What Will the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Publish in 2025? A Practical Guide to Help Organisations Prepare.
Over the past few years, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has expanded its reporting insights to provide richer, more comprehensive data in a quest to reduce our national and corporate gender pay gaps (GPGs). On March 4, 2025, WGEA will release the latest set of employer data (from the 2023-24 reporting period), and this year, it includes several new metrics that go beyond what we’ve previously seen.
For reporting organisations, this release presents an opportunity to reflect on their gender equality progress and communicate the results effectively to their people and stakeholders. Let’s explore what WGEA will publish and how employers can use this data and opportunity to drive meaningful change.
What Will WGEA Publish in 2025?
WGEA’s upcoming employer gender pay gap release will include more data than ever before. The new data aims to provide a clearer picture of GPGs across organisations. Below is what you can expect to see:
🟣 Average Total Remuneration Employer Gender Pay Gaps (New) This measures the average total earnings for men and women, including bonuses, allowances, and other financial benefits. This data was collected in previous years, but as CEO remuneration was optional input, it was not published last year as there would be widespread data inconsistencies.
🟣 Average Base Salary Employer Gender Pay Gaps (New) This metric focuses on base salaries, excluding additional benefits. It highlights disparities in fixed pay structures.
🟣 Median Total Remuneration Employer Gender Pay Gaps The median pay gap considers the middle point of total remuneration for men and women. This helps reduce the impact of outliers.
🟣 Median Base Salary Employer Gender Pay Gaps Similar to the median total remuneration gap but focusing solely on base salaries.
🟣 Gender Composition by Pay Quartile This shows the distribution of men and women across different pay quartiles, revealing representation in lower, middle, and upper pay bands.
🟣 Average Remuneration by Pay Quartile (New) This metric details the aggregated average earnings for men and women within each of the four pay quartiles. This will offer more insights into pay across levels within your organisation. For many businesses, this will most likely be the first time this data has been visible to all employees.
🟣 Links to Voluntary Employer Statements Since 2024, organisations now have the opportunity to provide voluntary statements that contextualise their results and outline their plans for addressing gender pay gaps. This allows companies to demonstrate progress, accountability and commitment to improvement. More on this below...
The Value of Employer Statements
One of the most beneficial additions to the WGEA’s reporting last year was the inclusion of voluntary Employer Statements. These statements provide organisations with a platform to explain their results, contextualise disparities, and share their action plans. It's a golden opportunity, and one organisation should not miss out on. Here are some of the reasons why including an employer statement is a good idea:
➡️ Reinforces Leadership Accountability: A statement from senior leadership signals that gender equality is a top priority and that leaders are committed to driving change.
➡️ Humanises the Data: Beyond the numbers, an employer statement offers an opportunity to share the organisation’s values, challenges, and vision for a more equitable future.
➡️ Builds Trust and Credibility: Transparency fosters trust. Employees and stakeholders are more likely to believe in an organisation’s commitment to equity when leadership acknowledges gaps and outlines clear plans to address them.
➡️ Encourages Collective Action: A comprehensive statement can inspire employees to participate in gender equality initiatives, fostering a sense of shared responsibility.
Prepare to Share: Our Top Tips for Communicating your Data
WGEA’s 2025 release is not just about compliance — it’s an opportunity for organisations to strengthen their culture and build trust. Below are our top tips to help you share your story:
✅ Understand the Key Metrics
Before sharing your results, ensure you have a clear understanding of the metrics and what it means for your business.
Mean Gender Pay Gap: This is a new metric for employers this time around. Now that CEO remuneration is included, it is worth understanding the impact and drivers of your mean GPG, particularly if it trends up from the median. If you’d like to understand more on the difference between the mean and median pay gap – head to our previous article to learn more.
Median Gender Pay Gap: This was published in 2024 and it will be important to understand the YOY changes. Did it improve? If so, how did you achieve it? Did in regress? If so, why, and what is the organisation doing about it?
Pay Quartiles: What did your pay quartiles tell you about your data? If there are any interesting insights, it’s worth communicating on this, too. Remember, it will be transparent for anyone to see, so providing a narrative on it could be a good way of leaning into the data.
✅ Prepare Your Communications Plan
Develop a clear and consistent plan to share your results, and ensure you engage the right people to help share the message. Last year, I heard many examples from companies who wished they had done this better. Being clear on the comms, engaging leadership, and leveraging key people is key to nailing your comms plan.
As a minimum – you should consider:
Key Messages: Summarise the main points you want to communicate, such as your overall gender pay gap figures, the reasons behind any disparities, and your action plan for improvement.
Audience Segmentation: Tailor your messaging to different groups within your organisation. For example, managers might require a more detailed view to understand their role in driving change.
Channels of Communication: Use a mix of channels to ensure your message reaches everyone. This could include town hall meetings, email updates, your company intranet, or team-level discussions.
✅ Present the Results Clearly
Transparency is key, but how you present the data matters. Below are some suggestions to bring your results to life:
Visualise the Data: Use clear charts or graphs to help convey the data effectively. It will make the data more accessible and engaging.
Provide Context: Explain what the numbers mean and why they matter. For example, clarify how the gender pay gap reflects differences from a base salary and total remuneration perspective. It could be an opportune time to explain how your pay practices work and note if specific variables contribute to the pay gap. For example, if your total remuneration pay gap is significantly higher than the base pay gap, is it because of overtime? Or commission? Or maybe it’s your incentive plan? Leaning into this will help build trust and demonstrate your commitment to addressing it.
Acknowledge Limitations: Be honest about the limitations of the data. These are headline figures of an unadjusted gender pay gap. To understand the data drivers, you’ll need to undertake robust analysis to be specific on the contributing variables to address them.
✅ Encourage Open Dialogue
After sharing the results, create opportunities for employees to ask questions and share feedback. This could include:
Q&A Sessions: Host live or virtual sessions where employees can ask questions about the data and your plans for improvement.
Anonymous Feedback Channels: Provide a way for employees to share their thoughts anonymously, which can help surface concerns or ideas that might not come up in public forums. A survey could be a good option here.
Team Discussions: Encourage managers to facilitate team-level conversations about the results, what they mean, and how they can contribute to ongoing work on the topic. It could be a great development opportunity for team members.
✅ Share Your Action Plan
It’s not enough to simply present the data and close the book until next year; you need to show how you plan to address any gaps or disparities. Outline your next steps, which might include:
Pay Equity Analysis: Commit to regular analysis to identify and address any discrepancies in pay. Ask how equidi can help you with this!
Career Development Programs: Invest in programs to prepare women and other underrepresented groups for broader or more senior opportunities.
Policy Changes: Review and update your policies related to pay, promotions, leave and flexible work arrangements to ensure they support equity.
Targeted Talent Attraction Initiatives: Focus on attracting a more diverse talent pool for underrepresented roles in your business.
Ongoing Updates: Agree to ongoing updates on your progress regularly. Find the cadence that works for your business - and commit to it.
⏰ March 4 is just around the corner - we hope this guide helps to put your plans into action. If you want to learn more about how to accelerate your organisation's progress, then reach out to me today! We only have a few slots left for our advisory running into this busy period!
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