Littler law firm introduces tool to help employers assess risk
Employment and labor law practice firm Littler announced the expansion of the Littler Pay Equity Assessment tool into the Puerto Rico market.
The service analyzes compensation data and helps employers assess risk and proactively identify solutions to address the needs of Puerto Rico employers. It will also aid in compliance with local guidelines governing equal pay in the workplace, company officials said.
The Littler Pay Equity Assessment measures compensation differences between demographic groups, identifies those that are statistically significant, and determines the extent to which these differences reflect legitimate business considerations.
In a privileged context, Littler can assist employers generate an audit and create a record of the criteria that drives a company’s compensation system and distinctions among employees that explain any disparities.
Organizations can access the results of the assessment in a user-friendly dashboard that provides deep and concise examinations of compensation data, executives added.
“This platform has been tremendously effective in quickly and comprehensively analyzing pay data and providing actionable insights that help employers mitigate litigation risk and guide compensation-related decisions,” said Aaron Crews, Littler’s chief data analytics officer.
“We believe that these types of data-driven solutions — which combine our depth of employment law experience with proprietary technology — are critical to serving the needs of today’s organizations. We are excited to further expand our data capabilities and offer this solution to employers in Puerto Rico,” he said.
On March 8, 2017, Puerto Rico enacted Act 16, creating the Puerto Rico Equal Pay Act, which prohibits, pay discrimination based on sex.
Employers that violate the Act must pay the total amount of the employee’s salary, plus an amount equal to what he or she has not received, as well as additional fees and costs.
However, employers can avoid additional penalties by showing that they have conducted self-audits of compensation practices and made reasonable progress in eliminating wage differences based on sex within the year prior to the wage claim.
“Conducting audits and assessments to comply with Puerto Rico’s pay equity laws can be a daunting and time-consuming task,” said Erika Berríos and Pedro Busó-García, capital members in Littler’s Puerto Rico office, in a joint statement.
“Through this tool and our team of lawyers with extensive experience counseling on compliance with local pay equity laws, we are able to offer clients an effective and efficient solution to approaching this important issue,” they said. “Our goal is to ensure that our clients are in full compliance with local and federal laws and regulations.”
