The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has extended its commitment to becoming an open and transparent regulatory and governing body following the release of its gender pay gap report.
It follows a change in legislation introduced in 2017 whereby companies with over 250 employees are obliged to disclose information regarding the yearly pay data.
The BHA’s most recent report outlines further actions to be taken by the organisation to reduce the gender pay gap, as well as issuing updates on the commitments made in its 2017 report.
The report has analysed key data from six different metrics: mean and median pay gap, mean and median bonus gap, proportion of employees receiving a bonus and the gender split across quartiles.
Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the BHA said: “Since the 2017 report data was collected, there is one less female member of the executive. For a smaller organisation this has a noticeable impact with the mean gender pay gap rising from 16 per cent to 18 per cent.”
“However, the median pay gap (i.e. which is not distorted by very high or low earners) has reduced from 15 per cent to 10 per cent.”
This comes alongside a decrease in the mean gender bonus pay gap from 66 per cent to 42 per cent since 2017.
The BHA recognised that the existing gender pay gap is as a result of fewer women occupying senior positions, combined with a relatively higher concentration of women in the lowest pay quartile.
Rust added that: “The significant change in our bonus gender pay gap figures can be attributed to the removal of the performance-based bonus schemes that had previously been in place for those up to and including managerial positions.”
“All staff at these levels received a £100 gift voucher in December 2017. The contractual bonus scheme for members of the Executive remained in place during 2018 but its future is currently under review.”
The gender split in the company remained the same as 2017 with 30 per cent of employees being female, and 70 per cent male. However, there has been a considerable decrease in the median gender bonus pay gap, down from 31 per cent in 2017 to 0 per cent.
The BHA has introduced measures to address the gender pay gap, which have included the appointment of a head of diversity as well as ensuring diverse, gender-balanced selection panels, both of which will further the promotion of inclusion and foster diversity.
“I would like to re-iterate the BHA’s commitment, as an open and transparent regulatory and governing body, to achieving and growing a diverse, balanced and inclusive workforce,” said Rust.
While the report shows that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that inclusionary values are permeated throughout the British racing industry, it emphasises the positive steps towards improving gender equality being taken by organisations such as the BHA, and the positive impact that this is having.
