Answering an employee's pay information request

What the worker is entitled to

A worker may request, in writing, their individual pay level and the average pay levels — broken down by sex — for workers doing the same work or work of equal value. You must reply within two months.

You must also inform workers every year that this right exists and how to use it.

What you must not do

Do not treat the request as a grievance. Do not ask why they want it. Do not rely on a contract clause preventing pay discussions — such clauses are not permitted. Do not disclose an identifiable individual's pay: where a category holds too few workers of one sex to give an average without identifying someone, say so instead of giving a figure.

A structure that works

1. Confirm the date the request was received and the deadline you are working to.

2. State the worker's role and the category of work of equal value it belongs to.

3. Give the pay band for that category: minimum and maximum.

4. Give the worker's individual pay level, split into basic pay and any variable or complementary components.

5. Give the average pay level for female workers and for male workers in that category.

6. Explain the criteria used to set pay, and attach the pay criteria policy.

7. Offer a conversation, and note that the worker may be accompanied by a representative.

Prepare before the first request arrives

The hard part is not the letter, it is having the numbers. Keep pay data structured by category of work and by sex so an average can be produced in minutes. If a gap of 5% or more shows up in a category and you cannot justify it on objective, gender-neutral grounds, that is the signal to run a joint pay assessment — before anyone asks.