Guidance

Creating an action plan: guidance for employers

Guidance for employers on creating an action plan to reduce your gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause.

• From: Office for Equality and Opportunity and Seema Malhotra MP
• Published: 4 March 2026
• Last updated: 7 April 2026 — See all updates

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Overview

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Step 1. Understand the issues in your organisation

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Step 2. Choose your actions

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Step 3. Write a supporting narrative

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Step 4. Submit your action plan

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Step 5. Track the outcomes of your actions

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Step 6: Review your plan

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Details

Employers with 250 or more employees have the option to produce and publish a voluntary action plan on the gender pay gap service, alongside their gender pay gap data. Subject to legislation, these will become mandatory from spring 2027. 

Action plans will show the steps you are taking to:

• address your organisation’s gender pay gap

• support employees experiencing menopause

You will also be able to highlight work your organisation is already doing to improve workplace gender equality.

See the list of recommended, evidence-informed actions that you can include in your plan.

Published 4 March 2026

Last updated 7 April 2026 + show all updates

1. 7 April 2026

   Added step-by-step guidance on creating an action plan. This includes sections on understanding the issues in your organisation, choosing your actions, writing a supporting narrative, submitting your action plan, and tracking the outcomes of your actions.

2. 4 March 2026

   First published.