@PSP – Issue 1, October 2020
Equal pay for women and men
«Employers with 100 or more employees at the start of the year shall carry out an internal equal pay analysis for the year in question.» This requirement is laid down by Article 13a of the revised Swiss Federal Act on Gender Equality, which came into force on 1 July 2020.
The equal pay analysis must be audited by an independent body and repeated every four years. PSP Swiss Property already carried it out in early summer.
I discussed the approach used in this analysis, our results and the potential need for action with Margrith Rupp, the Head of Human Resources at PSP Swiss Property.
Interview und text by: Agathe Bolli
Let’s cut the suspense: how did it go for us?
Very well! The external testing body SGS issued us with the “Fair-ON-Pay+” certification. This means specifically that PSP Swiss Property distinguished itself as a fair employer that guarantees equal pay for men and women. I am of course delighted by this result, as it vindicates all the work we have done to count as one of the top employers. The firm Comp-On supported us in carrying out this analysis, preparing and analysing our payroll data for the Federal Government’s standard analysis method. The results were submitted to SGS for auditing.
Did you have any doubts whether the analysis would turn out well?
No, it simply provided confirmation black on white of the indications we already had. It’s important however to have such a screen done an independent body. The analysis was based on comprehensive data. The assessment wasn’t limited solely to extracts from the personnel data system, but also considered relevant regulations, instructions and organigrams.
After all, this is not only about gender equality but also about equal pay for equal work. But does that really exist? What does equal work mean?
This analysis was based on competence levels within the company. This involved classifying roles depending upon the demands of the work carried out. This classification was drawn up with reference to information such as job specifications and the necessary skills and expertise. Are the tasks assigned mainly routine in nature? Or does the job feature complex problem solving and decision-making tasks? These are examples of some of the questions that are considered.
How can practical experience be weighed against an excellent education? Can I only achieve a particular competence level or a particular salary if I have a university degree?
No, that’s not the case at all. The key point is that each individual role has its own specific requirement profile. The expertise and skills required under the relevant job specifications simply have to be there, either with or without a university degree. Conversely, a person with a university degree does not necessarily have particular skills. The nice thing in Switzerland is that we have a very good and flexible education system and there are many ways to achieve certain competence levels. In order to be able to reflect certain differences in experience and training, leeway of 5% is allowed in terms of the salary associated with each role.
It’s often argued in relation to women’s pay that they earn less than men with the same education simply because they have less experience as a result of career breaks due to pregnancy and childcare. Based on this analytical model, that shouldn’t make any difference, right?
That’s correct. If I fulfil the job specifications, it doesn’t matter if I have two years more or less experience in the job. Aside from that, women also enhance their skillset during any periods dedicated by them to family management.
We were able to fill three of the last four positions we advertised [for the construction department] with women.
Ultimately, the salary is only one aspect of equality. The other is the opportunity to climb up the career ladder to better paid jobs. Does a woman, potentially working part time, have the same opportunities for promotion?
We have to be honest here: This is a structural problem. In fact, the analysis also confirmed that women are under-represented or not even present in the highest professional positions and in jobs with the most demanding specifications. A lot of work still has to be done here. The construction and real estate sector has traditionally been male-dominated. The gender ratio in our property management department is fairly balanced. There are good examples here of women who have been promoted from clerical positions to managers or regional heads. However, it's still difficult to find any women in the construction sector.
What specifically are we doing to encourage women?
The aim is to achieve a good mix in all departments – not only in terms of gender but also other aspects such as age. Until two years ago, no women at all were working in the Construction Department. We are actively seeking to recruit women here. We were able to fill three of the last four positions we advertised with women. I think that's great!
I’d like to mention something else about the opportunities for promotion: with just over 100 employees, opportunities for progression with us are naturally limited. Due to PSP’s flat hierarchy, rank does not play a role in how we collaborate – it provides a view of seniority for our external stakeholders. Another factor is that employee turnover is not that high, which is essentially a good thing. We are transparent about this already in the initial job interview. However, we are very generous in supporting core and advanced training. Last year, once again 6 of our staff completed a CAS, an MAS, a federal specialist diploma or another similar course. We are therefore investing in the employability of our staff.
Can you tell us more about internal advancement in general?
Climbing up the hierarchy is not necessarily the most attractive option. We also promote internal advancement into other areas. For example, a caretaker was able to train as an energy and building technology specialist and switch to the Construction Department. Similarly, one of our asset managers was previously a construction project manager. Finally, two members of our Executive Board moved up the ranks through different departments: one of them started out as a financial accountant, then becoming Head of Accounting and finally Chief Operating Officer; the other moved from the Legal Service through Asset Management to become Chief Investment Officer. These opportunities are always there – irrespective of gender or age.
One final question: what are the priorities for the coming months and the year ahead of us?
The good results from the equal pay analysis and the “Best Place to Work” survey confirm that we are very well positioned in terms of equal pay as well as how we support and motivate employees. We want to build on these positive results. In addition, we have been able to gain new insights from the challenges thrown up by COVID-19 and the lockdown – which we have been dealing with very well so far – and we shall feed these insights into our organisational planning.
