THE TIMES TOP 50 EMPLOYERS FOR WOMEN 2022: TAKING ACTION ON GENDER EQUALITY

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The businesses in our annual Times Top 50 list are all working towards gender equality – from embracing flexible working practices to tackling the pay gap and normalising caring responsibilities for all genders. After an in-depth and independent assessment process, Business in the Community (BITC) partners with The Times to share and celebrate the Top 50 list. For this year’s list, after three independent rounds of blind assessment, a tie for the 50th choice has led to 51 organisations being included. This year, for the first time, BITC included further assessment of the lived experience of women employees within the organisations being considered, seeking to understand if what was outlined in organisational policies was translating on the ground. All of the organisations are recognised equally and are therefore placed in alphabetical order, describing in their own words what aspects of their gender equality operations they are most proud of.

We are most proud of our work to accelerate gender equality and achieve a gender-balanced workforce by 2025. In our 2020/21 review, 39 per cent of our UK and Ireland senior leadership team were female, with a female MD headcount mix increased by 6.7 per cent since September 2017. As of September 2021, 27.6 per cent of our UK MDs are female.

Accenture

Addleshaw Goddard LLP

We are proud of our career development approach, The Best She Can Be. Launched on International Women’s Day, it includes initiatives such as our In Conversation with... series giving staff access to role models, and our House of Cards scheme promoting different career paths. These initiatives run alongside our longstanding female sponsorship, mentoring and development programmes.

Allen & Overy

We are committed to supporting women in all roles across our business. Over the past 12 months we have been especially focused on accountability and sponsorship, with a long-term plan to make continuing progress.

Anglo American

Our inclusion and diversity strategy drives equality by focusing on our workplace environment and intersectionality. We continue to make great strides in female representation – 29 per cent of our senior managers and 42 per cent of our board members. And in 2021 we delivered sector-leading approaches to tackling domestic violence, bullying, sexual harassment and other barriers to women’s success.

Atos IT Services UK Ltd

With a desire to reflect the communities we serve, we have a strong commitment to gender equality that is embedded in our operations and continuously progressed. Covid-19 brought renewed purpose to our mission for gender balance. Our “we are together” mantra is embodied through a multilayered programme supporting women to achieve their potential.

Aviva

We have a commitment to all our staff, supporting them to achieve their potential regardless of background, location or role. We promote the progression and retention of talented women through an inclusive culture, organisational support and professional development. We focus on addressing barriers, and on the societal benefits of a gender-balanced organisation.

AXA UK

We undertook a listening project with our workforce to understand what matters to them. The resulting commitments include refreshing our bullying and harassment policy, improving flexible working opportunities (achieving a 13 per cent increase in roles advertised as flexible) and increased senior leadership advocacy. This led to much improved engagement for our gender strategy.

Bain & Company

We aim to be a leading employer for all diverse talent, putting inclusion at the heart of everything we do. We are proud of our progress towards gender parity: half of recruits are women, female consultants are promoted and retained at parity, and the company offers equal paid parental leave.

Burges Salmon LLP

Our Gender Action Plan was developed through consultation with hundreds of our staff (over half our workforce). The plan’s objectives cover key areas such as progression, accountability, flexibility and visibility. The company’s leadership team is accountable through performance objectives, and our board-led Gender Taskforce works hand in hand with our gender network on delivery.

Capgemini UK

We are proud of the culture we are fostering across our business at all levels. We have shown resilience and agility while continuing to drive our inclusion strategy – listening and engaging in order to mitigate the longer-term impact of the pandemic on our people, and building a better work landscape for everyone to feel included and to thrive.

Centrica plc

We established our Shadow Board of diverse colleagues (70 per cent women, 40 per cent ethnically diverse) to meet leaders and drive progress across issues, from diversity to the future of work. The partnership shares insights and perspectives, with colleagues in the wider workforce able to influence decisions and challenge executives’ thinking to ensure inclusive and colleague-centred decision-making.

CityFibre

We are proud that our workplace is inclusive of individuals from all genders. We have a range of market-leading initiatives, covering family and carer support, the menopause, flexible working, domestic abuse, intersectionality and early careers. And our latest employee survey showed that 88 per cent of our female employees feel fully comfortable being themselves at work.

CMS

We fully embrace flexible working. We empower our people to choose how they want to work, without prescriptive requirements for them to be in the office. We believe this is good for all our employees, but it’s transformational for the women on our team.

Deloitte

Gender balance is a key strategic priority for us. Role modelling from the top, our UK executive team is 38 per cent female. We also have a target of 40 per cent female partners by 2030, supported by our gender action plan – prioritising attraction, advancement and retention. Today, 25 per cent of partners are women, compared to 13 per cent in 2013.

Department for Work & Pensions

We have transparent ownership and sponsorship led by our director general gender champion. He has sponsored women on talent development programmes across the organisation, ensuring the department’s talent and intersectional pipeline is strong. We now have 52 per cent female representation in our most senior roles, an increase of 12.8 per cent over the past five years.

Deutsche Bank

We are proud of our renewed strategic focus at board level, which includes embedding actions and progress on women in leadership roles as a key pillar of our environmental, social and governance strategy. We also have five active workstreams driving progress towards our goal of women being in a minimum 35 per cent of managing director to vice president roles by 2025.

Diageo

Diageo is committed to supporting gender equality through representation, policy development and transparency as we strive to achieve 50 per cent female and 45 per cent ethnically diverse leadership representation globally by 2030. Through a continued focus and effort, we are strengthening female representation, as recognised in the 2020 Hampton-Alexander Review.

DWF

We are focused on ambition and transparency regarding gender equality. Our purpose is to deliver positive outcomes for colleagues, clients and communities. After reviewing business processes, behaviours and an independent materiality assessment, we are aiming higher through more ambitious gender equality targets in our new board-endorsed environmental, social and governance strategy – committing DWF to accelerating improvements in gender representation and a diverse talent pipeline.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

We are helping women break stereotypes, particularly intersectional ones. With the support of management and their peers, our female employees are encouraged to rise to the top in their careers. From mentoring to providing flexibility for major life events (in our maternity leave offering, for example), we ensure that women have the support they need to succeed.

Eversheds Sutherland

Despite the unprecedented challenges of 2020, we have continued to place significant focus on our approach to diversity and inclusion, and prioritised gender equality in our business planning. We remain committed to increasing the representation of women at our most senior levels, and building an environment where all women can thrive.

Fidelity International

We are proud to offer a diverse, inclusive culture where everyone feels they belong. Our inclusive, family-friendly policies and dynamic working framework enable all our people to thrive in their careers. We have taken bold steps and challenged industry norms to drive gender parity internally and champion financial wellbeing for women.

Financial Conduct Authority

The Financial Conduct Authority is proud of leading the way in our industry in terms of gender equality at senior levels. We have set ourselves ambitious targets to reach 50 per cent female representation at senior leadership and key pipeline grades by 2025; female representation in our senior leadership team is currently almost 47 per cent.

Fujitsu

Fujitsu has a commitment to flexible working, proactive support for carers and the wellbeing of all our people. We have a gender-balanced UK leadership team – 50 per cent female – and have development programmes specifically for women. All these factors are helping to reduce our gender pay gap, to sustain high levels of female engagement and to retain female talent.

GlaxoSmithKline

We are proud of our progress towards gender parity in the workplace and have increased our global gender aspiration for vice-president roles and above to 45 per cent by the end of 2025. We are committed to fair and equal pay, and our current gender pay gap is 1.18 per cent (mean), outperforming the national average of 14.9 per cent.

Goldman Sachs International

Our commitment to gender equality and all aspects of diversity and inclusion is absolute. Our firm is built on a foundation of accountability for progress, innovation and leadership. Inspired by our people, clients and the communities we serve, our senior business leaders are driving meaningful cultural change to benefit all.

Grant Thornton UK LLP

We are proud of our commitment and investment to make meaningful change by removing the barriers to success that our women tell us exist. We are working hard to create a culture where women at Grant Thornton are empowered to reach their full potential – and we are determined to do more.

Hachette UK

In five years we have progressed from having a board that is one-third women to a board where two-thirds of its members are women. In 2017, 66 per cent of our workforce were women, and we pledged that the same representation would be reflected in our upper pay quartile in five years. Today we are approaching this target, with our upper pay quartile being 65 per cent female.

Jacobs UK Ltd

We are proud of the actionable and measurable gender goals we have put in place to increase representation of intersectional female talent in senior level positions. In addition, our average gender pay gap has reduced for a fourth consecutive year, reflecting the growing momentum to progress female talent and advance gender equity.

JP Morgan

We are focused on advancing women at all levels and expect our managers and leaders across the company to drive this progress. For JP Morgan, gender equality is not just a moral imperative; our experience has proved that we excel when women have the opportunity to excel.

Kellogg’s

We are never complacent in our journey to gender parity. This year, thanks to colleague insight, we are proud to have implemented leading new policies on the menopause, fertility and pregnancy loss. We have a culture where people feel psychologically safe, and we continue to encourage colleagues to be allies.

KPMG UK LLP

We are proud of our new gender targets and strategy, published in January 2022, which demonstrate our ongoing commitment to equality. We are also proud to have achieved gender parity on our board, ensuring our leadership reflects society. We believe achieving gender equality is a key enabler for our wider strategy.

Linklaters LLP

The commitment and focus of our senior leaders to drive change and create a truly inclusive culture supports our ambition to achieve gender balance at all career levels. Our concentration on inclusive behaviours, sponsorship, agile working and work allocation supports the retention and progression of our talented women.

Lloyds Banking Group

Being able to attract, develop and retain top female talent is highly important to Lloyds Banking Group, and we are immensely proud that the Group is a commitment leader in advancing the representation of women at all levels.

MI5

MI5 has a 47 per cent female workforce. At senior levels 43 per cent of our leaders are women. However, we are committed to doing more – being even better able to keep the country safe when we are fully inclusive, including full gender equality, and making the most of everyone’s talents.

Morgan Stanley

The company values and strong, inclusive culture at Morgan Stanley set us apart from our competitors, enabling us to attract and retain exceptional talent of all genders. We are proud to have a woman as our leader, and a board that is 43 per cent women. We are committed to accelerating our journey towards gender balance at all levels.

National Grid

We continuously promote and hire female talent, including our chair and chief diversity officer. Currently, 40.2 per cent of our senior leaders and 33 per cent of our group executive are women. We champion the difference that gender diversity makes: partnering with Powerful Women, which supports women to move into senior leadership roles in the energy sector, we investigate how diversity, equity and inclusion accelerate net zero ambitions.

NatWest Group

As of December 31, 2021, we have seen a 9 per cent increase in female representation at our top three levels of leadership (CEO-3+) since the introduction of gender targets in 2015. We have also been listed as a Times Top 50 Employer for Women since the inception of this benchmark.

Network Rail

Our workplace is not traditionally synonymous with women and our work environments are tough. However, by addressing topics such as the menopause, parental buddying, domestic abuse and personal protective equipment specifically designed for use by women, and by being relentless in establishing an inclusive environment and listening to our women colleagues, we are creating a great space for women to work in.

Norton Rose Fulbright

We value diversity and inclusion, and understand its role as a business enabler. We have set ourselves ambitious targets to achieve gender balance at all levels and drive accountability for these at team level. We strive to create an inclusive culture where everyone can realise their career potential.

Ofcom

We have a clear business case for embedding gender diversity across our organisation and promoting gender equality: our decisions affect all members of the UK public, and our culture is one where women not only feel supported but also know they are vital to our success.

PepsiCo UK & Ireland

We have a commitment to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees. We foster a diverse, vibrant culture, drive programmes to accelerate women’s careers, and focus on how we educate and inspire. And we are drawing on role model advocacy and inclusion to achieve our goal of gender parity in management roles by 2025.

PwC LLP

Focusing on our five-point plan for diversity and inclusion actions, we are making progress in committing to and driving real change for gender equality. This includes ensuring our partners are specifically responsible and accountable for gender diversity goals and for taking action to deliver on our published gender targets.

Sainsbury’s

Despite the challenges of the past two years, we are proud to have improved gender equality, and our operating board is 40 per cent female (up from 11 per cent in 2017). In addition, almost 40 per cent of our senior managers and directors are women, up from 35 per cent in 2019 and 30 per cent in 2017.

Santander UK plc

Our work to remain an employer of choice for women has seen our menopause support featured as a best practice case study by BITC. We continue to equalise gender roles, becoming a Tommy’s Pregnancy and Parenting at Work Champion and winning the Best for Mental Health & Wellbeing category at the Working Families Best Practice Awards in 2021.

Shell UK

We are proud of our sustained improvements in female representation, with 50 per cent female board representation, 33 per cent female senior leaders and 69 per cent female graduate recruits. We continue to leverage our partnerships to lead change in the UK business community and foster an inclusive culture, where everyone can thrive and deliver great work.

Tesco Stores Ltd

We work hard to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to progress, and all colleague touchpoints are inclusive, which supports a gender diverse workforce. Our company networks help us listen to the diverse colleague voices across our business, to generate new ways of thinking and identify opportunities for change.

TSB Bank plc

Since launching our intersectional strategy in January 2021, we have measurably increased the diversity of our senior teams, with a two percentage point rise in female and minority ethnic representation. Ninety per cent of colleagues, regardless of their gender, agree that we are an inclusive place to work.

Vodafone UK

We aim to become the best employer for women by 2025, and we believe this ambition benefits our business, women, families and society. We are therefore relentless in our efforts to lead the market with progressive policies and practices, to support women returning to the workplace, and connect 50 million women in emerging markets.

Wates Group

We have progressive, family-friendly policies enabling colleagues to take an equal role at work and at home. Key benefits we offer include eight weeks’ paid paternity/partner leave, which can be taken in two blocks; enhanced shared parental leave (26 weeks of fully paid leave within the first year); two weeks of paid bereavement leave; and four weeks of unpaid carer leave.

Willmott Dixon

We were the first construction company to commit to achieving gender parity by 2030; and we are delighted that in our 2021 anonymous staff satisfaction survey, 98 per cent of our women said that they are proud to work for the company and would recommend us to others.

Worldline IT Services UK Limited

We are proud of fostering a culture of trust and belonging where everybody has equal opportunity and support to flourish, and is respected and valued for embracing what makes them unique. We encourage a spirit of boldness and empowerment. Our approach is: dare to come forward, you have the right to speak up.

The Times Top 50 Employers for Women is published in partnership with Business in the Community – the largest and longest-established business-led membership organisation dedicated to responsible business. Organisations are invited to submit their application to be considered for inclusion on the annual list, which celebrates the work being done to achieve gender equality in the workplace. BITC’s work is focused on ways to inspire, engage and challenge members and mobilise that collective strength as a force for good in society. It aims to create a skilled, inclusive workforce today and for the future, build thriving communities in which to live and work, and innovate to repair and sustain our planet. Membership is not just a badge, it is a public commitment to a better way of doing business. So why not find out more about what BITC membership could do for your business?

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Four in ten carers say caring responsibilities have prevented them applying for a job or promotion. More common among women (58 per cent) and carers from ethnically diverse backgrounds (50 per cent), compared to men (20 per cent) and white carers (39 per cent).

40%

SOURCE: BITC Who Cares? report, March 2022

37.9%

SOURCE: Prospect report: Achieving Gender Equality in Pensions, September 2021

There is a 37.9 per cent gap in pension earnings between women and men – more than twice the gender pay gap, according to the Prospect union’s latest annual pension report (2019-2020 figure quoted). On average, there is a difference in pension income by gender of about £7,000 a year.

86%

SOURCE: BITC Gender Pay Gap Reporting Dashboard, 2022

On average, women receive only 86 per cent of what men earn per hour for the same work.

36%

SOURCE: TUC, November 2020

The pay gap for disabled women is nearly nine percentage points higher than the pay gap for women overall and disabled women are paid 36 per cent less than non-disabled men.

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Taking action on gender equality

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