In 2020, Balfour Beatty’s mean gender pay gap between what men across the organisation got paid and what women got paid narrowed to 15%, from 21% in 2019. The median gender pay gap narrowed to 18% in 2020, down from 26% in 2019.
The gender pay gap does not mean the difference between what men and women get paid for doing the same job; rather, it is a measure of pay difference across the whole organisation, reflecting the relative seniority or access to high pay grades open to men and women.
Balfour Beatty also saw its mean and median gender bonus gap close in 2020 to 14% and 1%, down from 28% and 28% the previous year.
The proportion of hires into senior roles across the company has gone up from 20% female in 2019 to 32% in 2020, including new general counsel Tracey Wood doubling the female content of the executive committee, which is now 25% females.
Overall, 20% of our new hires in 2020 were female, but this figure increased to 27% among graduate and apprentice recruits.
The Gender Pay Gap Regulations stipulate that all organisations employing more than 250 employees are legally required to report annually on their gender pay gap. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Gender Pay Gap Regulations.
Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn said in his foreword to the 2020 report: “In 2017/2018, the first year we reported it, our mean pay gap between male and female employees was 27%. The median gap was 33%. This year, our mean gender pay gap is 15%, while the median is 18%. The gap is still too wide. There remains a lot to be done. But we are heading in the right direction.”
He added: "Over the long-term, Covid-19 may actually help drive further improvement in our ability to attract and retain a wider diversity of talented people to our business, as we outline in this report. We have learnt a great deal about inclusion from the new work patterns and styles we have embraced during the lockdowns. We are determined to keep – and build on – these approaches to nurture an inclusive culture.”
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