The group is an early adopter of gender pay gap reporting introduced by the Government in April this year. Gender pay gap reporting requires employers with 250 or more employees to publish statutory calculations every year showing how large the pay gap is between their male and female employees. Companies have until April 2018 to report their figures. In 2016, a report from McKinsey & Co showed that eliminating work-related gender pay gaps could add £150bn to annual UK GDP by 2025 through enhanced productivity and business reputation.
Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer, comments: “We are a strong supporter of gender pay gap reporting and are pleased to be an early adopter. It is an important first step towards creating greater gender equality.
“At FDM Group we pride ourselves on our commitment to diversity and strive to create equality in all aspects of our workforce. In developing a culture that supports diversity, social mobility and inclusion, we have learned that if you measure and monitor, you can take proactive steps to understand where the issues lie and devise strategies to develop a culture that supports and improves gender parity.”
FDM has created a culture that supports diversity and inclusion and is lead from the top. 26% of its employees and circa 50% of its senior managers are female.
To support this commitment to diversity, and to encourage more women into IT as a career, FDM has developed several initiatives, including:
- Role models within the business in senior leadership roles
- Recruitment policies such as unconscious bias training for all recruiters, strength based interview questions etc
- An established mentoring programme
- Hosting Women in IT events and sponsorship of the annual Everywoman in Technology Awards
- Working with other organisations who have the same commitment
- Challenging the Government to tackle these issues
- Outreach work with local schools to encourage more girls to consider a career in technology
- Getting Back to Business careers programme to support returners back into the workplace
FDM launched its Getting Back to Business careers programme last year. It provides training and employment for returners and was recognised in the Government’s Digital Strategy as ‘valuable and innovative work’. It includes seven weeks of in-house training, with a focus on building confidence, refreshing skills and studying for professional certifications.
Once trained, returners are employed as FDM Consultants and are placed onsite with FDM’s clients for up to two years. After fulfilling the two-year commitment, individuals can choose to continue as a Senior FDM Consultant, they may have the opportunity to transfer to a client on a permanent basis, or they may pursue their career elsewhere.
Sheila explains: “We believe that returners are a valuable source of experience for an organisation, they are an untapped talent pool. By making it easier for women in particular, to re-enter their careers in tech we’re also potentially building a strong pipeline of women who can progress through the management structure and reach board level and help drive diversity further.”
For more information please visit FDM.
