Leanne Metcalfe shares tips for International Equal Pay Day

When we asked our DFSA board members to choose a topic that resonated with them, Aon’s Leanne Metcalfe selected International Equal Pay Day (observed September 18) and shares how women can advocate for themselves:

I was inspired to write about International Equal Pay Day because I mentor a lot of women, and the themes seem to be the same: most women are great managers and will fight for their team, but do not negotiate well for themselves.

Today is a day of empowerment, a day to take an honest look at one's accomplishments, understand where you have improved, where you've done well, and what your contributions mean to your team and organization.

Advice for women looking to advance their own economic growth

1. Do your research.

What is the current pay rate for your position in your industry (pay scales can vary by industry so it's important to understand how much this skill set gets paid in your industry).

2. Get mentors.

Men, women, different races, mentors across different positions. How do they see their accomplishments? How did they position it? How do they see your accomplishments? How can they help you gather your notes for your presentation to your leadership?

Proactive measures women can take towards wage equality

• Always stay current in your skill set. Women can be overlooked earlier than their male counterparts when they are less up to date.

• Be sure that you are not left out of the conversation. Being a woman in tech, I've seen where men will talk to each other about new technologies and will sometimes forget to include the women in those conversations. Be relevant and be present so that they can't forget you and know that you are also up to date.

• Keep track of your accomplishments. The big win from February can be forgotten by your December review time, so be sure to keep a running list so that you list all your accomplishments, not just the most recent.

Diverse perspectives help drive innovation in organizations. By underpaying or undervaluing a huge demographic in any organization you could be shortchanging some huge wins for your company.

“Don’t wait until your annual review. Socialize early and often what you want out of your career, ask for feedback along the way, and use proof points to make your case. After working many years in the tech industry, I was skilled at aggressively advocating for my employer, but less willing to advocate for myself." - Nicole Anasenes, Former CFO of Ansys