helps  businesses to make decisions about pay in their companies.

Policy makers

We produce a range of reports and papers to provide context and analysis of how the gender pay gap functions in Scotland, and in the key industries and sectors that are our focus.

Project staff also participate in a range of working groups and external advisory groups on equalities, and respond to consultations.

Trade unions

We have worked with a number of individual trade unions to raise awareness of the pay gap, and to build capacity among reps to tackle equal pay issues within their workplaces. Many reps find our Bargaining for Equal Pay toolkit helpful.

If you would like Close the Gap’s support on a piece of work to address pay gaps, please contact us at info@closethegap.org.uk.