April 2022 – March 2023 Published April 2024
Throughout the Countrywide Care Homes Group we are committed to offering high quality residential care, nursing homes and support services to older and vulnerable people in our communities. We could not achieve this without the dedication and hard work of our colleagues and team members. In light of this, we strive to provide a positive working environment wherein gender equality is encouraged and supported.
This statement has been published in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017, pursuant to which Countrywide Care Homes Limited is required to publish a report on the gender pay gap within the organisation. The gender pay gap report indicates the difference in average hourly earnings for men and women. The calculations are based on employer payroll data from a specific date each year, being 5 April 2023.
Gender Pay and Bonus Gap
| Mean | Median | |
| Pay Gap | 40% | 2.0% |
| Bonus Gap | -10% | 62% |
When comparing the average hourly rate of pay, there is a small difference of only 2% in the median average pay of our male and female employees. This is significantly below the national average and we have reduced this is down from 6% in our last published report. The mean average pay shows a significant difference in average earnings for men and women which is skewed because of one or two particularly high earning, male employees. The median figure of 2% is more reflective of the pay, as it is not skewed by any especially high or low wages.
The proportion of male employees and female employees receiving a bonus is similar, at 5.5% and 3.5% respectively.
During the reporting period, 11 employees received a bonus as opposed to the smaller number of employees (128) who received a bonus last year. This is because a larger number of one off discretionary bonuses were payable last year. Of the employees who received a bonus, 2 were male and 9 were female. This has resulted in the mean bonus gap being negative, reflecting that the average bonus paid to female members of staff was higher than that paid to male members of staff. This is a direct result of the 6 Home Managers and Deputy Home Managers being eligible for the largest bonuses within the organisation, and 5 of these 6 roles being held by women. The opportunity to earn a performance related bonus is consistent across all roles, regardless of whether the role is held by a male or female employee and so the figures are determined by the number of men and women in these positions, rather than the pay they receive.
The proportion of male and female employees across all quartiles of our workforce is evenly split with:
This statement explains why there is a gender pay gap within our organisation and what we are doing to reduce this gap.
Why we have a gender pay gap
Our workforce consists of 87% women and 13% men. In the last 12 months, the proportion of male employees across the lower middle quartile has increased from 10% to 14%, and we have increased the proportion of men in the upper quartile by 16% to 19%. Notwithstanding this, we are committed to increasing the number of men employed by the organisation and ensuring we have an appropriate mix of genders on roles of all types and at all levels.
Our pay structure is banded according to role only, not gender, meaning that pay differentiation only occurs as a result of an employee's position. Similarly, bonus pay is determined by position and performance, not by gender. All remuneration rates within the Group are competitive and in line with market practices. Accordingly, we are satisfied that our existing pay structure and/or rewards policy are compliant with the Equality Act. We do, however, acknowledge the desire to recruit more men into care giving roles, to provide the opportunity for internal progression for all employees and to increase the number of men holding management level roles within the organisation.
How we intend to continue to address the gender pay gap
In order to address the inherent imbalance within our sector we have implemented/intend to implement the following policies:
- Recruitment –
- We are committed to recruiting based solely on merit and not gender. Consequently, we continually review the way in which we describe/advertise our job vacancies and source our candidates; ensuring that all vacancies are presented in a gender neutral way.
- We encourage internal progression and support those candidates through industry relevant qualifications and seeking internal promotion opportunities.
- Programmes and workshops –
- We want to ensure that all those in care giving and middle management positions are aware of the opportunities available to them and are able to develop the skills required to attain leadership positions.
- We are committed to educating our managers and leaders about gender imbalances and unconscious bias.
- Remuneration –
- We continue to monitor the remuneration rates offered by the organisation to ensure that pay is banded solely according to role and not gender.
We anticipate that Countrywide Care Homes Limited's continued commitment to this cause will be reflected in the gradual reduction of our gender pay and bonus gap over the coming years.
Our gender pay gap figures have been calculated in line with the gender pay gap reporting legislation. I confirm that these figures have been verified and are accurate.
Farouk Mangera
Group People Director
3 April 2024