Pay transparency for employers, from first audit to signed-off report
A complete kit for HR directors, reward leads and founders preparing for the EU Pay Transparency Directive, US and Canadian pay range laws and UK, Australian and New Zealand pay gap rules.
- A 22-sheet Pay Transparency Workbook: self-assessment, job evaluation, bands, pay gap indicators, category gaps, remediation, evidence register and a dashboard with five charts
- Five fillable forms (14 pages): job evaluation, justification review, joint pay assessment, information requests, and advert and offer checks
- Brand-ready Word templates: policy and procedures, leadership sign-off memo, pay gap report, 40 messages and scripts, 26 AI prompts and a worked example
- A business-case calculator, a dated rules-by-country sheet, a 45-minute manager briefing with a 14-question LMS-ready knowledge check, and a 90-day calendar
The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 315 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How should an employer prepare for pay transparency laws?
Map each employing entity to its rules, score your readiness, put every job in a family and level using gender-neutral job evaluation, build salary bands, calculate mean, median, quartile and category pay gaps, explain or correct gaps, show ranges in adverts, answer information requests, brief managers and keep evidence. The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit from Bodhih Training gives you every file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Prepare for Pay Transparency Laws: An Employer's Guide (2026).
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Nobody knows which rules apply
Three entities, three countries, laws still being adopted. You need a map of who owes what, with a date on every source.
The gap number lands without context
A headline gap appears on a dashboard and the board panics or shrugs. You need to see how much is composition and how much is unequal pay for equal work.
Jobs and pay grew up by negotiation
Titles invented to close offers, no levels, no bands. You cannot compare equal work until you can say what the work is.
Managers are about to be asked hard questions
Why is the new hire paid more? What do my colleagues earn? Without bands, criteria and talking points, every answer is a risk.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine the first steering group meeting. You open the Pay Transparency Workbook, put the self-assessment on the screen and let everyone score sixteen practices in silence. Twenty minutes later you have an honest baseline and three priorities, and the conversation is about what to do, not whether to start.
As you paste the payroll extract into the Pay data sheet, the gap indicators, quartiles and category gaps calculate in front of you. You can see at once whether the headline is mostly about who sits where, and which levels need a closer look.
When a category comes out at or over the threshold, you open the justification review form, test each reason against four plain questions, type the explained points into the workbook and see the projected gap after the increases you propose. The memo to your executive team almost writes itself.
Whether you start with the Start-here map tonight or the self-assessment at your next leadership meeting, the next step is small and the file for it is already open.
23 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start-here map
The job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box.
Pay Transparency Workbook
22-sheet master workbook: settings, maturity self-assessment, job evaluation, salary bands, pay data, quartiles, gap indicators, category gaps with explained and unexplained gaps, remediation, advert checks, information requests, evidence register, RACI, 90-day roadmap, decision log, jurisdiction crosswalk, sources register, glossary, What changed log and a dashboard with five charts and traffic lights.
Business-Case Calculator
Six-sheet calculator: your estimates, programme cost by activity and role, risk exposure ranges, three options (do nothing, minimum compliance, do it well) and a dashboard with three charts.
Job Evaluation and Levelling Form
Score one job on skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, record the evidence, check for bias and agree the level as a panel.
Pay Gap Justification Review Form
Test whether a category gap at or over the threshold is explained by objective, gender-neutral factors, and record the explained and unexplained parts.
Joint Pay Assessment Record
Run and record a joint pay assessment with employee representatives: trigger, people, analysis by category, reasons, measures, timeline and monitoring.
Right-to-Information Request and Response Form
Log a worker's written request for pay information, prepare the answer within the time your law allows, protect small groups and record the reply.
Job Advert, Offer and Pay Exception Forms
A pre-posting check for every advert, and an approval form for any offer or pay decision outside the band.
Pay Transparency Policy and Procedure Starter
A brand-ready policy with procedures for job evaluation, pay setting, progression, recruitment, information requests, reporting, correcting gaps and data protection.
Leadership Sign-Off Memo and Decision Paper
A one-page decision memo for the executive team (programme, budget, steering group) plus a yearly report sign-off page.
Pay Transparency Message Library
40 ready-to-adapt emails, letters, scripts and manager talking points for leaders, employee representatives, staff, candidates, agencies and information requests.
Pay Gap Report and Narrative Template
A brand-ready pay gap report: leader's statement, the indicators, what they mean, equal-work categories, actions, method and sign-off.
Worked example pack: Halvane Software and Services
The kit's main files completed for one fictional 380-person company in France, Germany and the UK: self-assessment, a job evaluation, gap indicators, justification reviews, remediation, an information request, advert checks, the business case and sign-off.
AI Prompt Pack for Pay Transparency
26 tool-agnostic prompts by step of the job, each with what to paste in, what to check, and four human-review rules for pay data.
Team Briefing: 45-Minute Session Plan and Answer Key
A 45-minute manager briefing with timings, materials and facilitator notes, plus a printable answer key for the 14-question knowledge check.
Numbers that matter
Fourteen numbers the programme runs on: plain-words definition, exact formula, where each lives in the workbook and what to do if it moves.
Rules by country (dated November 2026)
The EU Directive, member-state status, the UK, US states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India in plain words, dated and pointing to official sources.
Job advert decision card and ten mistakes
If-this-then-that rules for adverts, offers and exceptions, plus ten mistakes to avoid.
Manager talking points card
Eight questions managers will be asked, what to say, what to do next, and three things never to say.
90-day programme calendar
32 milestones and check-ins for the 90-day programme, starting Monday 4 January 2027 (move the dates to your own start).
Task board (CSV)
24 programme tasks ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Knowledge check (LMS-ready CSV)
14 scenario questions with four options, the correct letter and an explanation. Imports into Bodhih LMS or any LMS that accepts CSV question banks.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 23 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 65 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira, Bodhih LMS and other LMSs
- Best for
- Employers of about 50 to 1,000 people with teams in the EU, the UK, North America, Australia or New Zealand
What the Rules Ask of You
The five moments pay transparency laws touch, and how to map each employing entity to its rules.
Readiness, Mandate and the Business Case
A scored 0-4 readiness baseline, a business case built on ranges, and a one-page mandate.
Job Architecture and Levels
Families, levels and categories of workers, and where titles and levels drift.
Gender-Neutral Job Evaluation
Scoring jobs on skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, with a bias check.
Building Salary Bands
Bands with midpoints, spreads, location factors, compa-ratios and advert ranges.
The Pay Gap Analysis
Mean, median, variable pay, quartiles and category gaps from one reconciled extract.
Explain or Correct: Justification, Remediation and Joint Pay Assessment
The four tests for explaining a gap, costing remediation and the joint pay assessment.
Ranges, Adverts and Offers
Ranges from bands, advert checks, no pay-history questions and offer exceptions.
Information Rights, Managers and Employee Communication
Right-to-information requests, manager talking points, the 45-minute briefing and staff communication.
Reporting, Data Protection, Evidence and the 90-Day Programme
The report, data protection, the evidence register, AI with human review and the 90-day plan.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Pay-Transparency-Map.pdf: the job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box
Workbooks
- Pay-Transparency-Workbook.xlsx: 22 sheets including Settings, maturity self-assessment, job architecture and evaluation, salary bands, pay data, quartiles, gap indicators, category gaps with explained and unexplained gaps, remediation, job adverts, information requests, evidence register, RACI, 90-day roadmap, decision log, jurisdiction crosswalk, official sources register, glossary with UK and US terms, What changed log and a dashboard with traffic lights and five charts
- Pay-Transparency-Business-Case-Calculator.xlsx: 6 sheets comparing do nothing, minimum compliance and do it well as cost ranges
Fillable forms
- Job-Evaluation-and-Levelling-Form.pdf: four factors, evidence, bias check and panel sign-off
- Pay-Gap-Justification-Review-Form.pdf: the four tests and explained versus unexplained gap
- Joint-Pay-Assessment-Record.pdf: trigger, people, analysis, reasons, measures and monitoring
- Right-to-Information-Request-and-Response-Form.pdf: intake, preparing the answer, small-group check and reply
- Job-Ad-Offer-and-Pay-Exception-Forms.pdf: pre-posting advert check and approval for pay outside the band
Word templates
- Pay-Transparency-Policy-and-Procedure-Starter.docx: 13 sections from principles to data protection
- Leadership-Sign-Off-Memo-and-Decision-Paper.docx: one-page decision memo and report sign-off page
- Pay-Transparency-Message-Library.docx: 40 emails, letters, scripts and manager talking points
- Pay-Gap-Report-and-Narrative-Template.docx: indicators, narrative, equal-work findings, actions and method
- Worked-Example-Pack-Halvane-Software-and-Services.docx: the main files completed for one fictional 380-person company
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Pay-Transparency.docx: 26 prompts with what to paste in, what to check and human-review rules
- Team-Briefing-Session-Plan-and-Answer-Key.docx: a 45-minute manager briefing and the answer key for the 14-question knowledge check
Cheat sheets
- Numbers-That-Matter-Pay-Gap-Card.pdf: 14 numbers with formulas and what to do if they move
- Pay-Transparency-Rules-by-Country-November-2026.pdf: EU, member states, UK, US states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, dated
- Job-Advert-Decision-and-Mistakes-Card.pdf: if-this-then-that rules and ten mistakes
- Manager-Talking-Points-Card.pdf: eight questions, what to say and three things never to say
Calendar, task board and LMS
- 90-Day-Pay-Transparency-Programme.ics: 32 milestones and check-ins
- Pay-Transparency-Task-Board.csv: 24 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
- Knowledge-Check-Questions-LMS.csv: 14 scenario questions ready to import into Bodhih LMS or any LMS
E-book
- The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit e-book: ten chapters, 23 figures and a running case from Lyon, Munich and Manchester
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Map each of your employing entities to the pay transparency rules that apply, with dated official sources
- Score your readiness from 0 to 4 and turn the gaps into a prioritised 90-day plan
- Put every job in a family and level using gender-neutral job evaluation
- Build salary bands and advert ranges for every level and location
- Calculate mean, median, variable pay, quartile and category pay gaps and explain what they mean
- Test whether a gap is explained, cost the remedy and see the projected gap before you sign off
- Answer information requests within your legal time and brief managers to handle the hard questions
- Keep an evidence register and a decision log you could show a works council, regulator or court
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Pay and Reward Decision Assessment for Managers and HR Teams
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentPayroll and Pay-Run Accuracy Assessment for Payroll, HR Operations and Shared Services
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentDecision-Making Under Uncertainty
Take the assessment →JobularyTurn what you learn into a measured development plan (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 7
L4. Two factors passed. The on-call allowance is paid by a written rule to everyone on the rota, and more men than women were on it. Time in level is in the published progression criteria. Together they explained 2.4 points. "Stronger negotiation at hire" failed. Unexplained: 3.8%, under the threshold. Action: justified, keep the evidence, and fix the way offers are made so it does not grow back (Chapter 8). L6. "Market premium at hire" was tested for two recent male hires. There was no documented skills shortage, and the premium had been agreed case by case, so it failed. Time in level explained 1.6 points. Unexplained: 6.7%, over the threshold. That is the number the remedy had to close, and the number the report would have to explain if it stayed open.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay gap calculation | A mean gap from a payroll report | Mean, median, variable pay, quartiles and category gaps with a dashboard |
| Equal work | Not covered | Gender-neutral job evaluation form, job architecture sheet and level checks |
| Explaining gaps | 'Market rates' as the answer | Four tests per factor, explained and unexplained gap, remediation with projected gaps |
| Recruitment | A reminder to add salary ranges | Band-based ranges, advert checks, agency letter, offer exception form, dated local rules |
| Evidence and sign-off | Nothing | Evidence register, decision log, RACI, sign-off memo and What changed log |
| Compared with a consultant or pay equity software | Consultants bring legal judgement and tailored advice; software automates large-scale analysis | Lets your team do the organising and first analysis in-house, so paid advice goes on the judgement calls |
Made for you if…
- HR directors and heads of people in companies with teams in the EU, the UK, North America or Australasia
- Reward, compensation and total rewards leads
- People operations and HR business partners asked to 'get us ready'
- Finance directors and founders of growing companies (50 to 1,000 people)
- Employee representatives and works council members who want to understand the method
- HR consultants who want a structured starting point for clients
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal advice or a legal opinion: the kit is educational and you still need an adviser for your country
- Organisations that want an audit, attestation or certification of compliance: this kit does not provide one
- Very large groups that need statistical regression across thousands of employees: use specialist pay equity software alongside the method
- Payroll processing and statutory payroll deadlines (see The Payroll and Statutory Calendar Kit)
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Pay in the open, done well
Open the Start-here map and give it one hour. Whether you begin with the self-assessment tonight or the Crosswalk at your next leadership meeting, you will know what to do next and which file to open.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use, including use within your own organisation with your HR team, managers and employee representatives. Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
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The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat exactly is in the kit?
An e-book, the 22-sheet Pay Transparency Workbook and a business-case calculator (no macros), five fillable PDF forms, seven Word templates, four cheat sheets plus the Start-here map, a 90-day calendar, a task board and an LMS-ready knowledge check: 23 files in all.
Can I use this with my team?
Yes. The personal licence covers use within your own organisation, including sharing the forms, templates, briefing and knowledge check with your HR team, managers and employee representatives. For use across several client organisations or a group of companies, ask about a company licence at solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere: rules, readiness, job evaluation, bands, analysis, explaining or correcting gaps, recruitment, information and reporting. The dated rules sheet covers the EU Directive and member-state status, the UK, US states, Canada (BC and Ontario), Australia, New Zealand and India. Laws change and differ in detail, so check the official source and your adviser.
Is the EU Pay Transparency Directive already in force in my country?
The deadline for national laws was 7 June 2026, but in November 2026 many member states were still adopting theirs. The dated sheet lists the reported status and the workbook's Sources sheet helps you re-check each quarter. Obligations usually reach employers through the national law, so watch yours.
Do UK employers need to follow the EU Directive?
Not for UK entities: the UK is outside the EU. UK equal pay law, gender pay gap reporting and the new action plans still apply, and UK groups with EU subsidiaries will need the Directive for those entities. Many groups run one method for all.
How long does it take to get ready?
The kit is built as a 90-day programme for a company of a few hundred people, with a calendar and task board. Smaller employers often move faster; groups with many entities or poor pay data take longer. The first-hour path gets you a baseline the same day.
What does preparing for pay transparency cost?
It depends on your size, data and how far you go. The business-case calculator shows your own estimate of programme hours and fees against a range for doing nothing, with remediation pay shown separately. It contains no invented statistics: every input is yours.
Can I do this without a consultant?
You can do the organising, the data work, the job evaluation, the bands and the first analysis in-house with this kit. Use an employment lawyer or adviser for the judgement calls: how your national law counts employees, whether a reason justifies a gap, and the wording of policies and reports.
Is this legal advice or a compliance certificate?
No. It is an educational, implementation-grade toolkit. It does not decide whether your pay is lawful and is not an audit, attestation or certification. Templates are starting points for your adviser to check. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the European Commission or any government body named.
Does the workbook work in Google Sheets?
Yes. It uses standard formulas that work in Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice, with no macros. Sample rows are marked SAMPLE so you can clear them.
How can I measure my team's starting point?
Use the 0-4 self-assessment in the workbook for the organisation. For individuals, AssessAll's Pay and Reward Decision Assessment for Managers and HR Teams and its Decision-Making Under Uncertainty assessment give a measured baseline for the judgement this work needs.
How do I turn this into a development plan for myself?
After the programme, use Jobulary's individual development plan to turn what you learned (job evaluation, pay analysis, hard conversations) into measured goals for the next six months.
How much does The Pay Transparency Readiness Kit cost?
₹1,999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $49 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
