FairGrade

THE METHODOLOGY

WorkWorth EU — how we measure the value of work

Most tools in this space report on pay. WorkWorth EU decides what a role is worth in the first place — objectively, transparently, and on the same gender-neutral basis the directive requires. It is the engine underneath everything FairGrade does.

THE CORE IDEA

Equal work deserves equal pay — but first you have to measure the work

"Equal pay for equal work" only means something if you can say what makes two different jobs equal. A driver and a warehouse lead do nothing alike on the surface — yet their roles may demand the same skill, responsibility and effort.

WorkWorth EU answers that by scoring every role against the same set of factors, so different jobs become comparable on a common scale. Pay fairness, market benchmarking and the gender pay gap all follow from this one measurement — which is why we treat it as the heart of the product.

THE STRUCTURE

Five factors, fifteen subfactors

Every role is evaluated across five domains, each broken into subfactors and scored on a transparent scale. Together they capture what a job actually demands.

A
Capability
The knowledge, qualifications and skills a role genuinely requires — and how it communicates and applies them.
B
Complexity
The kind of problems the role solves, the judgement it calls for, and how far ahead it has to plan.
C
Responsibility
What the role is accountable for — financial results, people, resources, and the risk carried if things go wrong.
D
Effort
The mental concentration, emotional and social demand, and any physical effort the work involves.
E
Conditions
The environment the work happens in and the demands of its schedule — night shifts, on-call, and the like.

Each subfactor is scored on a defined scale, and the domains are weighted to reflect their relative importance. The weighting is calibrated per market and reviewed as part of our methodology — not left to guesswork.

WHAT MAKES IT DEFENSIBLE

Four principles behind every grade

01

We evaluate the work, never the person

Every factor describes what a role demands — not who holds it, how they negotiated, or what they earned before. This is what makes an evaluation gender-neutral, and it is the foundation the directive is built on.

02

The method is transparent, not a black box

A grade is never a single opaque number. It breaks down into fifteen subfactors, each with a score and the reasoning behind it. Anyone — an employee, an auditor, a works council — can follow how it was reached.

03

The machine proposes, a person decides

WorkWorth EU suggests a grade and the evidence for it. A named person reviews, adjusts and approves. Authorship and responsibility stay human — there is no automated decision producing a legal effect.

04

Built on European foundations

The factor structure follows the point-factor approach recommended in the EU and EIGE guidance on gender-neutral job evaluation, adapted for the realities of small and mid-sized European employers.

FROM SCORES TO A GRADE

How a role becomes a grade

01

Score each subfactor

The role is assessed against all fifteen subfactors, each on its defined scale, with the reasoning recorded.

02

Weight and combine

Subfactor scores roll up into their five domains, and the domains are weighted into a single overall value.

03

Map to a grade

The weighted value maps to a grade band, which becomes the anchor for market comparison and pay decisions.

See the methodology work on one of your own roles

Describe a role, and watch WorkWorth EU break it down factor by factor. Free to start, no card.

Try it on a role