Global recruiter and professional services company FDM Group has achieved a median gender pay gap of -9.6% for 2021, a great improvement on the -2.1% figure for 2020 and -1.7% for 2019.
The FTSE 250 leader in the recruit, train and deploy sector has chosen to engage with pay gap reporting and be transparent about its figures this year, despite the requirement to disclose being removed until October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FDM credits its ‘Returners Programme‘ as instrumental in improving the gender pay gap by -7.5% this year, as the lockdown period allowed the firm to “improve the flexibility of their programme” which targets professionals who have had a career break, especially female parents “to join and stay for the long term.”
The firm revealed that 78% of the candidates on their Returners programme this year identified as female, where the percentage of women receiving a bonus across the company increased by 2.3% and is now 88.1%, up from 85.8% in 2020.
Other initiatives the firm has pursued to foster female inclusion recently include a series of seminars, workshops and hackathons they hosted with a focus on attracting female talent. They have also created ‘She Lives Tech’, a programme that is focused on encouraging more women in university to enter the tech sector by providing mentorship and networking opportunities.
FDM has also upgraded its maternity cover to include an increased amount of time away from the workforce on full pay and is extended to people who are adopting. The firm has also introduced flexible timings and remote working alternatives for their staff.
FDM continues to sponsor the ‘Everywoman in Technology Awards’, which celebrates inspirational women who are working in the STEM world. They also participated in the Google Initiative #IAmRemarkable, which empowers women and other underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace, by hosting workshops on how to build confidence.
FDM Group has since experienced a healthy share price increase, which rose over £2 per share, and now stands at around £12.00, suggesting that gender inclusion can pay off.
Sheila Flavell CBE, COO of FDM Group said: “These figures are a major milestone for FDM Group, and we are very proud to have delivered such strong gender pay gap results, despite the chaos and disruption caused by the pandemic, which incidentally, gave us the opportunity to build on our existing initiatives and develop our Returners Programme, which has been instrumental in improving uptake from female candidates.
“As a people-centric business, we will continually work to attract people from all walks of life, particularly women and those from minority backgrounds who are seeking an exciting career in the tech industry. Diversity is in our DNA and we are very proud to remain one of the UK’s leading employers for women, creating opportunities and fuelling the wider digital economy.”
