Google did not have the best start to the week, after the US Department of Labour (DOL) claimed the company systematically underpays its female staff members. In an effort to refute the claims, as well as create an increased level of transparency, Google took to its blog to showcase its payment methodology.

The company explains that they are "gender-blind" when it comes to salary calculations, using only the role, job level, job location and recent performance ratings in order to determine how much an employee is paid. Furthermore, Google notes that the salary is calculated by analysts, who reportedly do not have access to the individual's gender information. 

This entire episode stems from a request by the US Department of Labour for access to Google's information on how it pays its workers, with the latter opting not to disclose the information as the request was "too broad". 

Google's also stated in its blog post that the claims made by the US DOL are unsubstantiated, as it would require the information that Google had originally denied the organisation access to.  

With equality in the workplace an ongoing issue, particularly as it pertains to tech companies, this is a developing story that will be eagerly watched.