How Bath & Body Works Prioritizes Pay Equity: Q&A With Deon Riley, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bath & Body Works

Pay disparities for women and people of color continue to persist in the U.S. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, women in the U.S., including full-time, seasonal and part-time workers, still earn 78 cents for every dollar men earn. For people of color, Black employees earn 76 cents and Hispanic and Latino employees earn 73 cents for every dollar white employees earn, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

In this environment, Bath & Body Works is especially proud of the company’s efforts to provide equitable pay at all levels across the entire organization – reflecting a pay for performance compensation philosophy based on role, location and experience, not on an individual’s gender or race.

We focused this year’s Women’s History Month celebrations and discussions on “Building a Bolder Tomorrow,” and pay equity has served a perfect example of how Bath & Body Works turns organizational ambitions into reality.

In this Q&A, Deon Riley, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bath & Body Works, provides insight into how pay equity is crucial for driving the company’s success and culture of belonging.

How does Bath & Body Works define pay equity?

At Bath & Body Works, pay equity means that everyone doing the same job gets paid the same – based on factors like role, location and experience – regardless of their gender and race. Our commitment to pay equity is embedded in all facets of our organization and begins when we hire associates. It supports our strong culture of belonging for the more than 60,000 associates that make up Gingham Nation.

Why is pay equity a priority for Bath & Body Works?

We’ve long understood that our associates are the foundation of our success, and we’re proud to have such strong and diverse associates and leaders in all areas of the organization. This includes strong female representation, with women making up 88% of our workforce.

Day in and day out, our associates’ passion and enthusiasm inspire us to continuously improve our business practices and create better and brighter opportunities that empower them to reach their full potential. Pay equity is not a single achievement, but rather a fundamental part of how we empower our people.

We also strive to attract top talent by providing a workplace and culture where associates feel fulfilled, included, valued and rewarded their performance, which includes equitable pay. This makes us a smarter, stronger brand. When associates flourish, so does our business and ability to deliver on the power of fragrance and create exceptional customer experiences.

What did it take to achieve pay equity?

Becoming an equitable pay employer was one of our most important areas of focus at Bath & Body Works, but it did not happen overnight. The process to get there was a concerted effort made possible by the dedication of our company’s leadership. We collaborated across teams and functions to make wide-reaching adjustments year-over-year at all levels of the business – including in our home offices, distribution centers and stores. Throughout that process, we conducted comprehensive pay analyses and leveraged industry standards to ensure equal pay for equal work.

All of this work was in support of our belief that diversity, equity and inclusion make us stronger, which is a belief we infuse in our culture, business practices and community initiatives.

What will you do to maintain fair pay practices for all associates going forward?

We’re proud of being an employer that provides equal pay for equal work, and we're committed to ensuring that this continues. Since enacting these equitable pay practices, we’ve conducted regular analysis of associates’ pay to ensure they continue to be compensated fairly in addition to reinforcing our cultural values across the company. We have inclusion by design – including documented processes and tools we share with our hiring managers to explicitly drive equity in compensation. Our HR teams are trained to ensure we mitigate bias in our HR and managerial practices. We will continue our focus on providing pay equity for all our associates.