Law firm Stephenson Harwood has reported a 24.7% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay as at 5 April 2017.
The organisation has reported its gender pay gap data in line with the government’s gender pay gap reporting regulations and ahead of the private sector submission deadline of 4 April 2018.
The gender pay gap reporting regulations require organisations with 250 or more employees to publish the difference between both the mean and median hourly rate of pay for male and female full-time employees; the difference between both the mean bonus pay and median bonus pay for male and female employees; the proportions of male and female employees who were awarded bonus pay; and the proportions of male and female full-time employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands.
Stephenson Harwood’s median gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay as at 5 April 2017 is 39.8%.
Its mean gender pay gap for bonuses paid in the year to 5 April 2017 is 48.2%, and the median gender pay gap for bonus payments is 62.4%. Over this period, 30.1% of female employees received a bonus payment compared to 40.1% of male employees.
Less than half (45%) of employees in the highest pay quartile at Stephenson Harwood are female, compared to 51% in the second quartile, 66% in the third quartile and 77% in the lowest pay quartile.
Stephenson Harwood attributes its gender pay gap to the distribution of women and men within different types of roles across the business. For example, 21% of female employees at Stephenson Harwood work in lower-paid secretarial roles. However, the firm’s analysis also shows a more balanced gender split in its upper and middle pay quartiles, with its mean gender pay gap reducing to 4.1% if only fee earning roles are considered. The median gender pay gap for fee earning positions is 0%.
To address its gender pay gap, Stephenson Harwood is maintaining its focus on inclusive career progression. This includes promoting its female career progression programme and She Networks, which hosts educational and networking events, continuing its agile working policy and encouraging unconscious bias awareness training. The law firm has also introduced a parental partners programme, which uses a group of partners as rolemodels to provide support and guidance before, during and after maternity and parental leave.
These measures also form part of the law firm’s commitment to people, which is one of its three key pillars that was introduced in 2017 as part of Stephenson Harwood’s five-year strategy.
Sharon White, chief executive officer at Stephenson Harwood, said: “Realising the potential of all our talented people is fundamental to our continued success. Supporting everyone’s performance, development and progression, regardless of gender, is a key priority for us.”