Closing the Gap: Practical Strategies for Addressing the Gender Pay Gap

In collaboration with Lead5050 and OEUK, AXIS Network were delighted to kick off the year with our inaugural Pledge event, an engaging workshop and round table discussion that tackled the gender pay gap in the energy sector. This interactive session was designed to align our Vision 2030 strategy, our strategy to achieve a fully inclusive and diverse industry by 2030.

The workshop had four objectives:

1. Understand the Landscape: Provide a picture of the gender pay gap within the energy sector, including contributing factors and key findings from AXIS’s recent report.

2. Challenge Assumptions: Facilitate a discussion that surfaces unconscious biases, cultural barriers, and systemic issues that perpetuate inequality.

3. Strategic Insights: Equip Senior Leaders with tools and frameworks to address the pay gap within their organisations.

4. Collaborative Action: Establish a shared vision and identify opportunities for sector-wide collaboration to achieve measurable progress.

During the round table enthusiastic discussions explored strategies to address gender pay disparities and champion gender parity. Emphasis was given to a data-driven approach, particularly the Equity IQ framework introduced by Lead5050, which ranks 11,000 UK companies. The tool offers easily accessible data on gender splits, flexible work requests, and other metrics allowing organizations to make informed decisions and take actionable steps toward equity and inclusion. Key insights from the group highlighted the critical need for pay transparency, flexible working policies and enhanced family leave, especially in light of the fact that men only take 1.6% of shared parental leave currently. Lead5050 shared inspiring examples, such as UKLC Education Group's impressive reduction of their gender pay gap from 45% to 10% through initiatives like leadership courses, job sharing, and crafting job descriptions that resonate with women.

The session drove home the importance of systemic changes and unwavering leadership commitment to achieve gender equality. An excellent example of doing things differently was shared through an example of cross-functional recruitment. The company focused on skills rather than rigid role definitions allowing greater diversity in recruitment and mitigating occupational segregation.

The group concluded with a list of actionable steps to drive change:

• Review existing pay policies and check for historical biases.

• Implement pay band management, where managers have to adjust pay for all if they want to exceed the band for a new hire.

• Promote family leave policies and raise awareness of options available.

• Ensure senior leadership models flexible working and family-friendly behaviours.

• Gather data on reasons for employee turnover, such as lack of family support.

• Implement pre-assessment in recruitment to remove bias, and have a dedicated person to monitor for bias in the process.

The workshop not only shed light on the gender pay gap in the energy sector but also energised our pledge companies into taking action. By embracing these strategies and committing to a collaborative effort, meaningful change is possible. Together, we have the power to transform the landscape and make AXIS Network’s Vision 2030 a reality.