November 15, 2016

Audit of over 38,500 employees reveals current gender pay gap is over 50% lower than ONS figure of 18.1%

Five months ahead of the launch of new government legislation for transparency into gender pay equality, Sodexo, a leading services company, has revealed an overall gender pay gap of 7.65%.

The gender pay gap is a measure designed to show the difference between the gross hourly earnings for all men in an organisation and the gross hourly earnings for all women.

Currently the national gender pay gap in the UK – released by ONS – stands at 18.1%, while Sodexo has found a 7.65% difference between male and female gross hourly earnings.

Under new laws, employers in the UK with 250 or more employees will have to calculate their gender pay gap from April 2017 and publish the details by April 2018.

Publishing these initial findings is the first step in Sodexo’s plan to address pay gaps for different employee groups and follows a major audit into the salaries of Sodexo’s entire UK workforce of 38,500 people (which includes casual employees). The audit and resultant project will not only look into gender, but other characteristics such as ethnicity, age and disability.

This work is part of Sodexo’s global, long-term commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion through comprehensive strategies, communication, training and monitoring programmes.

Last year Sodexo carried out its own internal global research which demonstrates the positive benefits gender balance has on business outcomes. Sodexo, globally and locally, remains committed to pursuing initiatives to improve gender balance and reduce its gender pay gap even further.

Initiatives include:

• Aspirational targets for the representation of women in leadership positions
• Initiatives designed to support women’s development and progression
• Opportunities for open discussion and dialogue, with both men and women, about how the organisation can collectively support gender balance and overcome any barriers which may exist

Sean Haley, regional chairman of Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “We believe that to address gender equality it is critical for businesses to be transparent about any pay gap that exists. We are proud that Sodexo is one of the first companies of its size to announce its gender pay gap.

“Whilst our gender pay gap is significantly smaller than the national figure, we are confident in our ability, through pro-active initiatives  to reduce it even further.”

Minister for Women and Equalities, Caroline Dinenage said: “It’s fantastic to see that Sodexo has published its gender pay gap data today and importantly, the steps it is taking to close it. The gender pay gap is at a record low but we have to push further to eliminate it completely – shining a light on where the gaps are means employers can take action to tackle it in their organisation. That’s why we are introducing requirements for all large employers to publish their gender pay and bonus data from April 2017.”

Sodexo UK and Ireland’s regional Diversity & Inclusion strategy includes six work streams; Culture and Origins, Disability, Gender, Generations, Inclusion and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, each with their own supporting structures, measures and strategies.

Infographic – What’s the difference between equal pay and the gender pay gap?