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A guide to gender pay reporting in the housing and care sectors
Larger housing associations across Britain have just a few weeks until they are required to publish their gender pay report. Emma Burrows looks at the trends so far
The 4 April deadline for large housing associations to make their first gender pay report is fast approaching.
Although many employers have yet to submit reports, various trends are beginning to emerge from the reports we have seen.
What needs to be done
The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Information) Regulations 2017 came into force on 6 April 2017, and housing associations with at least 250 employees across Britain must report their gender pay gap data by 4 April 2018.
Employers are required to report:
- The overall gender pay figures calculated using both the mean and the median based on the snapshot date of 5 April.
- The number of men and women in each of four salary quartiles, based on the employer’s overall pay range. This will show how the gender pay gap differs across the organisation, at different levels of seniority.
- Separate information on the mean and median gender pay gap relating to bonuses.
The report must be signed by the chief executive, and will appear on the government’s dedicated website and the employer’s own website for at least three years.
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Emerging trends in the housing sector
From the reports made so far by providers, generally the median pay gap is not too high. Although the gender pay gap in this sector is not a glaring one, it is still an issue which providers will have to tackle.
The housing sector as a whole does have high-profile women in chief executive and other senior roles, though it is not uncommon for them to be under-represented across senior management. Another common theme is the prevalence of women in part-time roles in comparison to men.
The gender imbalance in repairs and maintenance roles has been highlighted.
“It is not uncommon for women in the sector to be under-represented across senior management.”
These types of role offer additional payments and enhancements for overtime, standby and callouts.
Historically these have been more male-dominated, leading to larger gaps for the employers whose maintenance teams or direct labour organisations remain in-house.
Emerging trends in the care sector
The social care sector is notable for reports of a zero or negative gender pay gap for employers with standalone care businesses.
There is a predominance of women in the sector as a whole – and according to the narrative of one care provider, this is due to a general shortage of suitably qualified men wanting to join the sector.
The picture is different for providers with care businesses.
Comparisons may not always be consistent because sometimes there isn’t a single employer for the two functions; but there are examples of employers with both housing and care businesses having a higher gender pay gap because of the historically better terms for men in repairs and maintenance and asset management, and poorer terms for women in social care.
Possible solutions
Some fairly detailed plans for improvement have been produced to accompany the gender pay reports.
Lack of career progression for women is a key issue. Proposed solutions include putting extra support in place, such as mentoring programmes and coaching, to encourage women to develop the skills and knowledge required to obtain more senior positions.
The implementation of a ‘women in leadership’ programme aimed at improving skills and opportunities is another solution.
“A conscious effort is being made on the part of some organisations to attract women to construction and maintenance roles traditionally held by men.”
Some organisations also plan to put in place cross-organisational working groups of men and women to discuss the challenges, barriers, opportunities and support required to close the gender pay gap.
A conscious effort is being made on the part of some organisations to attract women to construction and maintenance roles which have traditionally been held by men. Other things which employers state that they have found useful include mandatory diversity training, and having a wide range of flexible working options to enable employees to manage their work/life balance.
The importance of having a narrative
Providing a narrative to go with the report is voluntary for employers, but adding context to the raw figures can be useful.
A narrative can explain discrepancies in pay, the existence of skills shortages for any roles which may lead to a salary premium, the extent to which overtime is routinely worked and the proportion of men and women regularly working overtime.
It can also contain details of planned initiatives to combat the gender pay gap.
Once an employer has committed to an action plan it is important to follow it through to demonstrate a firm commitment to tackle the gender pay gap.
Emma Burrows, partner, Trowers & Hamlins
Inclusive Futures
Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign aims to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion.
We are pledging to publish diversity audits of our own coverage.
We are also committed to proactively promoting positive role models.
We will do this through the pages of Inside Housing. But we will also seek to support other publications and events organisations to be more inclusive.
Our Inclusive Futures Bureau will provide a database of speakers and commentators from all backgrounds, for use by all media organisations.
We are also challenging readers to take five clear steps to promote diversity, informed by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s diversity commission and the Leadership 2025 project.
THE INCLUSIVE FUTURES CHALLENGE
Inside Housing calls on organisations to sign up to an inclusive future by taking five steps:
Prioritise diversity and inclusion at the top: commitment and persistence from chief executives, directors and chairs in setting goals and monitoring progress.
Collect data on the diversity of your board, leadership and total workforce and publish annually with your annual report. Consider gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, age, and representation of tenants on the board.
Set aspirational targets for recruitment to the executive team, board and committees from under-represented groups.
Challenge recruiting staff and agencies to ensure that all shortlists include candidates from under-represented groups.
Make diversity and inclusion a core theme in your talent management strategy to ensure you support people from under-represented groups to progress their careers.
INSIDE HOUSING’S PLEDGES
We will take proactive steps to promote positive role models from under-represented groups and provide information to support change.
We pledge to:
Publish diversity audits: We will audit the diversity of the commentators we feature. We will formalise this process and publish the results for future audits twice a year.
Promote role models: We will work to highlight leading lights from specific under-represented groups, starting in early 2018 with our new BME Leaders List.
Launch Inclusive Futures Bureau: We will work with the sector to compile a database of speakers, commentators and experts from under-represented groups. The bureau will be available to events organisers, media outlets and publications to support them to better represent the talent in the sector.
Take forward the Women in Housing Awards: Inside Housing has taken on these successful awards and will work to grow and develop them.
Convene Inclusive Futures Summit: Our new high-level event will support organisations to develop and implement strategies to become more diverse and inclusive.
