Gender Pay Gap

From April 2018, all companies employing over 250 employees or more are required to publish information on the Gender Pay Gap figures on an annual basis.

A Gender Pay Gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in an organisation.

It is not the same as equal pay. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs or work of equal value. It is unlawful to pay people unequally because they are a man or a woman.

What measures are used?

There are six calculations required under the Regulations and these are as follows:

• The mean Gender Pay Gap
• The median Gender Pay Gap
• The mean bonus Gender Pay Gap
• The median bonus Gender Pay Gap
• The proportion of males and females receiving a bonus payment
• The proportion of males and females in each quartile band

What is Southern Housing Group’s Gender Pay Gap?

As at April 2018, the gender make up of Southern Housing Group comprised 39% male and 61% female, so our organisation has significantly more women working for us than men.

A high number of employees in the lower quartile and lower middle quartile sections work within care and support and a majority of these employees are female. Although Southern Housing Group pays the Living Wage Foundation rates for care and support roles, salary levels tend to be lower because of external market factors affecting what we can pay.

What about bonuses?  

Southern Housing Group does not pay a bonus however, a Group-wide peformance award was paid in July 2018, and was therefore not included in the April 2018 statistics. Only a small number of roles are paid bonuses (under 4% of male and female employees were paid bonuses as at April 2018 although bonuses were paid in July to over 70% of employees). This explains the gap in median payments. The April 2019 calculations will include the July 2018 bonus payments so this will accurately reflect the Gender Pay Gap in respect of bonus payments across the Group.



What is Southern Housing Group doing to address these issues?

An annual report on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is presented to the Group’s Board each summer.

The Board has also approved an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy which is underpinned by an action plan detailing the steps being taken within the Group to eliminate discrimination; advance equality of opportunity; and to foster good working relationships between all groups of people at work.

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