We started 2016 with an event on Women and Salary Negotiations. The lesson learned is to negotiate when you are starting a job with a new employer.

What if you are already in a company and interested to understand how your pay compares with others? Let's see how to be sure your contribution to the company and your work for it is fully recognized and reflected in you salary.

The principle of equal pay for women and men is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and in the Gender Equality Act. Men and women should be equally remunerated for equal and equivalent work. And yet there are still great differences in pay in Switzerland. On average, women earn 15% less than men (2014). Part of this gap is due to non-explained factors.

Women in managerial positions even earn up to 22% less than men. In 2014, women in these positions earned an average gross salary of 8,221 francs while men in the same position earned 10,553 francs.

As an employee, you need to know if you are paid fairly. Two tools allow you to check that:

http://www.lohnrechner.ch/fairpay/branche.php?l=F

https://www.gate.bfs.admin.ch/salarium/public/index.html#/start

If you are an employer, you might want to understand if you treat your employees equally, whether men or women. Logib is the equal pay self-test tool that will help you achieve gender equality for the benefit of your company:

http://www.ebg.admin.ch/dienstleistungen/00017/?lang=enhttp://www.ebg.admin.ch/dienstleistungen/00017/?lang=en

Article contributed by Chokoufeh Samii, OWIT LG Administrator and Volunteer