“Signing this pledge is yet another way for us to demonstrate our deep and continued commitment to equal pay,” reads the Estée Lauder press release announcing the company’s participation in the White House pledge. “As a Company founded by a pioneering entrepreneur, Mrs. Estée Lauder, we are proud to continue her legacy of empowering women, supporting families and promoting equality.”
Top talent
A statement from the Office of The White House Press Secretary points out that “Equal Pay has been an Administration priority since President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law as his first piece of legislation.” And the statement goes on to emphasize that, “policies that ensure fair pay for all Americans and that help businesses to attract the strongest talent can not only narrow the pay gap, but also boost productivity and benefit our economy.”
Industry leaders
When President Barak Obama first announced the pledge at this year’s United State of Women summit in June, only two cosmetic and personal care industry leaders signed on: L’Oréal USA and Johnson & Johnson, as Cosmetics Design reported.
Explaining his company’s decision to get involved, Frédéric Rozé, CEO of L’Oréal Americas, told the press at the time that “L’Oréal believes that a diversified and fulfilled workforce will only strengthen our creativity, allowing us to understand our consumers better and enable us to develop the most innovative products for them.”
Now and next
Going forward, an independent business consortium (of which L’Oréal USA is a part) in partnership with Simmons College of Boston, Massachusetts, will “work to establish pay equity as a best business practice and a means to grow a more equitable workforce for all Americans,” as the statement explains.
The Employers for Pay Equity consortium was established by President Obama at the United State of Women summit and comprises 23 of the original signatories of the Equal Pay Pledge.
For now, the companies signed on to the pledge have agreed to:
- Acknowledging the critical role businesses must play in reducing the national pay gap.
- Conduct an annual company-wide gender pay analysis across occupations.
- Review hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers.
- Embed equal pay efforts into broader enterprise-wide equity initiatives.
- Take these steps as well as identify and promote other best practices that will close the national wage gap to ensure fundamental fairness for all workers.
The current White House invites other companies and businesses to sign the pledge here.