Introduction
Westland presents its Gender Pay Gap Report in the UK for 2023. The Company is committed to ensuring that it complies with its obligations under the Gender Pay Gap Reporting Legislation (2017).
The Company has undertaken a Gender pay assessment for those employed by the business on 5th April 2023 in the UK (excluding NI) and its findings are detailed in this report.
To help explain the data, it is important to understand that in common with the manufacturing industry our workforce is predominantly male. At the 5th April 2022 snapshot date, our workforce was 75% male and 25% female.
Mean and median gender pay gap using hourly pay
| Mean | Median |
| 8.9% | 10% |
Although there is a gap, we can confirm that men and women are paid equally for doing equivalent jobs with equivalent experience.
We are encouraged that our gender pay gap continues to remain significantly below the national average of 14.3% as outlined in the 2023 Office for National Statistics. Westland remains focused on building an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can succeed so that we can exceed employee and customer expectations.
Mean and median gender pay gap using bonus pay
| Mean | Median |
| 32.3% | 50% |
We are pleased to report a 2.2% reduction in our mean gender pay gap compared to the previous year. When expressed in cash terms rather than percentages, the mean difference is £970 per annum, while the median difference stands at £1,300 per annum. It’s important to note that all bonuses are awarded based on consistent performance targets, which apply equally to all eligible employees, regardless of gender.
We are encouraged that our gender pay gap continues to remain significantly below the national average of 14.3% as outlined in the 2023 Office for National Statistics. Westland remains focused on building an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can succeed so that we can exceed employee and customer expectations.
Proportion of men and women who received a bonus
| Male | Female |
| 71.1% | 47.3% |
The difference in bonus distribution is primarily due to a higher proportion of men working in our factories and warehouses, where production-related bonuses, such as attendance bonuses, are more common.
However, we are pleased to note that the proportion of women receiving a bonus in 2023 increased by 8.5% compared to the previous year, reflecting positive progress.
Percentage of men and women in each hourly pay quarter
All pay quartiles reflect a higher proportion of men compared to women, which aligns with the overall higher ratio of male to female employees within the business.
| Quartile | Male | Female |
| Upper Pay Quarter | 79.3% | 20.7% |
| Upper Middle Pay Quarter | 79.8% | 20.2% |
| Lower Middle Pay Quarter | 80.7% | 19.3% |
| Lower Pay Quarter | 60.2% | 39.8% |
Commentary
We are pleased that our gender pay gap results remain consistently below the UK national average, reflecting our ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can thrive and deliver exceptional results for our employees and customers.
That said, we acknowledge a slight increase in our gender pay gap this reporting period, rising from 8.8% in 2022 to 8.9% in 2023. We are confident that this increase is not related to equal pay issues but is instead influenced by the traditionally male-dominated nature of the manufacturing industry and wider labour market fluctuations, which presented significant challenges over the reporting period.
We are committed to our employees and ensuring opportunities are available to everyone, as well as investing in our future talent to ensure we hire the right people for the job. We already have a number of policies and processes in place to aid work life-balance for parents, equal opportunities and training and development opportunities, and we will continue to review and update these as required.
We recognise the challenge of reducing the gender pay gap within the manufacturing industry, and at Westland, we remain committed to driving meaningful change.
Closing the Gap
Supporting Our Employees Today
- We will continue to encourage development and promotion opportunities for employees of all genders.
- We will maintain regular pay and benefits reviews to ensure male and female employees are equally rewarded in comparable roles.
- Through our ongoing succession planning reviews, we remain committed to ensuring women are considered for growth opportunities across the business.
- We will continually review and enhance our flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance and enable all employees to succeed.
Investing in Our Employees for Tomorrow
- We will continue to monitor our recruitment processes to ensure fairness and mitigate any potential bias.
- We will further explore ways to broaden our recruitment approaches, including apprenticeships, to attract and develop diverse talent.
- We will maintain and strengthen our work with universities and schools to raise awareness of opportunities within our industry for everyone.
Declaration
Statutory disclosure
I confirm that the gender pay calculations are accurate and meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap information) Regulations 2017.
Scott Dougherty
Finance Director
