Gender pay gap report 2018-2019 (accessible version)
Published 30 March 2022
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2022
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1. 1. Introduction
1.1 The Regulator of Social Housing presents its Gender pay gap report for 2018-2019. This is the regulator’s first such report.
1.2 The regulator’s staff count at the time of the report was under the 250 threshold and the organisation itself did not come into existence until October 2018, and as such reporting is not required. However, we have published our findings on a voluntary basis as we believe it is best practise and transparent to fully support the regulations in increasing transparency regarding gender pay across the public sector.
1.3 As at 31 March 2019:
- our mean pay gap was 15.23% (mean is the average in the data set); and
- our median pay gap was 17.54% (median is the middle number in the data set).
1.4 In the year ending 31 March 2019, 79.3% of male employees and 75.5% of female staff received a bonus:
- our mean bonus pay gap was 6.34%; and
- our median bonus pay gap was 0.00%.
1.5 Where pay gaps have arisen, they are in favour of male staff. The driving factors for this are discussed below.
2. 2. Pay gap
2.1 The comparison of mean and median pay in RSH shows a gap in favour of men which is higher than the gap across the whole civil service which was 9.8% (mean) and 12.2% (median) at March 2018.
2.2 The proportion of male and female employees in RSH in each pay quartile is shown below.
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Top quartile | 47.2% | 52.8% |
| Upper middle quartile | 60.0% | 40.0% |
| Lower middle quartile | 73.7% | 26.3% |
| Bottom quartile | 64.9% | 35.1% |
| Overall | 61.6% | 38.4% |
2.3 The pay gap is a result of a higher concentration of female staff in the more middle/junior grades and 56.4% of female staff in the lowest two pay quartiles, compared to 39.9% of male staff.
3. 3. Bonus pay gap
3.1 RSH operates a modest annual bonus pay scheme on a fixed scale, with awards based on individual staff performance in their role. Bonuses are paid at set values of:
- £0 where individual performance does not meet expectations
- £150 where performance meets expectations, and
- £450 where performance exceeds expectations.
3.2 Bonuses are awarded irrespective of gender or any other protected characteristic. To be considered for a bonus, staff must first have successfully completed their six-month probationary period following joining the organisation.
3.3 Of the staff as at 31 March 2019, 46 males (79.3% of male staff) and 71 females (75.5% of female staff) were paid a bonus in the preceding year. Bonuses paid in the year to March 2019 related to performance in the year to March 2018. Proportionately more female than male staff had joined the organisation during the latter part of the year to March 2018 and during the year to March 2019. As new employees they were ineligible for the bonus payment in the year. This results in a differential towards males in terms of the proportion receiving bonus payments.
3.4 It is common practice across organisations for non-consolidated bonus payments to be pro-rated in accordance with number of hours worked by each employee. Therefore, those working part-time will receive a lower bonus when compared to full-time workers. A higher proportion of our female staff work part-time compared to male staff. Consequently, in 2019 there was a mean bonus pay gap of 6.34% in favour of men but a median bonus pay gap of 0%.
4. 4. Actions
4.1 RSH is fully committed to the principle of equality, diversity and equal treatment for all its employees, regardless of gender or any other characteristic. We offer a very flexible employment package with the opportunity to work full or part-time, flexibility on work locations, and the potential to purchase additional annual leave. We will also consider variations in working patterns where practicable. We believe this assists equality and opportunity, but we continue to look to identify and address, where possible, any further barriers to recruitment or progression.
4.2 We have a number of actions in progress which will help to address the gender pay gap including a gender-neutral employment strategy, which includes blind shortlisting to reduce the impact of unconscious bias and use of mixed gender panels for interviews wherever possible. Whilst we do not have comparative data for preceding years, changes in staffing since 31 March 2019 should, we believe, ultimately show a reduction in the gender pay gap.
4.3 We also recognise that female staff are underrepresented amongst our senior staff. We are focusing on staff development to ensure that all our staff who want to progress are equally equipped to take opportunities for advancement when they arise.