EU Job Architecture and Equal Value Work Kit

Build a job structure you can defend on objective criteria: a guide to what equal value means, a point-factor scorer that turns four criteria into a grade, and the equal-value groups and pay documentation the worker information right relies on.

Three pieces that take roles from job titles to defensible grades

A guide that frames equal value, a workbook that scores it, and a one-page orientation. Built to be used together on every role.

• EU Job Architecture and Equal Value Work Kit, the guide. What equal work and work of equal value mean, the four objective criteria that decide value, skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, a step-by-step method to evaluate and group roles, the difference between job factors and person factors, a comparison worksheet, and manager validation questions. Ships as a PDF to read and an editable Word version with the templates to fill in.
• EU Job Architecture and Equal Value Work Workbook. Eight tabs: a framework reference and a scoring guide where you set your factor weights, a Role Evaluation point-factor scorer that reads off a grade, Equal Value Groups, Pay by Equal-Value Group with the 5 percent flag, Pay Criteria Documentation, and an action log. It opens on a worked example and works in Excel or Google Sheets.
• Start Here. What each piece does and the order to use them. One page, read it first.

The method in the order a structure is built

Profile the work, score it, group it, then document the basis. The kit structures the position; counsel decides whether two roles are of equal value in law.

• Profile each role. Fill in a Role Profile for each role in the editable Word guide, sitting with the managers who own the work, so the evaluation rests on what the role demands in practice, not on its title or the person in the seat.
• Score and grade. Set your factor weights on the Scoring Guide, then score each role on the Role Evaluation tab to read off a grade.
• Group by equal value. Group roles of equal value on Equal Value Groups, review pay on Pay by Equal-Value Group, and move any gap of 5 percent or more onto the Action Log.
• Document the basis. Record the objective criteria behind each pay decision on Pay Criteria Documentation, and use the comparison worksheet and the manager validation questions as you go.

Built on objective criteria and honest about its limits

Equal value is the part of pay transparency most open to challenge, so the kit ties every decision to objective criteria and is clear about where the legal judgment sits.

• Never a stand-in for legal advice. Whether two roles are of equal value in law, the exact thresholds, the joint pay assessment, and the works-council role are decided under national law, so the kit prepares a documented position and tells you when to bring in qualified local counsel.
• Tied to the Directive criteria. The scorer rests on the four objective, gender-neutral criteria the Directive names, skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, framed as a reference to confirm, not a guarantee.
• Built for the worker information right. The equal-value groups give you the comparator structure a worker pay-information request asks for, average pay by sex for the group doing the same work or work of equal value.
• Dated and reviewable. Every file carries a last-reviewed date, and the action log keeps the record of what was reviewed and changed.

Who it is built for

Built for

• A reward or HR lead building a defensible grading structure on objective criteria, ahead of pay-gap reporting and the equal-pay rules.
• An employer that has to answer a worker pay-information request and needs the equal-value comparator groups defined first.
• A multi-country team standardizing how roles are evaluated, so pay differences rest on the work rather than on history or negotiation.

If you are looking for

• The whole readiness framework, not job architecture on its own. The EU Pay Transparency Readiness Toolkit frames the seven workstreams and runs the pay-gap review.
• The complete EU line in one purchase. The Global Employer EU Readiness Bundle packages this kit with the toolkit, the posting pack, the request tracker, and the HR AI risk checklist.

Before you buy

What format are the files and can I edit them?

One guide as a PDF and an editable Word version with the templates, one Excel workbook, and a Start Here PDF. The workbook works in Excel or Google Sheets, everything is editable, and the files are yours to keep.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general information and a self-review structure for planning. The kit marks where to bring in qualified local counsel, and it does not determine that two roles are of equal value in law or that any pay decision complies. Take the close calls to counsel before you act.

What are the four criteria?

The Directive sets pay on objective, gender-neutral criteria: skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. The scorer turns those four into a grade, and the same criteria are what let you justify a pay difference if one is questioned.

How does this connect to a pay-information request?

A worker may ask for the average pay levels, split by sex, for the group doing the same work or work of equal value. The equal-value groups in this kit are how you define those groups defensibly. The EU Employee Pay Information Request Tracker then logs and answers the requests against the two-month window.

Will it stay current as national laws arrive?

The four criteria are set by the Directive and stable across member states; the thresholds and the joint-assessment detail are national and still arriving. Each file carries a last-reviewed date, so check it and confirm the country detail with local counsel.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. See the refund policy for the full terms.

What happens after I buy?

Checkout delivers an instant download link, and a receipt with the same link arrives by email. Open the Start Here page first; it tells you the order to work in. If a file gives you trouble, email support@truestephr.com.

A guide, a workbook, and general business information for planning, not legal or tax advice. The EU pay transparency rules are set by Directive (EU) 2023/970 and put into effect by each member state’s own national law, which varies and is still arriving, so confirm country-specific requirements with qualified local counsel. Last reviewed June 2026.