Gender pay gap

NCHA is committed to the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment for all colleagues, regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. As such we use a gender neutral job evaluation scheme to grade roles and determine pay.

We are required by law to publish an annual gender pay gap report. The figures below come from our most recent snapshot, which was taken at 5 April 2024.

Figures

• The mean gender pay gap is 13.2%. 
• The median gender pay gap is 16.2%. 
• The mean gender bonus gap is -8.1%. 
• The median gender bonus gap is -0.1%. 
• The proportion of male colleagues in NCHA receiving a bonus is 17% and the proportion of female colleagues receiving a bonus is 16%.

Pay quartiles

• 27% of people in the lower pay quartile are men, and 73% are women.
• 29% of people in the lower middle pay quartile are men, and 71% are women. 
• 39% of people in the upper middle pay quartile are men, and 61% are women. 
• 45% of people in the upper pay quartile are men, and 55% are women. 

These figures have been calculated using the methodologies used in the gender pay gap reporting guidance for employers. 

Summary

The mean gender pay gap has remained the same as the previous year.

There have been some changes:

• The proportion of women in the upper quartile has decreased since last year.
• The proportion of women in the upper middle quartile has increased since last year. 

The bonus payments detailed include three types of payment. They are not all typically considered bonuses, because they are all paid by NCHA under the same payment element: long service awards, our 'refer a friend' recruitment scheme, and colleague recognition awards.

Why we have a gender pay gap

Most of the issues that contribute to NCHA's gender pay gap are reflected in the UK economy and are not unique to us:

• Women are underrepresented in senior roles at NCHA. Our workforce on the date of the snapshot is made up of 66% women. Women occupied 65% of managerial roles overall, but 40% of senior leadership roles. This trend is replicated across the UK economy, as women are less likely to hold senior roles and more likely to be in frontline roles.
• Occupational segregation, which remains what we consider the main reason for our gender pay gap results. Women are overrepresented in lower paid care roles at NCHA. This is reflected in the fact that women are over-represented in the lowest quartiles. 
• More women than men are part time. 80% of our part time colleagues were women on the snapshot date and the number of jobs performed on a part time, or zero-hour basis was higher in the lower quartile (47%) compared to the upper quartile (22%). The number of jobs at higher grades that are part-time may affect employment choices and flexibility. 
• Current pay arrangements: a review of the data by quartiles shows that our pay gaps are due to overrepresentation of women in lower quartiles and underrepresentation of women in higher quartiles. The difference between the lowest paid colleagues in our organisation and the highest paid colleagues in our organisation create the gap overall. 

The gender pay gap is different to equal pay

Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs or work of equal value. It is unlawful to pay people unequally because of their gender. The gender pay gap shows the difference in the average pay between all men and women in all jobs in a workforce.

NCHA is committed to the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment for all colleagues, regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. As such, we use a gender neutral job evaluation scheme to grade roles and determine pay.

Our gender pay gap is the result of the roles in which men and women work within the organisation and the salaries that these roles attract.

Across the UK economy, men are more likely than women to be in senior roles (especially very senior roles at the top of organisations), while women are more likely than men to be in frontline roles at the lower end of an organisation. Women are also more likely than men to have had breaks from work that have affected their career progression, for example to bring up children or provide care. Women are also more likely to work part-time, and part-time work is often concentrated at lower ends of the pay spectrum.

This pattern from the UK economy as a whole is reflected in the make-up of NCHA's workforce, where the majority of frontline colleagues are women, while men hold the majority of senior and senior manager roles.

Addressing the gender pay gap

We will continue to: 

• Increase the representation of women in higher paid positions including managerial roles with initiatives like the Rooney Rule for people manager roles and above (where feasible) and embed the use of diverse recruitment interview panels.
• Monitor workforce data in relation to gender and ethnicity to understand the impact of our recruitment processes on appointments to people manager roles and in addition analyse data around leavers to identify and address any unknown barriers.
• Ensure that development opportunities, such as our Aspiring Leaders programme and apprenticeships, have representative numbers of women and ethnically diverse colleagues on them.
• Increase the number of men working in our care and support directorate and women in property services through targeted apprenticeships.
• Use anonymised applicant data to reduce unconscious bias in recruitment.
• Transform and embed our Colleague Forum for ethnic minorities and Diversity Champion networks who support colleagues covering all non-protected characteristics to better support the organisation and the equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.
• Foster inclusion and improve people's sense of belonging through colleague consultation and collaboration, talent attraction, development and retention.
• Remind colleagues of the family-friendly benefits that are available to them, including making sure we support those that currently have or plan on taking on a caring role/responsibility if they want to. Support colleagues through all life stages in integrating and balancing work and family responsibilities.
• Provide menopause guidance and support, including through our healthcare provider. Aim to attract, support and retain women, mainly those in their late 40s and early 50s, who are generally affected at the peak of their career.

We will continue working with colleagues, trade unions, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Panel and relevant forums to achieve these goals.