Gender pay gap report for 2022/2023

Introduction

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017, Abicare Services Ltd is legally required to publish, on an annual basis, specified information relating to their gender pay gap.

The following information has been calculated in accordance with the Regulations and is legally compliant.

The gender pay gap

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average pay of men and women, expressed as a percentage. The gap is calculated by carrying out six calculations that show the difference between the average earnings of men and women in our organisation; it does not involve publishing individual employee’s data.

The gender pay gap has many contributing factors which will differ from organisation to organisation, across sectors and across geographical locations. These factors may or may not be unlawful or discriminatory, guided by society or cultural aspects, or as a result of internal organisational practices.

It is crucial to our understanding of gender pay disparity to recognise that the gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Equal pay is where there is a discriminatory pay difference between men and women who carry out the same job, jobs rated as equivalent or work of equal value. The existence of a gender pay gap does not automatically give rise to any discrimination or equal pay matters.

Abicare can use the results to assess:       

·        the level of gender equality in our workplace
·        the balance of male and female employees at different levels
·        how effectively talent is being maximised and rewarded

The Organisation

The Abicare workforce  comprise of the following groups:      

 ·       Senior Management Team
·        Head Office Support team (IT, Marketing, Finance, HR)
·        Locality Branches -managers and carer
·        Field- based operational teams
·        Live-in carers

Gender pay gap: 

Mean gender pay gap – Based on the mean (average) hourly rate of pay for male and female employees in the relevant pay period, our mean gender pay gap is 10 %. Women earn 10% lower than men.  

Median gender pay gap  – Based on the median (middle) hourly rate of pay for male and female employees in the relevant pay period, our median gender pay gap is 2 %.  Women earn 98p for every £1 that men earn when comparing median hourly pay.

Gender bonus gap:

Mean gender bonus gap – when comparing mean (average) bonus pay, women’s mean bonus pay is 57% higher than men’s.

Median gender bonus gap – women earn £1 for every £1 that men earn when comparing median bonus pay. Their median bonus pay is 0% lower than men.

Bonus pay

The proportions of male and female employees who received bonus pay during the relevant pay period are as follows (percentages are rounded to one decimal place):

Male employees:           25%
Female employees:       8.2%

Salary pay quartiles

The following table separates our entire workforce into four equal quartiles based on the salaries that are paid to these employees. These quartiles are then further broken down into the number and proportion, expressed as a percentage, of male and female employees in each quartile.

Action plan to address gender pay disparity

We are committed to reducing, and subsequently closing, any identified gender pay disparity. This commitment, however, is made in line with our understanding that a period of time and exploration of a number of different actions may be needed in order to achieve this aim. 

In our findings the representation of males was significantly lower than that of females and this has had an impact on the Gender Pay Gap.  The males have higher representation in IT and Finance over all other departments and these roles generally fall in the higher paid quartiles.

Our mean gender bonus pay is 57% higher for women.  This is because the majority of all roles that attract a bonus are currently filled by females, however we have lowered this percentage over the last few years.  

On reviewing the upper, middle and lower salary quartiles: we have 10 staff in directorial, Senior Management Roles, of which 5 are male and 5 are female.  The two highest paid employees are the MD and FD, one female and one male.  They are both on the same salary. Of the other 6 staff, salaries are the same regardless of gender for the roles they do.

The same applies to the middle and lower salary quartiles with all staff, regardless of gender receiving the same pay for equal roles- this means all carers receive the same pay rate regardless of their gender, we have geographical and length of service differences, and find the care roles are less attractive to male applicants.

Whilst the results have been very positive, here at Abicare we are committed to continual evaluation and improvement.  We will work with our Senior Managers to identify areas where we can improve – at recruitment, promotion & leadership recruitment, flexible working to ensure no one is excluded, diversity and unconscious bias training. The action plan will form part of the Organisation’s commitment to equality and diversity, and will be implemented in line with internal policies that are relevant to this commitment. 

We are keen to be a market leader in the care sector and offer career progression at all levels and we are also keen to develop a diverse and inclusive culture.  Most of our senior and middle managers, all have progressed through the company starting as carers or similar.  We see Personal Development Plans as an important part of a members’ journey with us and are committed to ensure equal representation across the board.  

Confirmatory statement –I confirm that the information set out in this gender pay gap report is accurate and calculated in accordance with the Regulations.

Anne-Marie Perry
CEO

Please direct any queries relating to this gender pay gap report using our contact form –  https://abicare.co.uk/contact