Transparency data

Companies House gender pay gap report 2022

Published 28 March 2023

1. Introduction

Companies House is fully committed to ensuring the fair treatment and reward of all staff irrespective of gender, as well as any other protected characteristic such as age, ethnicity, religion and/or belief, sexual orientation, and disability status.

The promotion of equality and inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do, and we are proud of the progress that we have made and our commitment to continue to make further improvement in this area.

Our commitment to supporting women to flourish in the workplace is evidenced by:

• more women than men holding the most senior positions within our organisation
• a reinvigorated women’s network
• formation of an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) steering group which is chaired by our diversity champion (executive level) and brings together colleagues from all our EDI networks, different areas within Companies House and Trade Union colleagues
• we are attracting an increasing number of female candidates with 62% of female applicants being successfully appointed during the last year
• launching our new EDI strategy which focuses on 3 main themes: Recruiting and attracting the best diverse talent; Support, develop, reward and retain; and The work that we do

2. Definition

The gender pay gap is an equality measure that shows the difference in average earnings between women and men. It does not show the difference in pay for comparable jobs.

It is different to equal pay which deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value.

In line with public sector regulations, the data in this report is based on a snapshot date of 31 March 2022. For bonuses, the period used was 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, which was the 12 months preceding the snapshot date.

3. Gender pay gap data

The gender pay gap for Companies House for 2022 is:

Mean pay gap of 10.3%

(A reduction on the 2021 figure of 12.3%)

Median pay gap of 18.1%

(A reduction on the 2021 figure of 20.1%)

Mean is the average in the data set, and median is the middle number in the data set.

Our commitment to gender equality comes from the very top of the organisation. Four of our seven most senior employees (Senior Civil Servants) are women including the Chief Executive. Together with other women employed in senior roles in Companies House, they not only provide visible role models but provide their support which underpins many of the initiatives we have in place aimed at further improving our position.

The following table shows the number of male and female employees in Companies House in each quartile.

Quartile	Female %	Male %
Lower quartile	65.5%	34.5%
Lower middle quartile	62.8%	37.2%
Upper middle quartile	50.9%	49.1%
Upper quartile	45.1%	54.9%

Companies House pay gap is largely driven by an uneven gender split by grade especially the significant number of women employed in the Band B (Administrative Officer) grade which accounts for 45% of all colleagues. This results in a higher proportion of female employees in the lower and lower middle quartile.

This year however, there has been an increase in the percentage of male colleagues in the lower middle quartile and a decrease in males employed in the upper middle and upper quartile, which has contributed to an improved gender pay gap figure overall.

3.1 Recruitment and retention

During the year covered by this report Companies House recruited 202 new colleagues, 126 of whom were female and the remaining 76 male.

Of our new female colleagues, 80 were recruited into roles which place them in the lower or lower middle quartile, with the remaining 46 being recruited into positions in the upper middle or upper quartile.

For our male joiners, 43 secured roles in the lower and lower middle quartile, and 33 in the upper middle and upper quartiles.

Gender	Men	Women
Upper middle / upper quartile	33	46
Lower / lower middle quartile	43	80
Total new joiners	76	126

Like many other organisations we’ve seen a high number of colleagues leave this year, with a total of 128 choosing to leave.

Of these leavers, 68 were women. Of the 60 men who left, 33 were from our upper middle or upper quartile. Whereas our female colleagues were mainly from the lower or lower middle quartiles, 42, leaving just 26 from the upper middle or upper quartiles.

Leavers to organisation	Men	Women
Upper middle / upper quartile	33	26
Lower / lower middle quartile	27	42
Total leavers	60	68

As we exit out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve now shifted to a hybrid way of working which has helped many of our colleagues feel they can achieve a better work life balance. We continue to promote and demonstrate that working flexibly is not a barrier to building a successful career in Companies House.

This message has been supported by a recent blog post by our Chief Executive, Louise Smyth, in which she outlines her career as a working mother. In addition, a variety of networks have been set up in Companies House to not only help and support colleagues but also influence practice and help shape future policies.

More information about our networks is included later in section 5.

4. Bonus awards

Companies House operates several reward and recognition schemes focused on providing recognition for the excellent work our colleagues undertake which contributes to the organisation’s success.

In April 2021 we took the opportunity to change one of our reward schemes focusing on recognition and importantly changed the way we rewarded recipients to a flat rate payment regardless of grade or salary. By making this change we have consciously sent a message that all contributions are equal, and importantly in doing so have ensured our ‘bonus’ scheme does not replicate our pay arrangements, as witnessed by the impressive improvement in our gender pay gap bonus figures.

The proportion of male and female employees receiving one of these performance awards in the 12 months ending 31 March 2022 is:

Female	31.2%
Male	32.8%

Mean bonus pay gap of -2.4%

Median bonus pay gap of 5.5%

We continue to work across our directorates to build a positive and inclusive working environment where we reward and recognise our colleagues’ achievements in a fair and transparent way, with updated guidance introduced to assist colleagues.

5. Other measures taken to close the gender pay gap

5.1 Networks

The EDI steering group represents the evolution of our diversity and inclusion forum, chaired by our diversity champion.

This shift was made in recognition of the fantastic work being delivered by our 23 active people led networks and support groups, each delivering effective change and outcomes in relation to EDI.

The focus of the steering group is to:

• play a strategic role in monitoring development, delivery, and implementation of our organisational EDI strategy
• support and challenge current approaches in Companies House so that the organisation can demonstrate how “inclusion is the golden thread that runs through everything we do”
• hold the organisation to account where failure in meeting our EDI priorities is evident and challenge both colleagues and executive board in ensuring it can be the best it can be in this space
• drive through changes and demonstrate a robust approach in the management of the EDI action plan within respective areas, helping to facilitate and embed a culture of robust thinking at various levels
• enable ambitious thinking and equality-based decision making, helping to empower others to realise the benefits of taking such actions
• effectively monitor progress and highlight risks as well as celebrate success
• articulate and communicate the value of E D & I in the decision-making process and represent the interest of the group at relevant working groups, forums and committees
• keep abreast of and share industry best practices
• be a strategic driver for change in relation to understanding EDI and its integral role in policy development and service delivery, both internally and externally

With responsibility to:

• develop and deliver (and monitor progress) a robust action plan with clear SMART objectives outlining the priority areas for EDI
• support collaborative working between networks in championing EDI for the organisation and ensure alignment with the actions identified in the EDI strategy
• consult with staff on EDI objectives to influence policy and help set the direction
• identify opportunities for a collaborative approach and ensure that the EDI strategy is aligned to the Companies House people strategy, corporate strategy and BEIS EDI strategy

Some of our networks and the work they undertake are:

The menopause network

This network aims to educate colleagues and managers of the symptoms and impact of the menopause and encourage open conversations to ensure colleagues can benefit from the support the organisation can offer. In recognition of their commitment to making a difference, the network has recently signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge to take positive action to support all staff affected by menopause in the workplace.

The network has raised awareness of and support for colleagues going through the menopause in a variety of ways including awareness sessions for managers and staff, webinars provided by external menopause experts, provisions of an information pack, introduction of a wellbeing room and ensuring menopause is recognised as a reason for sickness absence which enables us to gain better data to further help us pinpoint support.

The network is working with other networks to share their resource and expertise which is having a positive influence, and helping us ensure that colleagues can feel confident in seeking assistance and being able to bring their whole self to work.

Working families network

This network was set up to provide help and support to colleagues who are working parents.

The group is an active network who are involved in several activities designed to help colleagues with the demands of being a working parent. As a result of their support, our colleagues’ lives are positively impacted ensuring people are in the best position to carry out their work-related duties and helping us to recruit and retain colleagues who are working parents.

One recent initiative the network has introduced is the ‘buddy scheme’, which pairs up colleagues seeking support with an experienced colleague who will informally discuss any issues around family life in a supportive environment.

6. Summary

While we recognise there is still some way to go, we continue to make steady progress in improving our gender pay gap and gender pay gap bonus figures by focusing our efforts on providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues.

Our comprehensive range of colleague run networks will continue to help us to gather invaluable intelligence and feedback, as well as providing ideas from across the organisation. We’ll use all of this to help us further improve and reinforce our employer brand as well as reaffirm our position as an employer of choice.

The formation of the EDI steering group will provide our networks and directorates with a source of direction, support and advice ensuring that they share ideas and maximise their impact.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far in improving the lives of our existing colleagues. We’re also keen for prospective future colleagues to understand our supportive culture, to enable them to align themselves with an organisation which has similar values to those they possess themselves. Increasingly we are telling our story as part of our recruitment campaigns and gaining applications from individuals who want to work with us because of our inclusive culture.