When the EU Pay Transparency Directive comes into force, one thing becomes absolutely central - your job structure. A lot of people talk about reporting and the pay gap. But in practice, the whole directive rests on something more fundamental:
How do you structure your jobs and how do you compare them?
The directive requires that employees who perform the same work or work of the same value can be properly analysed. It takes more than titles. It requires structure.
Job structure is about value, not titles
A robust job structure is based on:
- Competency requirements
- Responsibilities
- Complexity
- Work effort
- Working conditions
Two roles can lie in different departments and still be of equal value.
This is where job types become crucial.
A job type is a method of dividing jobs into logical groups and typically by specialty area or function. All jobs must be associated with a job type.
If necessary, you can work with subjob types to create more precision without losing track.
Practical example: Construction and construction
Imagine a company with multiple project managers.
A Senior Project Manager is placed in:
- Job Type: Project Management
- Job: Senior Project Manager
- Associated with a fixed position code (e.g. 2512.20 Construction managers)
The role is then placed at the appropriate level in the job architecture based on:
- Budgetary responsibility
- Project Size
- Decision-making competence
- Complexity
A project manager in charge of small construction projects will naturally be different from a project manager in charge of large turnkey contracts - even if the title is the same.
When the salary is recorded in the system, it is directly connected to this structure. Thus, HR can analyze salary differences within this particular job type and document differences objectively.
How to get started?
Salary transparency doesn't start with reporting.
It starts with data and structure.
- Get paid into the system
- Define and structure your job types
- Place all jobs correctly
- Associate relevant position codes
- Adjust with subjob types if necessary
Once the structure is in place, the analysis runs from there.
Structure before reporting
The directive requires that differences in pay be analysed within groups of employees who perform the same work or work of the same value.
If the job types are too broad, the analysis loses precision.
If they are too narrow, you lose track of them.
The proper structure makes it possible to:
- Indicate the average salary correctly
- Documenting differences over 5%
- Support a substantive dialogue between manager and employee
From regulatory requirements to management tools
A well-thought-out job structure creates:
- Clarity in pay talks
- Relationship between role and development
- Less person-dependent negotiation
- Greater confidence
Without structure it becomes salary transparency administratively heavy.
With structure, it becomes manageable and strategically applicable.
And when salary, job types, and responsibilities are related, the rest actually run from there in Mindkey. Come along to our Webinar on March 10 - if you want to know more.
The 3 main takeaways
Pay transparency starts with job structure.
Without clear job types and responsibilities, pay differences cannot be properly analyzed or explained.
Data and structure before reporting.
Get salary linked to the right job types, and documentation becomes a natural part of everyday life.
The right structure makes compliance strategic.
When jobs and pay are linked, pay transparency becomes a tool for clarity, dialogue and better management, and not just a legal requirement.
