The Green 2.0 Pay Equity Pledge is a campaign to increase pay equity for staff at environmental organizations. Organizations that take the pledge demonstrate a commitment to anti-discrimination and equal opportunity for all. Research demonstrates existing wage gaps mean that women and people of color make significantly less than their peers, and the gaps are wider for women of color, who are most impacted by this issue.
This month we asked experts in the environmental and legal fields to tell us more about why pay equity is mission critical and an organizational must. Read their responses below!
Tammi Burnett, Director, People & Culture, Rainforest Action Network
RAN has dedicated considerable resources over the years to building our organizational culture initiatives and pay equity has been a high priority. Being able to hire and retain excellent staff is a core organizational need, and an important way that we try to live our values is for RAN’s staff to feel valued and supported across a variety of markers, including compensation.
The parameters of the Green 2.0 Pay Equity Pledge gave us a great framework to audit and analyze our pay practices objectively, taking away guesswork or “vibes,” and allowing us to move toward greater accountability and transparency. It also helped us to proactively identify and correct for common pay problems like gender gaps and ensure that our staff are compensated based on a level playing field. We’re so proud of our compensation practices and encourage other organizations to take the pledge!
Christopher Wilkinson, Senior Counsel, Ashurst Perkins Coie
From a legal perspective, compliant pay equity practices are central to organizational fairness. Discrimination and pay equity laws set complex requirements that mandate racial and gender equity in pay among similar or equal jobs. And the legitimate reasons for pay differences vary significantly depending on the relevant jurisdiction. Evaluations of pay go a long way toward meeting those legal obligations and avoiding legal claims. Done right, these evaluations also reveal whether hidden biases and assumptions exist within an organization’s culture and identify strategies to meet those challenges head-on. As a result, organizations can strengthen internal fairness and focus on solving the planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
To learn more about Green 2.0’s Pay Equity Pledge campaign, click here.
