TRENDING
chart with the equal pay management system in mind and implemented an approval process for wage increases . “ Third-party certification of our payment structure creates trust with our employees that they are paid fairly ,” she says .
An analysis after the first year of the law found minimal discrepancies , meaning no action was required , Ásgeirsdóttir adds .
The United States doesn ’ t have such a disclosure requirement , but dozens of employers , including InterContinental Hotels Group and Hilton , signed the White House Equal Pay Pledge , launched by the Obama administration in 2016 to encourage companies to take action to advance equal pay .
Laura Fuentes , chief talent officer at Hilton , says that over a period of years Hilton put in place standards and guidelines for pay increases , with pay bands that define compensation by level and job type .
“ This provides the guard rails that we need ,” Fuentes says . “ There ’ s very little discretion [ left to managers ] that could drive inequities over time .”
Hilton reviews compensation levels annually , and Fuentes says she doesn ’ t see
WE ’ RE SEEING ATTRITION RATES GO DOWN , SO WOMEN ARE STAYING WITH US LONGER .
LAURA FUENTES , CHIEF TALENT OFFICER , HILTON
a statistical difference for men and women in the same position , perhaps only a 3 % to 5 % normal statistical variation .
Because clustering and segregation remain an issue , Hilton has launched family-friendly initiatives to keep women in the workforce , such as extended parental leave , adoption assistance and resources for new parents . An initiative launched last year helps new mothers transport breast milk while traveling for work .
Moreover , Hilton uses leadership development programs to bring more women into senior level jobs . The parenting resources are meant to support women through life changes , “ so they don ’ t fall behind ,” Fuentes says . “ We ’ re seeing attrition rates go down , so women are staying with us longer . They ’ re more engaged .”
Promoting women Wharf Hotels in Hong Kong is a far smaller operation but takes a similar numbers-based approach to achieving pay equity , says Jennifer Cronin , president of the chain , which operates 17 hotels under the Marco Polo and Niccolo brands in Hong Kong , mainland China and the Philippines .
There was a modest gap in pay when she took over as president in 2016 , Cronin says . Instituting a management review system that uses key performance indicators and midyear appraisals , along with staff retirements , enabled the organization to achieve parity .
Cronin agrees that the challenge doesn ’ t lie in the leveling of salary but rather in boosting women into leadership roles . Three out of four of the hotel group ’ s vice presidents are female , but there is only one woman among 17 general managers .
“ We don ’ t have enough women in leadership roles ,” Cronin says . “ We need to encourage women to be more assertive in understanding their strengths and marketing themselves .”
IS THE GAP
NARROWING ?
The average starting salary for a female director of sales last year was US $ 84,125 , well ahead of a male counterpart at US $ 67,000 . A female front office manager started at US $ 53,833 , outpacing the man who started at US $ 46,500 .
These are some surprising results from the 2018 salary survey from Florida-based recruiter Gecko Hospitality . Gecko ’ s sample is small and hardly representative but the data is firsthand , based on candidates the firm places , says President Robert Krzak . Gecko began publishing its survey in 2015 .
Of course , there are plenty of cases where a man earns more at the start . A male director of operations started at US $ 79,000 versus US $ 68,333 for a female counterpart . But Krzak says the gap is closing , and many hotels and restaurants are bending over backward to hire women in management positions .
Krzak notes that there ’ s variability year to year . Gecko also collects data on bonuses its recruits earned at their previous companies . Last year the average bonus reported by male recruits was US $ 8,205 , more than US $ 900 ahead of the average bonus of US $ 7,284 earned by women . But in 2017 the reverse was true , when the average bonus earned by women was US $ 7,563 , outpacing the average male bonus that year of US $ 5,707 , a differential of more than US $ 1,800 .
18 hotelsmag . com January / February 2020