How we continue to include and support our people
As an industry-leading company, it is our responsibility to ensure that employees can realise their potential. We need the very best from our people, and we need to support them to achieve that. At OneAdvanced, we believe that our people can only do this by being their genuine selves in the workplace.
To achieve this, we need to be a truly diverse and supportive workplace. This is done by recognising inequalities and working to fix them. To give us true insight into where those inequalities lie, and begin combatting them, we began publishing a Gender Pay Gap report in 2017, which we later upgraded to our comprehensive Diversity Pay Gap Report.
Since we began our Diversity Pay Gap Report in 2020, we have been proud to watch the progress we have made. We have seen reductions in pay inequality for a range of typically underrepresented groups. The hugely encouraging data which has been gathered shows how we have succeeded in our goal, and how we can continue to improve.
This year, we have seen reductions in pay inequality for three of the four key groups which we measure. This has been particularly significant for employees with disabilities, with a reduction of 10.2 percentage points. By working with our networks and the important tools which we have developed, we have shown what can be achieved in our sector.
A highly encouraging aspect in this report is how we have seen an increase in trust. This report is a core part of our commitment to diversity, which we are showing through the transparency it promotes. The results of this commitment have been clear and encouraging. A reduction in ‘Prefer Not to Say’ responses shows that employees are gaining a greater sense of belonging and bringing their authentic selves to work.
What is most useful about this report is how it allows us to identify our successes and plan for the future. We have areas to improve on, but we have the data to help us effectively master these challenges. Our policies have proven successful in many cases, and we can now see what our actions going forward will be.
The Key Findings of Our Report
81% of our staff participated in our research, which has allowed us to produce our most representative report to date. This has been supported by a reduction in ‘Prefer Not to Say’ responses in reference to diverse characteristics. There was a reduction of 2.7 percentage points for that response concerning disabilities. This allows us to be more confident in our findings that there has been a significant reduction in disability pay gaps.
For the fifth year running, since our initial Gender Pay Gap Report, we have seen a reduction in the gender pay gap. A reduction of 5.4 percentage points brings the total to 6.3, which is a very positive sign. While there has been an increase in the bonus gap, more employees receiving bonuses allows us to gain more accurate insight for the future.
The mean pay gap for ethnic minority employees has increased by 2.9 percentage points, which shows an area for improvement. We intend to achieve this through our work alongside our employee networks, as well as our other tools to achieve positive change. We have also seen a decrease in the median pay gap, which shows that our goals are achievable. It has also been positive to see greater diversity in our team, with an increase in employees from underrepresented ethnicities.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community make up a significant portion of our team, and we have seen their representation exceed recent census data. We have also seen a 6.3 percentage point decrease in the pay gap for LBGTQ+ employees, at the same time as a reduction in those responding ‘Prefer Not to Say’ for sexuality. This shows that employees are feeling safer to be open about their sexuality, while also benefiting from greater equality.
Both mean and median pay gaps for disabled employees have fallen significantly, showing our greatest achievements this year. While there was an increase last year, we have worked hard to turn that around, which has paid off. Our quarterly talent reviews have made a significant impact in this area.
Our Successful Actions
We have been working hard to ensure the greatest diversity possible across our organisation. This has involved an extensive action plan, involving a range of tools to help. Through these methods, we have achieved very encouraging results, and we have seen their impact on our employees.
Quarterly talent reviews were introduced in 2021 through our product Advanced Clear Review, and this report covers the first full year of its implementation. This process allows us to reward, review and address changes in circumstance. It ensures that our decisions are performance-led and accurately reflect the data now made available to managers.
Using our new hiring tool, as well as a holistic approach to assessing applicants, we have been able to make our hiring process more diverse. Central to this is our unique process. We don’t focus on previous experience or look at CVs early in the hiring process; we focus on the potential of individuals through an interrogative learning process.
We have been able to track diversity information of applicants, to ensure that there is equality in progression. We have also changed our priorities in how candidates are assessed, to widen our talent pool while maintaining a high standard.
Information and education have allowed managers to lead in a way that is more inclusive and promotes diversity. We have given greater diversity insight to our leadership community, which allows them to have more accurate insight when making key talent decisions. Our new manager’s toolkit launched in November 2022, which has given greater resources to support managers in ensuring equality and diversity.
Our inclusion networks are a key part of ensuring that we are responding accurately to the concerns of employees and representing them authentically. Working alongside sponsors from the People Experience Team, these groups represent six key demographics. They also received executive sponsorship in 2022, ensuring that their voices are heard throughout our organisation. This allows them to bring about real, positive change within the business.
We have begun working alongside organisations beyond Advanced to improve our practice. We have been working closely with Stonewall, utilising the Workplace Equality Index to improve our self-assessment. We have also been recognised as a Disability Confident Employer, as well as joining the Endometriosis Friendly Employer Scheme. These key positive partnerships have guided and will continue to guide our practice.
The positive impact of our work and these partnerships has been recognised beyond Advanced. In 2020, we were recognised as a Leader in Diversity by the Financial Times’ independent survey. We were also a finalist for the Diversity in Technology Awards, ahead of thousands of companies across the UK.
2023 and Beyond
We have seen positive progress so far, but we have also identified room for improvement. Our fundamental principles remain firm, and we are committed to achieving higher standards at every opportunity. We have opportunities ahead of us to improve and advance as a business.
Our inclusion networks and culture commitments will continue to guide us. This year, we will launch Advanced’s Diversity Policy, which will allow us to be clear about our goals and commitments. We will also be working harder as a Disability Confident Employer by completing the Voluntary Reporting Framework to improve our insight into disability, mental health and wellbeing. Our commitment to our partnership with Stonewall remains strong, as we begin to enter the UK Workplace Equality Index.
Data is at the heart of this report and has allowed us key insights. We will continue to use data in a meaningful way, and expand its use throughout the business, giving managers more access to data points to inform and challenge decision-making. This will be supported by our introduction of a People Experience Insights Manager, whose first full year with us will be 2023, exploring and interrogating the data more closely. As well as monitoring our recruitment funnel for hiring, we will also explore our internal mobility funnel to explore equity in this area.
We will continue to work towards our Diversity Pay Gap Report, while refining our methods for data collection to better represent employees. As well as adding reporting on parents and carers, we will be working with inclusion networks to review how we ask about diversity characteristics. We believe that this will improve the accuracy of our reporting. This will be supported by working to make employees feel more confident in their identities in the workplace, to reduce the number of ‘Prefer Not to Say’ responses.
It has been great to see the increases in representation for diverse groups at Advanced. It has also been hugely encouraging to discover the positive differences on our pay gaps. By staying true to our fundamental talent principles - hiring on potential, promoting at pace, and recognising excellence - we will continue to support inclusion.
With three years of data to work from, we have insight which can guide positive progress. We have more understanding than ever of what we can do to achieve our goals to make a meaningful difference. We have an ongoing commitment to doing better, and we have the tools to do this.