The UK government has published guidance on equality action plans, giving employers a clearer picture of what may soon sit alongside gender pay gap reporting requirements in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Quick Hits
- Voluntary equality action plans will be introduced in the UK in April 2026.
- Mandatory publication is expected from spring 2027, subject to secondary legislation.
- Equality plans will need to address both the gender pay gap and menopause support.
- The guidance emphasises practical, evidence-based action.
- Employers may want to use the voluntary period to prepare ahead of the mandatory requirements.
From April 2026, employers with 250 or more employees will be able to publish a voluntary action plan alongside their existing gender pay gap reporting obligations. From spring 2027, this requirement is expected to become mandatory.
The significance of the new guidance lies in its clear shift from reporting to action. Employers will be expected not only to disclose their gender pay gap, but also to explain what they are doing to address it.
Under the guidance, action plans are intended to support workplace gender equality by improving equality of opportunity between male and female employees. They are also expected to set out what steps an organisation is taking to support employees experiencing menopause.
Employers will need to commit to one action on the gender pay gap and at least one on menopause support. At the same time, the guidance encourages organisations to go further where appropriate. The emphasis is on practical, evidence-based measures rather than broad commitments that are difficult to assess in practice.
For gender pay gap action, that means going beyond headline numbers and examining the factors that may be driving pay disparities within the organisation. Depending on the workforce, that may include issues such as unpaid care responsibilities, full-time work history, working patterns, or the concentration of men and women in different sectors, roles, or levels.
The menopause aspect is also notable. Employers may want to consider what meaningful support looks like in practice and whether that support is accessible to employees with different needs, experiences, and backgrounds.
The guidance also encourages employers to consider how sex may interact with other characteristics, including ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic background. That points to a more nuanced approach to equality planning and may require closer analysis of workforce data.
Developing and implementing an action plan will require support across the organisation. Senior leaders will need to back the chosen actions and support the resources needed for implementation. Managers are likely to play a central role in implementation, while employee input may be important in understanding lived experience and identifying measures that are likely to have a meaningful impact.
For employers preparing now, a sensible starting point may be to:
- review workforce data to understand what is contributing to the pay gap;
- identify targeted actions linked to those findings;
- involve senior leaders, managers, and employee groups early in the process; and
- think ahead about how outcomes will be tracked and reviewed.
The voluntary phase from April 2026 should be seen as an opportunity to test the approach, governance, and communication before action plans become mandatory in 2027.
The overall direction is clear: reporting alone will no longer be enough. Employers will increasingly be expected to show, in concrete terms, what action they are taking and how that action is intended to make a difference.
For many organisations, now is the right time to start building that foundation.
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