SALT LAKE CITY (November 30, 2018) – Today the Salt Lake Chamber, Utah’s largest and longest-serving statewide business association, along with the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) released the “Best Practices Guide for Closing the Gender Wage Gap.”  This guidebook, which is the result of months of research and input gathering from Utah’s business community, is full of policies, programs and actions companies can implement to help close the gender wage gap. According to the American Association of University Women, when it comes to equal compensation, Utah is the worst state in the nation for the gender wage gap.

“We know that no business leader sets out to intentionally pay female employees less than their male counterparts. However, the gap exists and, despite our best intentions, persists,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Our hope is that companies and individual business owners use this document to identify areas where they can improve and create individualized plans for closing the gender pay gap within their own organization. While we know the gender pay gap will not be fixed in one day, with one resource, policy change, or training, every step we take in the right direction gets us closer to closing the gap.”

The “Best Practices Guide for Closing the Gender Wage Gap,” is divided into five sections: Evaluation, Education, Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. These five sections work together and build upon each other, listing actions that businesses can take in the short-term and policies that can be adopted over time.

“We have an amazing opportunity before us to be leaders in closing the gender wage gap,” said Patricia Jones, CEO of the Women’s Leadership Institute. “We believe members of Utah’s business community are willing and able to not only take the necessary steps to ensure the work Utah women perform is valued fairly, but also prove that we can be leaders in creating solutions that result in an equitable pay environment.”

For more information, or to get a digital copy of the “Best Practices Guide for Closing the Gender Wage Gap,” visit, slchamber.com/wagegap or wliut.com/wagegap

 

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