The gender pay gap has been in the spotlight recently, with the government actually taking action to start tackling the issue. Companies with the more than 250 employees have to report on how much they are paying their staff. Although this only focused on bigger businesses, small business should also start looking at the gender pay gap at their firm. A positive finding was that UK Fast, a hosting firm, had the mean gender pay gap which was just 0.9%.
The firm would of had a mean baseline gender pay gap of 0%, however when taking into consideration of shift allowances, it nearly rises to a percent. This is good news and a step in the right direction. UK Fast are setting an example with the goal being a 0% gender pay gap. With some of the biggest companies such as Apple and Ryanair being shamed for their statistics, this small company is definitely setting an example.
UK Fast CEO Lawrence Jones MBE commented: “The gap is seen when taking shift allowance into consideration simply because, despite our best efforts, the data centre and out-of-hours support teams receiving shift allowances are predominantly male. To combat this, we’re focused on encouraging more women into tech roles. Our work with girls’ schools and education providers in the area is tackling this issue at a grass-roots level. It’s a program we started more than 10 years ago.”
The company is aiming to get more young girls interested in the tech sector, ensuring that later on they will want to work in the sector. There is a need for more women in tech and this initiative of putting together school clubs, work experience and workshops is a great place to start.
Lawrence Jones adds: “It is fantastic to see the government enforcing the release of this data, but is it asking the right question? The gender pay gap exposes the fact that there are fewer women in high-paying jobs or technical roles, rather than a pay gap for like-for-like roles. Both are issues that need tackling, particularly considering that equal pay is the law and it’s flouted by so many big businesses.”
If you are a small business owner, then make sure that you are doing all you can to minimise the gender pay gap. Currently, the government is focusing on bigger businesses, however it may come after small businesses that are playing a part in the global issue of unfair gender pay gap.
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