Our CEO, Juris Zalāns, tackles this question in his latest opinion piece for IR, published on 23 October 2026.
The topic? The EU Pay Transparency Directive and what it actually means for employers.
The key takeaway: Equal pay is about more than just salary. Bonuses, company cars, extra days off, meals, gym memberships, and other employee benefits all contribute to total compensation. And employers will need to account for what employees actually receive, not just what’s available on paper.
Here’s an example Juris shares:
Two employees doing the same job both earn €2,100 per month. But one also has a company car for personal use and nine additional paid days off.
Same salary, yet those benefits create a 15.5% difference in total annual compensation relative to base salary. That’s more than three times the 5% threshold relevant to pay assessments when certain conditions are met.
The article also explores how different EU countries are implementing the directive, what penalties Latvia is considering, why a gym membership available only in Riga might raise questions, and six practical steps employers can take before the end of the year.
💙 Is your company ready to account for every employee benefit?
Read the full article (in Latvian) in IR.