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De Vere - Gender Pay Gap Report (2023)
Organisations of more than 250 employees are required by UK law to publish gender specific pay data annually. For the De Vere group, this requires the publishing of pay data for De Vere 2 Limited and De Vere Wokefield Estate Limited.
At De Vere we aim to be an employer of choice and are committed to the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment for all employees. Providing a diverse and inclusive workplace, where everyone, regardless of sex, race, religion or belief, age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability has an equal opportunity to reach their true potential and achieve their career ambitions, is therefore at the core of our values.
Pay Gap
Gender pay differences are based on a snap shot date of 5th April 2023.
It is important to remember that the gender pay gap is different to equal pay, the gender pay gap measures the difference in average hourly pay between women and men. Equal pay measures what women and men are paid for doing the same or similar work of equal value. This means that whilst we are committed to the principles of equal pay for all employees and regularly review remuneration levels to ensure pay rates are governed solely by job position and not gender, it is still possible to have a gender pay gap. As a result of our continued scrutiny of equal pay, we are confident that any pay gap does not stem from paying men and women differently for the same or equivalent work.
Pay Quartiles
Understanding the pay gap
In both legal entities under review, there are more women than men employed. Within De Vere 2 Limited it is a 45.3% / 54.7% split (male/female) and at De Vere Wokefield Estate Limited there is a 45.3% / 54.7% split (male/female).
Overall, there is a very good level of female representation across the businesses. We believe this is partly due to our ability to offer considerable flexibility e.g., contracted hours, term time working, and numerous shift pattern options. These measures are all intended to support colleague commitments outside of work, particularly childcare. We consider that this is particularly important as women remain predominately the primary childcare providers in the UK. These flexible options are particularly prevalent in housekeeping, reception and food and beverage departments and it is of note that in each entity the ratio of women to men in these departments is much higher. This may also however contribute to the difference at the lower pay quartile, as many of the roles within these departments, whilst paid above the National Living wage, are still positioned at ‘entry level’.
It is encouraging to note the increased proportion of women that make up the upper and upper middle quartile pay bands in both De Vere entities. In the upper middle quartile pay band, there has been an increase of 3.3% to 61.9% within De Vere 2 Limited and there is a 50% proportional split within De Vere Wokefield Estate Limited.
There has also been a positive shift in the proportion of women that make up the upper quartile pay band. Within De Vere 2 Limited this has increased by 7.3% and in De Vere Wokefield Estate Limited this has increased by 12.5%, highlighting a much more equal gender balance within the senior management positions.
It is also reassuring to note that whilst The Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) median hourly pay for all full-time employees in the UK for 2023 was reported as 7.7% less for women than men, the figures for all of our legal entities are below this, with De Vere 2 Limited at only 0.6% and De Vere Wokefield Estate Limited at 6.2%. The ONS prefers to use the median figure because it is not distorted by a small number of higher earners within a business.
Within the wider De Vere group, women are well represented at senior levels, including for example, myself as Co-Chief Executive Officer, our Head of Revenue Management, Group Health & Safety Manager, Group Head of Talent Acquisition, and senior hotel management positions such as Operations Director, Director of Sales and key Heads of Departments.
Pay Gap Bonus Figures
The bonus gap calculation measures the difference between men and women’s mean bonus pay over a 12-month period and the proportion of male and female colleagues who receive a bonus in the same 12-month period.
The proportion of male and females who receive bonuses is well balanced, however the mean and average figures for each entity is distorted as a result of bonus payments made to a few senior managers, the make- up of which was predominately male, highlighting a gender imbalance.
Attracting and internally promoting more senior female managers will continue to be a focus during 2024 as opportunities arise, which has been lacking in 2023 as a result of very stable senior leadership teams in these businesses.
De Vere Initiatives
De Vere acknowledges that closing the gender pay gap requires a consistent and sustained focus to deliver meaningful progress over time. Below is a summary of the positive initiatives we continue to drive to support our commitment to close the gap.
As a result of the creation of a new Talent Acquisition team, we have reviewed all of our recruitment and advertising materials and processes, as well as training all our managers to ensure there is no opportunity for conscious or unconscious biases, thus ensuring we are promoting a fair, transparent and inclusive environment for all.
A new Management Development Programme was developed in 2023 aimed particularly at Head of Department level and above. One of the aims of the programme is to strengthen the future internal female talent pipeline, by building females’ confidence and capabilities so that they more readily put themselves forward for opportunities across the businesses.
Our Graduate Management Scheme intake for 2023 had a thorough recruitment assessment process to ensure that we selected the best future talent available to join our Graduate development programme. This resulted in successfully recruiting 13 Graduates, of which 10 were female.
Talent performance reviews were also conducted in the first quarter of 2023, providing opportunities to identify and support the development and career aspirations of colleagues at all levels of the business.
We continue to promote Apprenticeships that provide different entry-level development programmes, supporting the individual needs of both existing colleagues and external candidates. We are pleased to have 77 colleagues developing their careers with us through various Apprenticeship programmes of which 54% are female.
Inspire Online, our e-learning portal also allows our colleagues to undertake flexible self-development from any location be that home or work, which means that leaders and colleagues are able to own their learning experiences based on their individual needs. Among our programmes we offer and promote training on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Our Employee Assistance Programme provided by Hospitality Action provides a Parenting Helpline – topics covered include: pregnancy and birth, single parenting, shared parenting, and teenage challenges. It also offers signposting for financial planning and provides a networking forum for those considering retirement. We have also introduced the “Calm” app to support our teams health and wellbeing.
Our partnership programmes with local schools, colleges and universities, help to raise young people’s awareness of the different career opportunities available within the hospitality sector and to help dispel any misperceptions and stereotypes.
As previously noted, due to the nature of our business, we are able to support flexible-working by providing many different working patterns, allowing our colleagues the opportunity of finding the right role to support their needs.
I can confirm that the information in this statement is accurate.
Laurie Nicol
Co-Chief Executive Officer