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About COMPASS-W

Identification of equal work and work of equal value made easy.

woman selecting cards

What is COMPASS-W?

COMPASS-W is a web application that enables companies to identify equal work and work of equal value for their jobs. The aim is to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular in the non-discriminatory assessment of activities. Such an assessment is the basis for implementing the principle of equal pay in practice, according to which all employees should receive equal pay for equal work and work of equal value, regardless of their gender. The low-threshold and free COMPASS-W application supports companies in non-discriminatory job evaluation and thus also contributes to the reduction of gender-specific pay differences in existing pay structures. COMPASS-W is being developed in a joint project between the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and INES Analytics GmbH and is funded by the European Union.

What is COMPASS-W based on?

COMPASS-W is based on the further development of known instruments for the non-discriminatory assessment of jobs, including the pair comparison in the Equal Pay Check (eg-check.de) and the Comparable Worth Index (CWI)*. As part of COMPASS-W, a representative employee survey of at least 30,000 people is carried out and a scientifically based job evaluation is implemented. Based on the data collected, a new index for work of equal value (IngA) will be developed and integrated into the COMPASS-W web application. Each activity can thus be assigned a scientifically based value. IngA is closely aligned with the requirements of the Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970, which stipulates that four main criteria (competences, workload, responsibility and working conditions) must be taken into account when evaluating activities.

*Klammer, Ute, Christina Klenner und Sarah Lillemeier (2018): „Comparable worth“. Arbeitsbewertungen als blinder Fleck in der Ursachenanalyse des Gender Pay Gaps? Duisburg: Institut Arbeit und Qualifikation. IAQ-Forschung, 2018-04. Und Klammer, Ute et al (2022) „Evaluative Diskriminierung“: Arbeitsbewertung als blinder Fleck in der Analyse des Gender Pay Gap. In: Köln Z Soziol (2022) 74:233–258.

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Female and Male colleague working on a computer
Female engineer doing 3D modeling

Data security is a top priority

The COMPASS-W web application focuses on simple and low-threshold operation, maximum data security, easy comprehensibility and practicability. Companies only need the existing job codes from the social insurance registration procedure and receive information on a non-discriminatory assessment of requirements and workloads for each job in their company at the touch of a button. The classification is completely anonymous, as neither personnel data nor other information from the companies has to be passed on and stored.

Legal background

The Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970 (ETRD) came into force in June 2023. The aim of the directive is to put into practice the principle of equal pay for all employees, regardless of gender, for equal work or work of equal value. Article 11 of the ETRL stipulates that companies with fewer than 250 employees are to be supported in the implementation of the directive through technical assistance. In addition, Article 4 (2) of the ETRL stipulates that non-discriminatory analytical tools must be made easily accessible. The free and easily accessible web application COMPASS-W is intended to support the implementation of the ETRL.

team meeting with a female in foreground

The Gender Pay Gap

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the gender pay gap in Germany remains at 18% and has barely changed in the last 15 years. This means that Germany is still well above the EU average of 13%. Even for comparable jobs, qualifications and employment histories, women receive an average of 6% less per hour than their male colleagues (Destatis, 2024). One reason for the pay gap is non-transparent and outdated pay structures as well as insufficient knowledge about the scope of the equal pay principle. For many companies, it is also a challenge to define work of equal value. Overall, the COMPASS-W web application strengthens knowledge and expertise on the principle of equal pay and thus promotes gender-neutral pay systems and structures. It thus makes a contribution to the promotion of equal pay between the genders, especially for small and medium-sized companies.

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Contact

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact us at the following email address:

COMPASS-W is being developed in a joint project between the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and INES Analytics GmbH and is funded by the European Union.
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Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the BMFSFJ. Neither the European Union nor the BMFSFJ can be held responsible for them.
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