TRENDING
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CLOSING
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HOTELS ARE ADOPTING TOOLS TO ENSURE GENDER PAY EQUITY — BUT BOOSTING WOMEN INTO SENIOR MANAGEMENT IS THE TOUGH PART .
Contributed by JUDITH CROWN
Closing the gender pay gap is a challenge for hospitality . In the managerial ranks , women have clustered in softer disciplines that don ’ t pay as well , such as event management and human resources . Taking time off to raise children impedes salary growth . And it ’ s been difficult for women to reach the highest-paying general manager and C-suite positions , whether due to gender stereotypes , bias or social and family constraints .
A 2015 Cornell University study found that women managers in hospitality faced the most severe penalties , costing US $ 6,617 , or 21.6 % of a median salary of US $ 30,577 .
The study ’ s author , Susan Fleming , doubts that the situation has changed appreciably . “ Women leave for lack of opportunity ,” she says .
Toronto-based hospitality recruiter Stephen Renard notes that the pay gap stems from decades-long practices and that operators are slow to rectify it unless they are being watched — by a union , for example , or because they are publicly traded . Given the recent spotlight on gender pay equity , “ U . S . companies are being forced to get better ,” Renard says .
Who ’ s tracking it ? Companies that are leading the way employ quantitative tools such as performance management systems and pay guidelines for job titles to ensure that pay rates are equitable . They ’ re also adopting initiatives to help boost women into higher-paying jobs .
Some nations , including the United Kingdom , Denmark and Iceland , have enacted laws that require reporting of gender pay discrepancies . A study published in the Harvard Business Review in early 2019 that wasn ’ t hospitalityspecific found that disclosing disparities in gender pay does , in fact , narrow the gender wage gap .
These country laws have required employers to adopt formulas to measure wage disparities , says Erla Ósk Ásgeirsdóttir , director , human resources and quality management for Icelandair Hotels in Reykjavik . Iceland ’ s law , adopted in early 2018 , requires employers to demonstrate that they pay male and female employees fairly , without gender discrimination . Companies must establish equal pay management systems that ensure wage decisions are objective .
Ásgeirsdóttir says her department tracks changes in the organizational
16 hotelsmag . com January / February 2020