DBS Gender Pay Gap Report 2020
Published 11 June 2021
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1. Background
1.1. In 2017, the government introduced world-leading legislation that made it statutory for organisations with 250 or more employees to report annually on their gender pay gap. Government departments are covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, which came into force on 31 March 2017.
1.2. These regulations underpin the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and require relevant organisations to publish their gender pay gap data by 30 March annually. Key reporting requirements are:
- mean and median gender pay gaps
- mean and median gender bonus gaps
- proportion of men and women who received bonuses
- proportions of male and female employees in each pay quartile
1.3. The gender pay gap identifies the difference in the average pay between all men and women in a workforce. 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 they are a man or a woman.
1.4. This report fulfils the Disclosure and Barring Service’s (DBS) reporting requirements, analyses the figures in more detail, and sets out what we are doing to close the gender pay gap in the organisation.
2. Calculations
2.1. Our calculations followed the legislative requirements set out in the Government Equalities Office’s ‘Gender pay gap reporting’, and we confirm that the data reported is accurate.
2.2. All staff who were deemed to be full paid relevant employees have been included in the calculations as per the guidance.
2.3. To be included as a full pay relevant employee (this includes part-time employees), the employee must be paid their full usual pay during the pay period in which the snapshot date falls. If the employee is paid less than their usual rate because of being on leave for that period, they should not be counted as a full pay relevant employee. For example, if an employee is paid Statutory Sick Pay or Statutory Maternity Pay that is less than their usual pay, they will not be counted as a full pay relevant employee.
3. Analysis
3.1. At 31 March 2020, DBS employed a total of 1,048 employees (headcount) in delegated grades. 61% (637) of all staff were women and 39% (411) of all staff were men.
3.2. DBS follows the standard public sector approach to pay and grading. All posts within the department sit within one of seven levels (grades), and these grades have an associated pay range consisting of a minimum and maximum rate. AO grade consists of a single spot rate. Salaries are paid according to grade and annual pay awards, and are paid irrespective of gender.
3.3. It is useful to have a statistical picture of the workforce composition by grade before analysing the gender pay gap as this provides context for the gender pay gap report.
3.4. Figures 1 and 2 show a breakdown of the 1,048 relevant employees in DBS on 31 March 2020 by grade and gender.
Figure 1: DBS workforce information by gender
| Grade | Female | Male |
| AO | 209 (58.2%) | 150 (41.8%) |
| EO | 191 (67.3%) | 93 (32.7%) |
| HEO | 156 (60.0%) | 104 (40.0%) |
| SEO | 46 (54.1%) | 39 (45.9%) |
| Grade 7 | 21 (53.8%) | 18 (46.2%) |
| Grade 6 | 12 (80.0%) | 3 (20.0%) |
| SCS | 2 (33.3%) | 4 (66.7%) |
Figure 2: Distribution of DBS workforce numbers by gender
| Grade | Female | Male | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO | 209 | 150 | 359 |
| EO | 191 | 93 | 284 |
| HEO | 156 | 104 | 260 |
| SEO | 46 | 39 | 85 |
| Grade 7 | 21 | 18 | 39 |
| Grade 6 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| SCS | 2 | 4 | 6 |
3.5. Figures 1 and 2 show that 86% of the workforce were employed at AO, EO and HEO level.
3.6. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate that across the AO, EO and HEO grades, the split of men and women was broadly representative of the overall 61%/39% gender split in DBS. There was a 54/46 split of male and female employees at SEO grade. At Grade 7 there were 54% female employees. At Grade 6 there were more female employees (80% female compared to 20% male). At 31 March 2020, there were two women in SCS roles compared to four men. This is a decrease compared to 2019 when there were four women in SCS roles.
3.7. DBS offers positions in variety of operational, policy, and corporate service roles, many of which are available on a full or part-time basis. DBS has an operational evening shift which can offer more flexibility in working patterns. The evening shift also attracts an evening shift allowance. 55% of employees on the evening shift as at 31 March 2020 were women.
4. Mean and median gender pay gap
4.1. The mean gender pay gap (the difference between men’s and women’s average hourly pay) is that men are paid on average 2.9% more than women, and the median gender pay gap is 1.6% favourable to men compared to women.
4.2. In comparison to 31 March 2019, there has been an increase of 0.9% (mean average) in the gap and a decrease of 1.9% (median average). The reasons for this are detailed below.
4.3. The increase in mean average in DBS in 2020 can be attributed to changes in the Strategic Leadership Team. In 2020, there were two women in senior roles compared to four in 2019[footnote 1].
Figure 3: Trend in mean and median average gender pay gap
| Year | Mean | Median |
| 2020 | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | 3.5% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | 2.3% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | 4.5 % |
4.6. DBS’ gender pay gap compares favourably to the UK 2020 gender pay gap. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which revealed a gender pay gap of 15.5% nationally.
5. Hourly pay quartiles
5.1. The hourly pay quartiles data shows the proportion of men and women that are in each pay quartile when staff are arranged in order of hourly pay rate (AO to SCS).
Figure 4: Percentage of female and male employees in each pay quartile
| Upper quartile | Female | 57% |
| Upper quartile | Male | 43% |
| Third quartile | Female | 63% |
| Third quartile | Male | 37% |
| Second quartile | Female | 61% |
| Second quartile | Male | 39% |
| Lower quartile | Female | 60% |
| Lower quartile | Male | 40% |
6. Bonus pay
6.1. In 2019-2020, DBS offered in-year reward and recognition awards to staff based on nominations for outstanding pieces of work. These were awarded in the form of vouchers, or through salary. Both are included here for the purpose of gender pay gap calculations.
7. Gender bonus pay gap
7.1. The mean gender bonus gap (difference between men and women) was 36.6% in favour of male employees and the median gender bonus gap was 33.3% in favour of male employees.
7.2. In total 289 female employees received bonuses compared to 162 male employees. This is representative of the DBS employee profile.
Figure 5: Trend in mean and median average gender bonus pay gap
| Year | Mean | Median |
| 2020 | 36.6% | 33.3% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | 0% |
| 2018 | 7% | -50% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | 36.8% |
8. Proportion of employees receiving a bonus
8.1. Out of 624 female employees, 289 received a bonus, which equates to 46%. Out of 409 male employees, 162 received a bonus, which equates to 40%.
Figure 6: Proportion of employees receiving a bonus
| Gender | Proportion receiving a bonus |
|---|---|
| Female | 46% |
| Male | 40% |
9. Actions
9.1. DBS is committed to improving its pay and reward strategy, and is taking into consideration matters of equality relating to gender pay gap as part of this work.
9.2. DBS has the ability, within the frameworks set by HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, to determine its pay and grading structures for grades AO to Grade 6. As such, DBS conducts an annual review of pay for staff in grades below SCS. Analysis is conducted to ensure that changes to grading structure do not impact on gender equality. This analysis is separate to the gender pay gap and does not follow the same methodology. The report looks at annual salary paid for all staff and compares the gaps across all grades. This gives further insight on the impact on gender pay gap.
9.3. DBS regularly monitors data on equality and diversity relating to its workforce, and considers this in decision making and through the process of completing equality impact assessments.
9.4. In 2021, DBS reviewed its approach to reward and recognition, including matters relating to the gender pay gap. DBS also continues work on reviewing and improving our pay policy, working closely with the Home Office. This is a DBS business plan 2021-22 priority.
9.5. In 2021, DBS agreed a new strategic plan on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), to support activities over the next three years to deliver the DBS 2020-25 strategy. The plan explains how we incorporate EDI into our ways of working and the products and services we provide so we can make recruitment safer.
10. Conclusion
10.1. DBS has seen a continuous improvement in the gender pay gap over the past three years. Analysis demonstrates that this has largely been down to the changing profile of employees, in particular female employees moving into senior positions and more male representation in junior roles.
10.2. DBS compares favourably to the UK Gender Pay Gap of 15.5%.
10.3. DBS will continue to conduct regular reviews of its pay and grading structure to identify any variances and will act within HM Treasury guidelines to resolve them.
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Following a restructure of the Strategic Leadership Team at DBS, at the date of publication of this report, there are 5 women and 6 men in SCS roles. ↩