This month, we've shared our ethnicity pay gap for the second year in a row.
We have a 0% median gender pay gap and have also maintained our position of having no difference between the hourly rates of pay of ethnically diverse colleagues to others, however we do have a gap between average earnings overall which reflects the need for more diversity across senior roles.
Unlike gender pay data, organisations don’t have to publish their ethnicity pay gap. We think this needs to change and support calls to make it mandatory. I mean how can an organisation become truly diverse and inclusive if it doesn’t understand where it’s at? Pay gap data is important. It helps us understand where we are so we can make a plan to improve and measure our progress. But on its own it doesn’t mean much at all. We know we need more diversity among senior leadership. But we didn’t need to calculate our pay gap to know that, right?
It's important to remember that we're not alone. The lack of diversity is a sector wide problem. The NHF’s 2021 ED&I data collection exercise found that just 9.9% of social housing executives declared they are from non-white ethnic groups, compared to 17% of the population.
So what are we doing to improve diversity and what impact can greater diversity have on organisations?
Besides changes to how and where our colleagues work and increasing investment in new technologies we're also giving our people the chance to shape how we do things, using lived experience to make a real difference. No slogans, no silly logos - just action.
Last year we launched our first ethnically diverse colleague-led network, Embrace. Embrace brings people from different cultures and backgrounds together. Colleagues who are passionate about celebrating their diversity and campaigning for change. We’re working really closely with this group of colleagues to understand how things feel from their perspective and how we can co-create a culture of absolute inclusion, where colleagues from all backgrounds can thrive.
We’re also working closely with the Housing Diversity Network and other external ED&I specialists to learn understand best practice inside and outside of our sector and we're delivering tailored Inclusive Management training to all Yorkshire Housing managers.
We’re collaborating with other housing associations across Yorkshire to develop a joint approach to attracting and developing diverse talent in our region. We’re compiling resources, unlocking opportunities and sharing stories. One of the magical things about housing is our opportunity to work together, not against each other, to achieve our shared goals.
Most importantly we only recruit people who share our values and will add to our culture, using inclusive selection methods to give all candidates the opportunity to show us their true potential.
So why is diversity important?
The impact of having people from different backgrounds and with different experiences at the table when decisions are made is impossible to ignore. How can we understand the needs of our customers if they're not represented on our boards and committees? The housing sector is constantly in the firing line with accusations related to inequality and discrimination around race and ethnicity. The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak only highlights this. His landlord at first citing ritual bathing and cooking practices as the cause of mould in the home. Diverse organisations understand their customers better, improving satisfaction and retention scores.
Then there's the benefit to innovation, creativity and problem solving. The housing sector is forever navigating choppy waters. A more diverse range of thought and lived experience puts us in a better position to adapt, change course and reach the right decisions.
Diverse organisations have also been shown to be more productive and have lower colleague turnover rates. Not to mention a wider talent pool from which to recruit from.
We must do everything we can to attract high-potential talent who will question, challenge, re-shape and re-imagine the solutions we need to improve and develop the traditional housing service we’re all too familiar with or risk getting left behind.
You can read the full Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap Report here.