Question

Sally Athwal is an executive assistant reporting directly to the VP Sales–Retail in the Toronto office of Wilson Bros. Her job has lots of responsibility and independent decision making, and for 10 years, Sally has worked hard in her role to contribute to the retail sales performance; however, at $40,000 per year, she feels she is significantly underpaid, given her importance to her department. Sally is one of three female executive assistants reporting to VP's in the Toronto office. While she is not totally sure, she thinks that with her 10 years' experience and a stellar work record, she is probably the highest paid of that group.

She has heard the term "Equal Pay for Equal Work" and knows that it comes from the Employment Standards Act; but she doesn't find this concept helpful, since there are no male executive assistants on site to compare wages.
Sally has also heard of something called the Pay Equity Act, which is supposed to address the wage gap between her job and male dominated jobs, but she is not sure of the impact of that legislation; and she is not aware of any company policies or programs that deal with pay equity. She is pretty sure though that if her job was properly evaluated against some of the male-dominated job classes within Wilson Bros., the process would reveal a major wage discrepancy. She is well aware, for example, that just down the hall, the IT department pays their Programmer/Analysts about $80,000 per year. But they are virtually all men. She thinks her job carries far more responsibility than a Programmer/Analyst. She knocks on your door to start a discussion about raising her pay.
What is the difference between Equal Pay for Equal Work and Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value? Explain how that/those difference(s) are important for Sally's case.

Answer 1

The difference between 'Equal pay for equal work' and 'Equal pay for work of equal value' is critical for Sally's situation. The former means the same wage for identical jobs while the latter compares the value of different jobs requiring similar skills, effort, and responsibilities.

Step-by-step explanation:

Difference Between Equal Pay for Equal Work and Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value

Equal pay for equal work and equal pay for work of equal value are concepts that address wage disparities, often between genders. Equal pay for equal work requires that men and women be given the same wages for doing the same job in the same environment. This concept looks at the job title and the basic duties and ignores the complexity or the responsibility involved in different roles.

On the other hand, equal pay for work of equal value is a broader concept that argues for equal pay for jobs that may be different but require a similar level of skill, responsibility, effort, and working conditions. This is vital in assessing roles that do not have a direct counterpart of the opposite gender within the same organization. In Sally's case, as an executive assistant, she cannot make a direct comparison with a male counterpart. However, under the concept of work of equal value, her responsibilities could be compared with those of male-dominated jobs, like the Programmer/Analyst, to justify a salary that reflects the significance of her role in the company.

Sally's situation highlights the challenges women face in seeking equitable compensation when their roles do not align neatly with male-dominated positions for direct comparison. It emphasizes the importance of evaluating job worth rather than job title alone in discussions of pay equity.