Question 1

What is the difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay?

Accepted Answer

**Equal pay** is a legal right to the same pay for the same or equivalent work; the **gender pay gap** is a statistical measure of average earnings across a whole workforce. An organisation can comply fully with equal pay law and still report a large pay gap — and that combination is entirely normal rather than contradictory.

**Equal pay.** Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is entitled to equal pay with a comparator of the opposite sex employed by the same employer doing:

**Like work** — the same or broadly similar work.

**Work rated as equivalent** under a job evaluation scheme.

**Work of equal value** — different jobs judged equal in demands such as effort, skill and decision-making. **This is the most significant and the least understood**, because it allows comparison between entirely different roles, which is how large public sector claims have been brought — comparing predominantly female roles such as catering and cleaning with predominantly male roles such as refuse collection at the same grade.

The employer's defence is a **material factor** genuinely explaining the difference and not tainted by sex discrimination.

**The gender pay gap.** The difference between the average earnings of men and women across an organisation, expressed as a percentage. Reported as both **mean** and **median**, because they reveal different things: a small number of very high earners distorts the mean, so the median is generally the more robust figure.

**What causes a gap despite equal pay compliance:**

**Occupational distribution** — more men in higher-paid roles and more women in lower-paid ones **within the same organisation**. This is the dominant driver.

**Seniority distribution**, with fewer women at senior levels.

**Part-time working**, which is more common among women and is concentrated in lower-paid roles.

**Career interruptions** for caring, which affect progression cumulatively.

**Bonus structures**, reported separately for exactly this reason.

**The reporting requirement.** Employers in Great Britain with **250 or more employees** must publish specified figures annually — mean and median gaps in hourly pay and bonuses, the proportion receiving bonuses, and the distribution across pay quartiles.

**Publication alone does not require action**, which is a recurring criticism, though many employers publish a narrative and action plan voluntarily.

Question 2

What is a job evaluation scheme?

Accepted Answer

A structured method for determining the relative size of jobs within an organisation, so that pay can be set on a consistent basis rather than through individual negotiation — and it is the main

Question 3

What is the difference between an employee, a worker and self-employed?

Accepted Answer

In UK law these are three distinct employment statuses with sharply different rights, and what your contract calls you does not decide it — a tribunal looks at the reality of the arrangement.

Question 4

What can you actually do about age discrimination at work?

Accepted Answer

Age is a protected characteristic, so discrimination because of it is unlawful — but it is the one characteristic where direct discrimination can be lawfully justified, which makes it different from

Question 5

What is industrial action, and what makes a strike lawful?

Accepted Answer

Collective action by workers to put pressure on an employer — and in the UK it is lawful only where a detailed set of statutory requirements has been met, any one of which can render it unlawful. The

Question 6

What is IR35, and who does it affect?

Accepted Answer

IR35 — formally the off-payroll working rules — is UK tax legislation addressing people who work through their own company but who, stripped of that company, would look like employees of the client.

Question 7

How does a grievance procedure work?

Accepted Answer

The formal route for raising a concern about your employment with your employer — and although the procedure itself is not directly enforceable, following it matters because failing to can reduce

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