Forsman & Bodenfors Becomes First Global Creative Agency to Receive Gender Pay Equity Certification

Forsman & Bodenfors has global gender pay equity in every country and company within the organisation and has been certified by Fair Pay Workplace for its ongoing commitment to equal pay for equal work. Globally, the agency will express salary ranges in job postings starting next month, another first for the industry.

The Fair Pay Workplace (FPW) Certification recognises organisations dedicated to true and ongoing pay equity using a transparent and trusted standard of measurement. The certification is based on a methodology developed by a group of leading experts that measures compensation comparisons across gender and race and provides a framework for organisations to proactively manage pay equity on an ongoing basis.

Says Toby Southgate, global CEO, Forsman & Bodenfors, “Our industry is great at celebrating the people who make the work so enjoyable, who build culture and move business forward. But this hasn’t consistently led to fair compensation. Creative industry pay hasn’t always been driven equitably: it’s been about negotiation and preference, favouring men over women in significant and cumulative ways. We have taken a stand as a business and committed ourselves to correcting historical biases. Now we know that Forsman & Bodenfors pays everyone rightfully and fairly. I hope the industry will follow suit.”

F&B is known for putting People and Culture at the centre of its business strategy. F&B remains the first and only global creative agency to be 3% Certified, signalling to people that the agency has fair representation and inclusion in their work product, that their environment provides equal creative opportunities to employees regardless of identity, and that leadership has a healthy gender balance everywhere.

Says Michele Prota, F&B’s global chief talent Officer, “Tackling pay equity was the next big theme on the agency’s Inclusion agenda. Working with an objective, third-party partner is an important step to instil confidence and trust for our employees, clients, and the industry. Without one measurement standard, companies can boast fair pay with a simple pledge that leads to a less than fair outcome.”

Through the analysis, the company identified one department, in one city, in one company with a pay discrepancy, and through their most recent salary review cycle in July, were able to remediate the inequity and meet the objectives for pay equity, according to Fair Pay Workplace.

To ensure consistency and fairness in pay practices, F&B commits to the following five actions that are considered best-in-class by Fair Pay Workplace.

• Analyse global gender pay equity every year.
• Internally communicate the results of each pay equity analysis.
• Never ask applicants about previous compensation.
• Share salary ranges in job postings.
• Ensure ongoing pay equity through fair pay policies.
• F&B is choosing transparency, honesty, and openness for every company and country within the F&B Collective. 

Michele Prota, global chief talent officer F&B adds, “At F&B, we never want pay to be a distraction. We compensate people fairly. Employees in similar roles are paid similarly, regardless of identity. When the company performs well, and employees perform well – everyone wins.”