Companies House gender pay gap report and data 2023
Published 28 March 2024
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1. Introduction
Companies House is fully committed to ensuring the fair treatment and reward of all colleagues irrespective of gender, as well as any other protected characteristic including age, ethnicity, religion and/or belief, sexual orientation, and disability status.
The promotion of equality and inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re proud of the progress we continue to make in this area.
Our commitment to supporting women to flourish in the workplace is evidenced by:
- more women than men holding the most senior positions within our organisation
- a reinvigorated women’s network
- our equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) steering group (chaired by our diversity champion (exec level)) and bringing together colleagues from all our ED&I networks, representatives from across the directorates within Companies House and trade union colleagues, continuing to go from strength to strength
- an increasing number of female candidates with 56% of female applicants being successfully appointed during the last year
2. Definition
The gender pay gap is an equality measure that shows the difference in average earnings between women and men. It does not show the difference in pay for comparable jobs.
It is different to equal pay which deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value.
In line with public sector regulations, the data in this report is based on a snapshot date of 31 March 2023. For bonuses, the period used was 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, which was the 12 months preceding the snapshot date.
3. Gender pay gap data
The gender pay gap for Companies House 2023 is:
Mean pay gap of 12.4%
Median pay gap of 18.3%
Mean bonus gap of 9.0%
Median bonus gap of 9.0%
Mean is the average in the data set, and median is the middle number in the data set.
The proportion of male employees receiving a bonus is 32.8% and the proportion of female employees receiving a bonus is 31.2%.
Our commitment to gender equality can be evidenced from the very top of the organisation. Four of our six most senior employees (senior civil servants) are women, including our chief executive. Together with other women employed in senior roles in Companies House, they provide visible role models as well as their continuing support which underpins many of the initiatives, we have in place aimed at reinforcing our commitment to reducing our gender pay gap.
Table 1: workforce by grade
| Grade | Male (percentage of total male workforce) | Female (percentage of total female workforce) | Percentage of women in the grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | 28.57% | 41.82% | 65.1% |
| EO | 25.75% | 23.26% | 53.6% |
| HEO and SEO | 35.7% | 26.6% | 48.8% |
| Grade 7 and 6 | 0.39% | 7.65% | 50.5% |
| SCS (senior civil service) | 0.37% | 0.58% | 66.0% |
| Total percentage of women working in Companies House | 56% |
Table 1 shows a breakdown of the workforce by grade. It is the AO grade where high percentages of female colleagues are present.
The HEO and SEO grades having the highest concentration of male colleagues. This is where we have a higher percentage of IT colleagues whose skill sets attract higher wages because of market rates. As most colleagues in this area are men, this widens the gender pay gap for Companies House.
Table 2: pay quartiles by gender
| Pay quartiles | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 33.9% | 66.1% |
| Lower middle | 38.5% | 61.5% |
| Upper middle | 44.4% | 55.5% |
| Upper | 59.5% | 40.5% |
Companies House pay gap is driven by an uneven gender split in our AO and EO grades which represents the lower and lower middle of the pay quartiles.
We’ve analysed this in detail receiving feedback that many of our female colleagues were attracted by our family friendly policies, which enables them to achieve a better work life balance. We also received feedback that female colleagues were aware of the help and support we provide in getting colleagues ready for promotion.
See Feedback for the 2023 people survey.
Table 3: all internal promotions, from AO to EO, within Companies House since April 2023
| Grade | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Band B (AO) to Band C (EO) | 25% | 75% |
| Band C (EO) to Band D (HEO) | 43% | 57% |
Recruitment and retention
A busy year of recruitment saw many new colleagues joining Companies House and colleagues moving and gaining promotions internally.
A higher proportion of joiners were female making up 102 of our 181 new entrants. Fifty per cent of these colleagues took up roles in the upper two quartiles of our pay structure which was higher than the male equivalent which saw only 47% do so.
Table 4: all new entrants between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023
| Gender | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Upper middle/upper quartile | 37 | 51 |
| Lower/lower middle quartile | 42 | 51 |
| New joiners | 79 | 102 |
However, during the year, 144 colleagues left Companies House. 81 of these were female with the remaining 63 male. Of our female leavers, 50 were from roles within our lowest two quartiles meaning 31 of those who left were from roles paid in our upper two quartiles. Of our male leavers 23 were from roles within our lowest two quartiles and the remaining 40 roles were paid in the upper two quartiles.
As part of the support provided to internal colleagues, in January 2023, we ran some recruitment-based sessions aimed predominantly at our lower graded colleagues in our Customer Delivery Directorate (CDD).
The sessions were a collaboration between the recruitment team and CDD managers and proceeded a large recruitment campaign. Our aim was to build confidence and preparedness, and demystify the recruitment process, providing information to help colleagues feel comfortable in submitting an application. The campaign also offered the chance to receive some focused coaching for those aiming to take the next step in their career. These workshops were very well attended, particularly by female colleagues, and received positive feedback.
Since April 2023 there have been 136 internal promotions, 74 of which saw colleagues promoted into the Executive Officer (EO) grade. Female colleagues accounted for 56 of these promotions. This is a fantastic example of the benefit of the work and encouragement we have invested in this group and demonstrates the impact of one of our planned interventions.
Female colleagues also accounted for 57% of all promotions gained internally to the Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade which further emphasises our success in encouraging and supporting female colleagues to build careers.
4. This year’s activities
Networks
In Companies House we have several networks that support colleagues and assist change within the organisation. Several of these focus on our female colleagues and have been involved in activities this year which supports and encourages female colleagues with building their careers. Some of the activities they have been involved in are detailed below.
Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) steering group
Entering its second year, our ED&I steering group has continued to develop ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion continues to be at the core of all that we deliver, both internally for colleagues and externally for our customers.
The steering group has played a key role in ensuring that Companies House continues to deliver on its strategic objectives by monitoring development, delivery, and implementation of our organisational ED&I strategy.
The group focussed on 4 key areas for delivery during 2023, which were:
- continuing to raise the profile of equality impact assessments
- gender pay gap action plan
- disability pay gap report
- reverse mentoring
The creation of our gender pay gap working group was in recognition of the key headlines from our previous gender pay gap reports. Here the facilitation of a proactive response to what our data was telling us was felt to be a positive move in ensuring that effective action could be implemented.
The creation of a gender pay gap action plan allowed us to focus on key specific actions or datasets we had identified as enabling us to pinpoint areas where change may be necessary.
The group has also introduced several proactive programmes in the organisation which has helped in raising the profile of career development opportunities. An example is our ‘reverse mentoring’ programme which provides the opportunity for colleagues from Band B (AO) to Band E (SEO) to mentor colleagues from our senior leadership pool and share lived experiences, as well as training opportunities via the development of our ‘lead and inspire’ programme.
Programmes like this are valued by colleagues, along with robust communication activity in relation to promoting personal development opportunities. Over time, this will help us improve our data returns.
The menopause network
This aims to educate colleagues and managers about the symptoms and impact of menopause and encourage open conversations to ensure colleagues can benefit from the support the organisation can offer. In recognition of their commitment to making a difference the network has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge to take positive action to support all staff affected by menopause in the workplace.
This year they:
- celebrated World Menopause Day with an external menopause expert who gave a presentation on cardiovascular disease and menopause
- promoted free menopause courses, with network leads attending additional courses to keep them updated throughout the year
- continued monthly menopause network meetings for advice and support
Looking ahead, the menopause network will be looking at the results of the menopause questions in the people survey to identify improvements in supporting colleagues affected by menopause.
Working families network
The group is an active network which is involved in several activities designed to help colleagues with the demands of being a working parent. As a result of their support colleagues’ lives are positively impacted, ensuring people are in the best position to carry out their work-related duties and helping us to recruit and retain colleagues who are working parents.
Some areas of support given by members of the network this year include:
- exam stress - discussing strategies on how to help colleagues support their children through the exam period
- starting new schools and new terms at existing schools
- financial hints and tips which has included - outlining toy and clothes sales, cheap show tickets and how to access low-cost meals for children
- elf on the shelf suggestions
- suggestions for free or cheap days out especially during the school holidays
- holiday play care schemes - ensuring Companies House continue to offer their support to working parents during school holidays by continuing to contribute to the cost of childcare provision during the Easter and summer holiday periods
In addition to continuing to provide support in the above areas the group will continue to work with colleagues in identifying new areas where their support can make a difference. They will also continue to link up with other networks - and through the support and encouragement they provide, make it easier for all colleagues but, specifically women, to focus on building a career in Companies House.
Feedback for the 2023 people survey
The 2023 people survey provided us with a rich source of data which not only provides feedback on the impact of existing activity but also provides us with a focus on where future activity may be best placed.
Overall female colleagues rated their experiences of various aspects of Companies House life more highly than their male counterparts which evidences the impact of our focus on this group.
Clearly there are areas where additional focus is required but an iterative approach will ensure we continue to build on our successes.
Table 5: results from the 2023 people survey
| Female (all) - 515 respondents | Male (all) - 429 respondents | Female, bands B and C (Civil Service Grade) - 302 respondents | Male, bands B and C (Civil Service Grade) - 221 Respondents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question/theme | 2023 score | Difference from 2022 | 2023 score | Difference from 2022 | 2023 score | Difference from 2022 | 2023 score | Difference from 2022 |
| Overall engagement | 71% | +2 | 66% | +1 | 70% | +2 | 66% | +2 |
| My manager is considerate of my life outside work | 89% | No change | 88% | -1 | 89% | +1 | 88% | +2 |
| I am able to access the right learning and development opportunities when I need to (L&D scores across the organisation significantly reduced) | 72% | -7 | 64% | -8 | 74% | -8 | 67% | -8 |
| There are opportunities for me to develop my career in my organisation | 67% | +7 | 59% | +2 | 72% | +11 | 61% | +4 |
| Learning and development activities I have completed while working for my organisation are helping me to develop my career | 54% | +1 | 51% | -1 | 52% | +3 | 57% | -1 |
| Inclusion and fair treatment (theme) | 86% | -1 | 87% | +3 | 86% | No change | 86% | +4 |
| Pay and benefits (theme) | 34% | +7 | 29% | +3 | 28% | +7 | 28% | +8 |
| I am satisfied with the total benefits package | 52% | +9 | 39% | +5 | 47% | +10 | 38% | +9 |
| I am fully aware of the benefits available in my organisation, in addition to pay | 84% | - | 78% | - | 78% | - | 70% | - |
5. Summary
While we acknowledge our current structure presents challenges in significantly reducing the gender pay gap, it will not hinder our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone thrives.
This year, we saw a positive increase in female colleagues achieving promotions and improved scores in our people survey. We strive for continuous improvement, and our dedicated ED&I steering group identifies further intervention areas.
Our valued colleague-run networks, supported by the ED&I steering group, provide invaluable intelligence and ideas. We utilise this feedback to strengthen our employer brand and solidify our position as an employer of choice.
We’re proud of our progress in enriching the lives of our existing colleagues and actively attracting future colleagues who share our values. We proactively showcase our inclusive culture during recruitment, and increasingly, individuals join us for that reason.
While attracting a higher percentage of female colleagues initially impacts our pay gap figures, we’re aware of this dynamic. We’re proud to offer family-friendly policies that employees value. Once they join, we’re committed to supporting their career aspirations.
We recognise our structure impacts our ability to significantly reduce our gender pay gap. However, we do not wish to let that hinder our focus on ensuring Companies House is an organisation where everyone can flourish as we continue to create an inclusive environment for all colleagues to reach their full potential.
Our efforts over this year can be evidenced in the number of female colleagues internally gaining promotion and the improvements in our people survey scores, but there is always more to do and our ED&I steering group will continue to highlight areas where further interventions can help.
Our comprehensive range of colleague-run networks, supported by the ED&I steering group, will continue to help us to gather invaluable intelligence and feedback as well as providing ideas from across the organisation. We’ll use this to help us further improve and reinforce our employer brand and reaffirm our position as an employer of choice.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in creating a culture which enables our brilliant people to flourish. We’re also keen for prospective future colleagues to understand our supportive culture to enable them to align themselves with an organisation which has similar values to those they possess themselves.
Increasingly we’re telling our story as part of our recruitment campaigns and receiving applications from individuals who want to work with us because of our inclusive culture. We’re frequently told by colleagues they are attracted by our family friendly policies, which is clearly a positive - and once they have joined, we’ll continue to work with them to encourage them to build the career they want to have.