Dive Brief:

• More than half of surveyed women in revenue-facing roles, including those in marketing, sales, operations and customer success, cited healthcare benefits, flexible hours and work-from-home options as among their most sought after employee benefits, according to a March report by Women in Revenue.
• Additionally, many respondents cited transparent compensation information as a desirable perk that could attract and retain them, Women in Revenue said. The organization, which surveyed more than 725 of its members, also noted that respondents ranked compensation as one of their top challenges.
• Respondents said compensation transparency and equity, mentorship and supporting healthier work-life balance were all areas "where companies must do more," per the report. Fewer than one-third of women surveyed said they had a mentor.

Dive Insight:

The results may be supported by research on employees and their compensation concerns during the pandemic. In a January report, Indeed found one-third of U.S. workers surveyed said their earning potential was severely impacted by COVID-19. Transparency impacted most respondents' job searches, too; 68% said they would be more likely to apply for a job if it listed a salary range.

Employees also may be more hesitant to ask for a raise during the pandemic, according to a separate Indeed report released in March. The job board found that 74% of men surveyed were comfortable asking for a raise during the pandemic, compared to 58% of women, although both cohorts reported decreased comfort doing so compared to pre-pandemic.

In either case, negotiation may not be as effective in addressing the gender wage gap as measures taken to increase pay transparency, according to a December 2020 working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

U.S. legislators have attempted to address pay gaps through a spread of legislation at different levels of government. In Congress, the Paycheck Fairness Act, a Democrat-backed proposal, would limit certain employer defenses in wage discrimination claims and increase civil penalties for equal pay violations, among other provisions. From a regulatory standpoint, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's EEO-1 Component 2 data collection has halted since the completion of 2017 and 2018 fiscal year reporting, though that could soon change, former EEOC Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic said in February.

In California, the deadline is soon approaching for certain employers in the state to report pay data to the state's Department of Fair Employment and Housing on March 31.

Despite progress, these and other state efforts to address pay inequality have not entirely corrected existing gaps. In some cases, progress has stalled, according to a Syndio and Fair Pay Workplace report published earlier this month. The report suggested additional measures that could be included in pay equity legislation, such as providing guidance on neutral, position-related pay policies.

In addition to improving pay transparency, employers could also focus on the particular issues faced by women and underrepresented groups during the pandemic in part by establishing workplace sponsorship programs, sources previously told HR Dive. Such programs can help to ensure employees voices are more broadly heard and support career development.