We are pleased to present our Gender Pay Gap Report for 2021, where the Norse Group has made good progress while recognising there is still more work to be done.
A ‘gender pay gap’ is the percentage difference between the pay of men and women, respectively, usually based upon average hourly earnings.
We have reported on whole Group information within the main body of our report and subsequently on each of our ten individual businesses which employ 250+ employees, in line with our statutory obligations.
In April 2021, we recorded a mean average gender pay gap of 16.6%, down from 16.8% in 2020**. While this slight movement is in the right direction, as a Group, we recognise that our gender pay gap is slightly higher than the national average, and we are driven and focused on achieving more in 2022.
We remain committed to closing this gap, but we have moved decisively in the right direction and can now build upon our efforts over the last year.
The Norse Group gender pay gap is primarily caused by having:
- Fewer women in senior positions
- Fewer women in specialist roles
- Fewer women in traditionally male-dominated roles
Norse is committed to improving in these core areas by:
- Offering enhanced maternity and paternity provision for all
- Ensuring equal and inclusive opportunities for development and progression
- Attracting more women to traditionally male-dominated roles and supporting them
- Attracting more females to senior roles and supporting them by developing a leadership framework focused on women and supported by a women’s mentoring programme.
We will continue to focus on these priority areas in the coming years and commit to achieving a better gender balance, further closing our gender pay gap.
It’s important to remember that the gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay, as men and women doing the same jobs are paid the same.
Katie Marrison, HR Director, Norse Group, explained: “As the largest local authority trading company (LATCO) in Britain, the Norse Group embraces not just gender diversity but the full diversity of every employee through an inclusive and accountable culture.
“In 2021, the Group employed 10,154 people in the UK across 35 companies, and 57.5% of our workforce are women. Ensuring fairness in all aspects of our relationships with our staff is key to adhering to our values of Respect and Trust.
“We seek to embed diversity and inclusion throughout our business because it is a key driver of our success. We recognise that an inclusive culture fosters an environment that increases individual and organisational performance by creating opportunities for all employees to achieve their full potential and give their best.”
*An organisation must publish GPG data within businesses where it employs 250 people and above. Norse Group’s gender pay gap figure is calculated using information from our entire workforce.
**Across the UK, men earned 15.4% more than women in April 2021 according to the Office for National Statistics. This figure is calculated on a 1% sample of employees’ jobs. It uses the ‘median average’ for men and women, which is the level of pay which falls in the middle of the range of earnings, i.e., half of people earn more than the median average, and half earn less.
