FM businesses take note: a new initiative has been announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May to improve equality within the workplace.
The PM is also calling on more companies to take action on the gender pay gap as latest figures reveal that the UK’s overall gender pay gap has risen marginally to 18.4%.
Through the initiative, the Prime Minister is urging companies to improve female representation at senior level, publish gender pay gap data – including companies with less than 250 staff – and make flexible working a reality.
Discussing the drive, May said: “Tackling injustices like the gender pay gap is part of building a country that works for everyone. Already many of the UK’s top companies are leading the way in making sure everyone’s contributions to the workplace are valued equally, and it is encouraging news that the gap has fallen this year for full-time workers.
“But the gender pay gap isn’t going to close on its own – we all need to be taking sustained action to make sure we address this.
“We need to see a real step change in the number of companies publishing their gender pay data and offering progression and flexibility for all employees. That’s why today I am calling on more businesses, both small and large, to take action to make sure the gender pay gap is eliminated once and for all.”
Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said: “It is simply good business sense to recognise the enormous potential of women and to take action to nurture and progress female talent.
“Employers now need to get on with publishing their pay gap. By shining a light on where there are gaps, they can take action and make sure that we are harnessing the talents and skills of men and women. The gender pay gap in the UK has come down from 21.9 per cent in 2007 and 27.5 per cent of FTSE100 board members are now women, up from 12.5 per cent in 2011.”
