Globally certified: Wintershall Dea is an EQUAL-SALARY EMPLOYER

In the pursuit of better diversity, inclusion and equality, one pivotal question that companies need to consider is: Do we have a gender pay gap? Wintershall Dea investigated this question and have since initiated and completed out a 12-month certification process with the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Learn more from Petra Angstmann, Senior Vice President Global Human Resources and responsible for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Wintershall Dea.

The process began in 2021 and included salary analyses, surveys, focus group discussions and interviews with employees, followed by verification of the salary data. The EQUAL-SALARY employer certification was carried out as part of an audit by PwC, who followed the methodology prescribed by the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation.

My experience has shown that the effort required for an Equal Salary Analysis should not be underestimated. As well as receiving a budget and time resources for the HR team, we have transparently embedded the process into our internal corporate communications, enabling us to answer the many questions that arise from managers and employees.

I was extremely pleased with the result, because it proves there is no gender pay gap at Wintershall Dea. By promoting the principle of equal pay, our company is supporting social change, positioning ourselves as a modern employer for new talent and emphasising the constant realisation of our diversity strategy according to the maxim „walk the talk“. The auditors were particularly impressed by the existing principle of equal pay as well as the globally applicable human resources strategy and its integration into the company’s objectives.

For Wintershall Dea the process of global certification is ongoing. During 2023 and 2024, a continuous review will be carried out by PwC in order to regularly reconfirm according to the criteria for award of certification and to eliminate any possibility of future gender pay gaps.

The non-profit EQUAL-SALARY Foundation, established in 2010, has created a certification that allows companies to prove they pay their female and male employees equally for the same job or for equivalent tasks. The certification process was developed in cooperation with the University of Geneva, an institution that specialises in labour market issues, and with leading global auditing firms. The European Commission recognises EQUAL-SALARY as a method that audits equal treatment of men and women in terms of pay and gender equality. (EU Report 2021, Tackling the gender pay gap in the European Union).