Get Certified,
Get Ahead

Fair Pay Workplace certification takes a holistic approach to pay equity. We evaluate your current pay scales, systems, and infrastructure to discover root causes and then partner with you to design an annual pay equity action plan to effect meaningful, measurable change.

From who is employed to how your organization is structured, Fair Pay Workplace Certification will examine how you work to identify an equitable way forward. Simply put, Fair Pay Workplace Certification is a verified, trusted, and transparent system that sets a new standard that is transparent and trusted for both employers and employees.

Motivations to Get Certified

Live Equity

Becoming a Certified Fair Pay Workplace sends a clear message about your company: you care about your people and you are committed to a more equitable future for all with your demonstrated pay equity actions.

“Customers, investors and employees are asking the people they work or do business with to demonstrate their commitment to fairness in the workplace. While many organizations are publishing aggregated statistics in Sustainability Reports, these disclosures provide only a small window into understanding an organization's commitment. Fair Pay Workplace Certification provides transparency for companies doing equity right.”

Nancy Romanyshyn
Willis Towers Watson, former Director of Talent & Rewards

Attract Talent

Now, more than ever, top talent are looking for concrete proof of a commitment to equity before engaging with your brand. Fair Pay Workplace Certification not only attracts high-performing employees; it also helps build a culture that can retain them for the long term.

“Today’s workforce values transparency and fairness. They want assurance that their coworkers are receiving the same pay for the same work and level of experience.”

Charmien Fugelsang
Vimeo, former VP Talent

Build Community

Grow Your Business

People make decisions on where to spend their money and what brands to support based on shared values. Being a Certified Fair Pay Workplace organization builds customer trust and confidence, and drives decision making.

“‘Show. Don't tell.’ Strong, authentic core values are foundational for any company, but consumers today are savvy. Failure to live by your values can sever trust with your customer and affect your business. It's important to show that you are living up to your promises, and becoming certified by Fair Pay Workplace is one of the best ways to demonstrate your commitment to pay equity.”

Katie Curnutte
Zillow, former SVP of Communications and Public Affairs and Partner, Kingston Marketing Group

Strengthen Your Brand

Let the world know that you believe in the future of fair pay. Fair Pay Workplace Certification is third-party verified and instantly communicates your brand is dedicated to making an impact on people’s lives and livelihood in ways that truly matter.

“Organizations need certification because not all pay equity analyses are created equal. Some methodologies allow companies to easily cook the books—and it's almost never obvious who is doing their analysis correctly. Until now, there hasn't been a single entity that validates the pay equity work is being done accurately and fairly.”

Dr. Mae McDonnell
Wharton, Professor of Management

Mission First

Fair Pay Workplace Certification is a way to strengthen your mission by providing a strong legal framework that can protect your company through times of growth, transition and transformation.

“I'd rather remove the cognitive load for employees by setting up a system that is transparent and equitable than them having to spend time worrying about whether or not they are valued and treated fairly. Employees want to join an organization to do great work and not question their worth, let's take that question off the table.”

Brandon Gordon
Director of People & Culture, StitchFix

Steps to Certification

A trusted program with a straightforward process that typically takes 6-12 weeks to complete.

Step 01

Review Pay Equity Analysis

We confidentially review workforce and compensation data in your pay equity analysis.

Step 02

Understand Pay Discrepancies

Together, we discuss underlying causes for any pay inequity found.

Step 03

Create Tailored Action Plan

With you, we make an Action Plan unique to and feasible for your company.

Step 04

Agree To Plan and Certification

Once you agree to carry out the steps within your Action Plan, your company will be a Certified Fair Pay Workplace.

Step 05

Share Your Certification

We will provide you with Brand and Communications Guidelines full of resources to communicate this milestone with your internal and external stakeholders.

Step 06

Undertake Annual Review Process

Once certified, you will have periodic progress check-ins with your Pay Equity Advisor.

Download Certification Guide

Rules and Standards

Companies are measured against a set of Rules and Standards defined by a group of leading experts from forward-thinking corporations, academia, human resources, data science, DEI and the legal field. These guidelines lay the foundation for a transparent and trusted criteria assessment based on the endorsed methodology of the Fair Pay Workplace to certify an organization.

Read the Standards

Read the Updates

Annual Certification Fee

The cost of certification varies and depends on the total number of employees in your organization, the state of your pay data and other factors. We are your partner in pay equity and will do everything we can to ensure the certification fee fits within your budget.

Fair Pay Workplace Certification costs come from three areas:

Certification and Standards: most of the annual fee covers costs associated with certification including expenses related to our pay equity advisor team performing the analysis and supporting companies on an ongoing basis.
Brand and Communications: a percentage of the fee goes toward building and maintaining useful resources for organizations to tell their pay equity story and amplify their brand. We also offer PR support for organizations who seek it.
Community and Movement Building: we are building a progressive global community of organizations and individuals committed to pay equity. We are also building awareness around pay equity and solutions that exist to create fairness at work for all people through articles, reports, white papers, and events.

Certification FAQs

Everything you wanted to know about Fair Pay Workplace Certification. For additional questions, please email us directly at info@fairpayworkplace.org.

What is Fair Pay Workplace Certification?

Fair Pay Workplace Certification recognizes organizations dedicated to true pay equity using a transparent and standardized methodology to measure compensation comparisons across gender, race and ethnicity. The methodology was developed by an Alliance of experts and offers the decisive measures necessary to enable real progress towards fair pay in today’s workplaces.

Learn about the Alliance

What is Fair Pay Workplace Certification working to solve?

Not all methodologies used to claim pay equity are created equal. Without one standard of measurement, companies can boast fair pay with a simple pledge or adoption of a methodology that leads to a less than fair outcome. Fair Pay Workplace is working to standardize the methodology used and add transparency to an organization’s pay equity achievements.

Methodology White Paper

Do I need to show proof of having achieved pay equity based on the Rules and Standards before getting certified?

To be a Certified Fair Pay Workplace means an organization has committed to adopting the tailored action plan developed by the Fair Pay Workplace Pay Equity Advisors who conducted the company’s pay equity review. The tailored action plan has clear goals and timing expectations that companies follow with ongoing support and check-ins from their advisor.

Steps to Certification

Can global employers receive certification?

Yes, organizations with employees in multiple countries can receive certification. The Pay Equity Review allows global employers to group and compare compensation from employees based on their country of residence.

Are employers obligated to take any external actions upon receiving certification?

Yes. Certified organizations are required to share a link on their website with an externally facing statement about their compliance with Fair Pay Workplace Rules and Standards. Everything organizations do to communicate their pay equity efforts amplifies their brand and empowers others to get certified.

How will people know my company is certified?

Certified companies receive a Brand and Communications Guidelines, which contain a variety of resources to empower companies to share this important milestone with internal and external stakeholders.

Is all of the data and planning documentation submitted secure?

Yes. The first phase of the certification process is completing three legal agreements: MNDA, MSA and Data Privacy and Processing.

What organizations have been certified to date?

The following organizations have made a commitment to long-term pay equity and have been awarded certification by Fair Pay Workplace:

American Airlines
Bankers Healthcare Group
BMC
British American Tobacco
Bungie
CIS Security
City of Colorado Springs
Databricks
Elevance Health
Forsman & Bodenfors

Graco
Medallia
NerdWallet
One Trust
Sellen Construction
Snowflake
Tenable
University of California, Irvine
Udemy
Victoria’s Secret

For More Information

Get Certified,
Get Ahead

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Motivations to Get Certified