--- title: "PR Council States Support for Equal Pay, Harassment-Free Workplaces" id: "42228" type: "post" slug: "pr-council-states-support-for-equal-pay-harassment-free-workplaces" published_at: "2018-04-10T20:15:11+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:05:25+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/10/pr-council-states-support-for-equal-pay-harassment-free-workplaces/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/10/pr-council-states-support-for-equal-pay-harassment-free-workplaces.md" excerpt: "The council released a series of statements last week that took firm stances on timely issues—and in the case of an anti-discrimination statement, called on its members to do the same." taxonomy_category: - "Ethics" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "harassment" - "Leadership" - "Pay Equity" - "Workplace" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » PR Council States Support for Equal Pay, Harassment-Free Workplaces Just in time for Tuesday’s Equal Pay Day, the PR Council issued statements last week promoting pay equity and declaring “zero tolerance” for discrimination and harassment in the public relations field. The [statement on pay equity (opens in a new tab)](http://prcouncil.net/news/pr-council-pay-equity-statement/) called for “member agencies to adopt policies that ensure fair pay for all PR professionals and to utilize consistent criteria when determining initial and subsequent compensation decisions.” “Consistent review of compensation will not only narrow the gender pay gap, but also boost productivity and benefit our members and their employees,” added the statement, signed off on by the council’s board of directors. Simultaneously, [the group released a “zero-tolerance statement” (opens in a new tab)](http://prcouncil.net/news/pr-council-member-firms-anti-harassment-non-discrimination-zero-tolerance-statement/) on workplace discrimination and harassment. The council included a version for its members to sign, which states, “We expressly affirm our commitment to zero tolerance for any form of harassment or discrimination in our company’s workplace and any work-related situations.” The statements come as the PR profession is facing ethics issues on several fronts. Last year, a prominent British public relations firm, Bell Pottinger, [shut down (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/05/bell-pottingersouth-africa-pr-firm) after a campaign it ran in South Africa stirred up racial tensions. The downfall of the firm, as well as recent news stories about the U.K.-based data firm [Cambridge Analytica](https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/facebooks-cambridge-analytica-saga-sharpen-gdpr/) , have led some in the field to push for stronger ethical standards. Last year, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman called on the industry to beef up its ethics standards—a proposal [that the PR Council and other groups supported (opens in a new tab)](https://www.prweek.com/article/1448003/pr-council-page-society-open-edelman-ethics-proposal) . (Popartic/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#harassment](https://associationsnow.com/tag/harassment/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Pay Equity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/pay-equity/) [#Workplace](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workplace/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [VideoCharlene Lopez Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/charlene-lopez-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F04%2F10%2Fpr-council-states-support-for-equal-pay-harassment-free-workplaces%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !