ICAS reports on its gender pay gap
ICAS has completed its annual gender pay gap analysis and published a new report setting out the findings.
Gender pay gap reporting is part of the UK Government's strategy to reduce the gender pay gap in a generation. UK employers that employ more than 250 employees are required to publish their gender pay gap at a snapshot date of 5 April.
ICAS employs fewer than 250 employees but for the last few years has voluntarily published its gender pay gap to take a leading position in supporting the transparency of gender pay.
The gender pay gap measures the difference between the average male pay and average female pay as a proportion of the average male pay. For example, average male pay of £10 per hour and average female pay of £9 per hour would indicate a gender pay gap of 10%.
The ICAS gender pay gap
Our Gender Pay Report for 2019 has now been published. As at April 2019, we are reporting a gender pay gap of 21.8%.
While we acknowledge there is more to be done, we are pleased that we have achieved an almost 10% reduction on our 2018 figure.
Why do we have a gender pay gap?
In April 2019, women made up 68% of our overall workforce.
Progress has been made to close the gap in the most senior roles within ICAS. However, the number of women in the lower middle level of the organisation has also increased slightly. The number of women in the lower pay level has not reduced significantly enough to completely close the gap and we will be working to address that.
How is gender pay different to equal pay?
Equal pay legislation makes it unlawful for an employer to pay individuals differently for performing the same or similar work or work of equal value.
ICAS uses a job evaluation process to ensure it meets the requirements of equal pay legislation and regularly benchmarks its pay framework with other industry sectors.
This allows us to be confident that men and women are paid equally for doing work that is either the same or of a similar value.
What are we doing to close the gap further?
ICAS places equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of all that it does and is committed to building a diverse workforce that is beneficial for all.
While we are moving in the right direction, we recognise more action is needed to further reduce the pay gap.
The insights we gain from gender pay reporting will inform our recruitment and succession planning activities, helping us to reduce our gap by recruiting from the broadest range of candidates - both internal and external.
In December 2019, the Guthrie Group was set up to promote and embed a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion within ICAS and in our membership. Made up by both CAs and members of staff, the group is committed to driving positive change in our organisation, including gender equality.
In addition, we are reviewing the flexible working opportunities we offer and continuing to provide opportunities for part-time and flexible working.