New findings in PwC’s Women in Work Index 2026 are renewing focus on the day-to-day moments where women’s progression can stall, including pay conversations, scope negotiations and performance reviews. PwC reports that the UK has regained the top-ranking position among the G7 for women in work, but still places 17th across the OECD, and highlights a slowdown in progress, including female unemployment rising from 3.5% to 4.2%.
In response, Dawn McGruer, a Cheshire-based business coach, author and speaker, has published a set of practical communication cues and “value scripts” aimed at helping women avoid language patterns she says can unintentionally reduce perceived authority at work. McGruer’s guidance focuses on workplace communication rather than financial advice, and is designed for use in routine professional settings such as salary reviews, fee discussions, project scoping and promotion conversations.
“It’s rarely one dramatic mistake that costs women money,” McGruer said. “It’s the small habits that quietly train people to treat your request as optional. The first few seconds set the tone. If the opener sounds apologetic, the rest of the conversation often follows that lead. A better script is calmer, clearer, and built around outcomes.”
McGruer’s first emphasis is on removing what she calls “minimising openers” from emails and meetings. She points to phrases such as “just”, “quick one” and unnecessary apologies, which can frame a message as an interruption rather than a professional request. In their place, she recommends short, outcome-led statements that make the purpose clear immediately. Examples include: “Sharing the update and the next step. I’m proposing X, with Y timeline,” or “This is the result delivered and the next decision required.” In compensation discussions, she advises stating the figure as a neutral fact linked to scope, rather than as a tentative ask: “Based on the scope and outcomes delivered, the figure is £X.”
A second pattern McGruer highlights is downplaying measurable wins. She says many professionals soften achievement language with “I was lucky” or “it wasn’t a big deal”, and that this can make contributions easier to overlook. Her recommendation is a short “results receipt” prepared in advance of any review meeting, using outcome language first and interpretation second. She suggests formats such as: “The impact was X, which led to Y,” followed by a clear request: “I’d like to align my compensation or role scope to that level of contribution.” McGruer says this approach keeps discussions anchored to delivery and business outcomes, rather than confidence signals.
McGruer also warns against presenting a rate or salary figure as negotiable before a negotiation has even started. She says this typically shows up as pre-discounting, adding caveats, or turning a number into a question through tone. She recommends a short, steady line that communicates comfort and boundaries: “I’m comfortable proceeding at £X,” or “For that scope, £X is the right level.” Where an offer comes in lower than expected, she recommends keeping the counter concise and linking any movement to scope rather than emotion: “Thank you. Based on scope and outcomes, I’m looking for £X. If budget is fixed, we can adjust deliverables.”
Another area McGruer flags is over-explaining after naming a number. She says many people fill silence with justification, extra deliverables or reassurance, which can weaken the original anchor. Her suggested reset is both practical and observable: pause, let the other party respond, and use a holding line if needed: “I’ll pause while you review.” She says this reduces the reflex to “sell” a number the moment it is spoken.
Finally, McGruer points to scope creep as a common way women can end up underpaid relative to workload. She recommends locking outcomes and inclusions before agreeing price or job expectations, and using boundary-setting language that stays neutral and operational: “To keep quality consistent, that change moves this into £X. Shall I update the scope?” Her guidance is designed to keep negotiations structured, and to ensure additional work is treated as a pricing or resourcing decision rather than a favour.
PwC’s Women in Work Index argues that sustained progress requires structural change across employment, participation and progression. McGruer added that while communication scripts do not replace policy, they can influence how individual contributions are interpreted in the meetings where pay, scope and seniority are decided.
