Corporate report

Homes England gender pay gap report 2022 (accessible version)

Published 23 March 2023

Applies to England

Foreword

I would firstly like to acknowledge the work that has been carried out since Homes England began publishing its Gender Pay Gap Report. We are pleased that we continue to improve our mean gender pay gap: overall mean gender pay gap has reduced by 1.61% from last year’s figures, and 5.31% overall over the last 2 years. Our median gender pay gap has also reduced from last year by 0.16%, and over the last 2 years it has reduced by 7.56%.  This is a positive step in the right direction.

This report shows our gender pay gap as at March 2022.  The data refers to 2021/22 which we report annually in arrears and are required to publish by April 2023. This report has taken longer to publish than intended and we are committed to publishing the 2022/23 report by end of September 2023.

The publication of Homes England’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Report in 2020 set the agenda for the approach to ED&I, which includes the gender pay gap. Since publication, we are revisiting the strategy after undertaking a National Equality Standards assessment (March 2022).  The recommendations has influenced our approach through 2022 with alignment to our People & Culture Strategy. We will widen our approach in 2023 to include a focus on ethnicity pay gap, which we consider an important element in creating a truly inclusive culture.

Creating a more gender balanced workforce takes time and a holistic approach. We continue to embed ED&I into policy and process, encourage career development and ensure our colleagues have support and guidance to make gender inclusive decisions.

I am committed to deepening our understanding of why we have any gender pay gaps. The workforce distribution in Homes England continues to impact our gender pay gaps. This contributed to a decision as part of our deployment of Pay and Grading, to prioitise interventions at lower levels to positively impact the gender pay gap. It is vital that along with targeted interventions we take action to create an inclusive environment, through the language and imagery we use, the issues we choose to highlight and the conversations we encourage.

The specific actions we are taking as a result of this gender pay gap report and our wider activity, collectively reflect our broader approach to making Homes England a great place to work and a safe place, where we celebrate and champion gender equality, equity and inclusion.

Peter Denton

Chief Executive Office

Introduction

We are reassured that our progress continues to improve in both the mean and median figures.  The reported mean figure as of 31st March 2022 is 11.59%; and the median figure is 7.74%, compared to 31 March 2021 figures: 13.2% and 7.9% respectively. Since reporting started in 2017 there has been a continued closing of the gap resulting in a reduction of 6.81% (mean) and 11.86% (median) respectively. This is as a result of a sustained focus.

We are committed to continuing to close the gap further and retain consistency. Our action plans will harness the whole organisation to work together to create an inclusive, welcoming and equitable environment for all.

Our gender pay gap as of 31 March 2022

Our pay gap figures

Mean pay gap

Women’s hourly rate is 11.59% lower

Median pay gap

Women’s hourly rate is 7.74% lower

Mean bonus gap

Women’s hourly rate is 13.42% lower

Median bonus gap

Women’s hourly rate is 14.29% lower

Gender diversity in bonus payments

	Men	Women
Received a bonus	78.37%	78.00%
Did not receive a bonus	21.63%	22.00%

Mean bonus amounts

Men	Women
£340.08	£294.46

Median bonus amounts

Men	Women
£175	£150

Gender pay split in quartiles

	Men	Women
Lower quartile	39.3%	60.7%
Lower middle quartile	51.7%	48.3%
Upper middle quartile	54.3%	45.7%
Upper quartile	59.3%	40.7%

Mean and median gender pay gap comparison

	Mar-17	Mar-18	Mar-19	Mar-20	Mar-21	Mar-22
Mean gender pay gap - hourly rate	18.4%	18.2%	18.0%	16.9%	13.20%	11.59%
Median gender pay gap - hourly rate	19.6%	17.5%	15.5%	15.3%	7.90%	7.74%

Our gender pay gap journey

Comparing the results of the gender pay gap at Homes England for the last five years, we continue to close our pay gap. In 2017, we reported a mean and median gender pay gap in of 18.4% and 19.6% respectively. This has decreased to 11.59% (mean) and 7.74% (median) and is a reduction of 6.81% (mean) and 11.86% (median) respectively.

Over time, we have implemented a number of changes and initiatives, and talked about our gender pay gap and our diversity with our Board, leadership team and colleagues. While the gap has decreased, we are working to reduce this further to make continued, consistent and sustained progress.

Bonus

The bonus data for 2021/22 includes performance-related pay, allowances and Employee Recognition Scheme payments. A similar percentage of men and women received a bonus in 2022/23 and 2021/22. Within the 78.00% of women that received a bonus, the mean bonus value was £294.46 and 78.37% of men that received bonus, the mean bonus value was £340.08, resulting in a 13.42% Mean Bonus Gap.

Pay quartiles

There is a higher representation of men at the upper quartile (59.3%) and upper middle quartile (54.3%) with a higher representation of women in the lower quartiles. Women are over-represented in junior levels and under-represented at senior level. These are key factors behind our Gender Pay Gap.

We have made progress in the upper quartile over the last two years with an increase in women representation in more senior roles by 3.5%. We have also seen a reduction in women representation at the lower quartile from 64.4% in 2020 to 60.7% in 2022. This is a reduction of 3.7%. Although slow progress, this is having a positive effect on the overall gender pay gap.

Impact of pay and grading

The most significant intervention in 2021/22 was the deployment of the Pay and Grading review. This programme was undertaken with the aim of introducing a transparent, fair and consistent pay and grading system which among other objectives, would support the systematic review of pay parity and ensure fairness. At the outset of the programme we committed to address low pay particularly for female colleagues with the specific aim of positively impacting the Gender Pay Gap. Following detailed consultation and negotiation with our joint trade unions, an approach was adopted which focussed on re-evaluating roles to ensure parity across similar jobs and raising all colleagues at our lowest grades (12 to 15) to a minimum of 90% of their pay range. Those in higher ranges were moved to a minimum of 85% of the pay range.

These actions resulted in 301 women (61% of the in-scope women population) experiencing a positive change to their salary either through acceleration to their new pay range minimum or the 90% / 85% percentile in addition to a 2% pay award. This had a positive impact on the Gender Pay Gap, improving it by more than 1%.

How the gender pay gap is worked out

In 2017, the government introduced a statutory requirement for organisations with 250 or more employees to report annually on their gender pay gap. Government departments are covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 which came into force on 31 March 2017. These regulations underpin the Public Sector Equality Duty and require the relevant organisations to annually publish their gender pay gap data:

• Mean and median gender pay gap in hourly pay;
• Mean and median bonus gender pay gap;
• Proportion of men and women receiving a bonus payment; and
• Proportion of men and women in each pay quartile.

The gender pay gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in a workforce.

Mean and median gender pay gap figures are based on a comparison of men and women’s hourly pay across the organisation irrespective of grade, which means that the gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in the organisation’s workforce.

• The mean figure is the percentage difference between the mean average hourly rates of men and women’s pay.

• The median figure is the percentage difference between the midpoints in the ranges of men and women’s pay.
• The bonus gap refers to bonus payments paid to men and women employees during the 12 months period prior to the snapshot date.

The pay relates to the period between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022.

Gender identity

In alignment with current requirements for gender pay gap reporting, gender must be reported in a binary way, recognising only men and women. This means the gap does not take into account non-binary or other identities. The data used for the calculation comes from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) records, which we acknowledge won’t have an accurate record of gender for many trans and non-binary people. For the purpose of this report, we have used the terms ‘gender’, ‘men’ and ‘women’, although we understand that, for some people, this will be referring to their biological sex.

We continue to work towards creating a truly inclusive culture and want everyone at Homes England to feel comfortable to bring their whole self to work. We are committed to creating a more inclusive workplace for our trans and non-binary colleagues:

• Corporately encourage the active use of clearly stated pronouns among colleagues.
• Continue to support and uplift the voices of trans-and non-binary members of our LGBTQ+ network.
• Provide gender identity awareness training to employees.
• Provide visibility of trans and non-binary issues at a senior level.
• Address the current lack of trans and non-binary members of colleagues actively through recruitment and early careers.
• Transitioning at Work Policy and Procedure.

Our declaration

Our calculations follow the legislative requirements as set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties & Public Authorities) Regulations 2017. The data includes all staff who were deemed to be full paid relevant employees at 31 March 2022.

Activity since March 2021

Since we published our last report for 31 March 2021, we have been working on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion objectives for the next 4 years.  We have reviewed and benchmarked where we are and updated our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approach to focus on creating strong foundations to embed an inclusive culture.

As part of our approach we have refined our actions and initiatives in the areas that will make the most sustainable and consistent change.

• Focus on Development – We continue to invest in everyone’s personal development at Homes England and through 2021/22 introduced a coaching and mentoring offer.
• Awareness Training – Diversity, Inclusion and Conscious Inclusion training is provided for all colleagues with rollouts across 2022. We will be introducing pulse surveys which will include a metric for measuring our colleagues perspectives of inclusivity at Homes England.
• Transparency - We continue to report our progress on EDI quarterly to Executive Directors and the Board.
• Attraction strategy – We introduced Diveristy and Inclusion panels as part of our Senior Recruitment with all interviewed candidates meeting stakeholders from our Network Groups. We are working on a diverse attraction strategy as part of our 2022 Graduate intake which is every two years. The impact will be reported in 2022/23 and we will embed the learning to improve the experience for diverse applicants at all stages of our recruitment activity.
• We are members of Real Estate Balance which is committed to improving gender diversity in the property sector.
• We continue to influence our supply chain partners with the introduction and embedding of an ED&I criteria which must be met (within 2 years) by those aiming to access our frameworks as part of the DPS.

What are we doing about the gap?

Our ambition to create a more inclusive agency is set out in our updated diversity and inclusion strategy. Our wider diversity and inclusion objectives are designed to positively impact the gender pay gap. In relation to specific action, we will focus on the areas where we believe we will see the biggest impact in 2022/23.

We commit to undertaking a comprehensive equality impact assessment (EqIA) of our entire recruitment, promotion, and advancement apparatus in the agency. This will enable us to identify barriers to attracting, retaining, and advancing women across all levels, roles, and directorates. Further, we will be able to design bespoke evidence-based solutions that we can deploy to mitigate the levers driving our current gender pay gap. As part of this we will explore furthering our inclusive work options to include the potential for job share and part time working at our senior levels. We will look to pilot and report on the success of these actions in due course to improve transparency and accountability and ensure that we create the right conditions for female talent to thrive and develop.

We will also partner with Trade Union colleagues, staff networks, national charities, and other stakeholders to develop a continuous improvement framework that will scrutinise our progress in closing the gender pay gap.

We will widen our focus on inclusion and equity during 2023 to include ethnicity pay gap reporting.  We see this as an important element of creating an inclusive and equitable culture at Homes England.

Contact

Enquiries@homesengland.gov.uk
0300 1234 500