EU Pay Transparency Directive: Foundation

HR & People - Regulatory compliance
This course takes an HR generalist or SME owner-manager from knowing nothing about the EU Pay Transparency Directive to handling their next recruitment, pay conversation, and manager briefing without the obvious mistakes. You will learn why the Directive exists, which employers it covers and from when, the six obligations and four rights it creates, the reporting thresholds, the recruitment-stage rules, and exactly what Maltese employers must already do under Legal Notice 112 of 2025.

By the end, you will be able to recognise which employers the Directive covers and from when, name the six obligations and four rights, identify the reporting thresholds and dates, apply the recruitment-stage rules including the salary-history ban, and distinguish what Maltese employers must already do under Legal Notice 112 of 2025.

Also in the EU Pay Transparency series:
→ Intermediate: EU Pay Transparency Directive: Intermediate
→ Advanced: EU Pay Transparency Directive: Advanced

Access

Self-Paced Learning

Lessons

8 Lessons

Certification

Certificate of Completion

Price

€150
Learning Objectives
Course Benefits
Modules
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Recognise the scope and purpose of Directive (EU) 2023/970, and identify which employers it applies to and from when
  • Name the six employer obligations the Directive creates, from salary-range disclosure to the ban on pay-secrecy clauses
  • Name the four employee rights - information, compensation, burden-of-proof reversal, and protection from victimisation
  • Identify the reporting threshold tiers of 100, 150, and 250 employees, and the first reporting cycle dates in June 2027 and June 2031
  • Apply the recruitment-stage rules in a job advert review and an interview conversation, including the salary-history ban
  • Distinguish what Maltese employers must already do under Legal Notice 112 of 2025 from what lands at full transposition in June 2026
Benefits for the Organisation

• Cut the most common pay-transparency failings - vague salary lines, salary-history questions, pay-secrecy clauses, undocumented pay structures - before they become a complaint or an enforcement matter
• Shorten the runway for every member of the HR team to recognise a Directive obligation and act on it correctly
• Evidence completed pay-transparency training to regulators, auditors, and works councils with timestamped records
• Standardise the language and process the whole HR function uses, with no improvised handling of a pay-information request
• Save your HR leads the time spent correcting non-compliant adverts, offer letters, and pay conversations

Benefits for Learners

• Recognise when a job advert or pay conversation breaches the Directive before it goes out
• Build a reusable checklist you apply consistently to every recruitment cycle and pay-information request
• Handle an Article 7 pay-information request with the confidence to respond correctly within the two-month window
• Tell which reporting tier an employer sits in, and when its first reporting cycle falls, before you assume what is required
• Pass the assessment knowing every answer traces to Directive (EU) 2023/970 or Legal Notice 112 of 2025, not a study guide

Lesson 1: Welcome and orientation

Lesson 2: Six things every employer must now do

Start with Birmingham City Council's GBP 1.1 billion equal pay liability and the Asda Supreme Court ruling, then walk through the six obligations the Directive creates: salary-range disclosure in recruitment, gender-neutral pay structures, the right to pay information, gap reporting, the Joint Pay Assessment trigger, and the ban on pay-secrecy clauses.

Lesson 3: Four rights that change what employees ask for

Learn the four employee rights and the Directive Article behind each: information (Article 7), compensation (Article 16), burden-of-proof reversal (Article 18), and protection from victimisation (Article 25). See what the two-month response window on a pay-information request means in practice.

Lesson 4: When 100, 150, or 250 employees changes what you owe

Learn the three reporting threshold tiers - 100, 150, and 250 employees - and when each first reports: June 2027 for the 150-plus tiers, June 2031 for the 100-to-149 tier. Understand the 5% unjustified-gap trigger that starts a Joint Pay Assessment under Article 10.

Lesson 5: Malta from August 2025 to June 2026

See what Maltese employers must already do under Legal Notice 112 of 2025, live since 27 August 2025, and what lands at full transposition in June 2026. Malta is the worked example of the Directive arriving inside a real HR team.

Lesson 6: Resources and references

A consolidated reference library: the Directive and its parent legislation, the leading equal pay cases, official EU explainers, and the Member-State transposition trackers, in one place to return to after the course.

Lesson 7: Knowledge check

A ten-question assessment covering the Directive's scope, the six obligations and four rights, the reporting thresholds and dates, the recruitment-stage rules, and the Maltese variant. Pass mark 80%, two attempts.

Lesson 8: Provide feedback and claim certificate

Share quick feedback on the course, then download your certificate of completion.

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Course FAQ's

Who is this course for?

HR generalists, SME owner-managers, line managers, recruitment leads, and L&D coordinators in EU employers, including Maltese employers of any size now operating under Legal Notice 112 of 2025. It is also a useful refresher for experienced HR staff and a sound baseline before any role-specific pay-transparency training.

No prior knowledge of the Pay Transparency Directive or equal pay law is required.

Where and when can I take this course?

The course can be taken at any time and from any internet-connected device.

Do I need prior knowledge or experience?

This is a foundation-level course, and all concepts are explained in a clear, simple, and practical way. Learners, do not require any previous training or background knowledge.

Can this course be used for company-wide training?

Absolutely. This course is designed to be rolled out across the whole organisation, making it suitable for every member of the HR and people function and for line managers who recruit or hold pay conversations.

Do I get a discount if I buy multiple seats for this course?

Yes. Please contact us and we will issue a quote according to your needs.

Will managers be able to track progress and completion?

Yes. Managers and administrators can track learner progress, completion rates, and assessment performance across the course.

This gives clear visibility on engagement and outcomes, making it easier to monitor participation, support staff where needed, and evidence completed pay-transparency training to regulators and auditors.

Is this course part of a larger pay transparency programme?

Yes. This is Course 1 of the Auren EU Pay Transparency Directive bundle - the Foundation course, the awareness floor for everyone in HR. It is followed by Course 2 (Intermediate), for HR Directors and Reward Leads who deliver the Directive operationally, and Course 3 (Advanced), for senior HR leaders handling Joint Pay Assessments, litigation exposure, and board-level briefing.

All three courses in the bundle can be taken as stand-alone courses.