The majority of employers now have policies on gender and diversity in place, but not enough are monitoring the effect of these policies on the organisation and on the workforce. This is the message of a this year’s issue of the annual report by Opportunity Now, a Business in the Community campaign that works with employers to realise the potential of women at all levels and in all sectors of the workforce.

According to the survey, almost half of employers surveyed have a formal business case for working on gender and diversity issues. Over two thirds have top-level gender champions in place and are taking action to gain Board level commitment to the theme of gender and diversity, while over 60% have formal gender equality and diversity policies in place. Progress has also been made on ensuring recruitment and selection processes are fair, with around 80% of employers applying their procedures at both management and non-management levels, and 75% applying them at Board level.

Most organisations seem to be accepting that there is a business case for sound gender and diversity policies, based around becoming an employer of choice and attracting and retaining valuable skills, with some 80% of organisations found to be working to attract women into non-traditional jobs and a similarly high number offering various schemes to support flexible working.

However, there few employers are monitoring the effect of their gender equality work on the organisation, with only 18% assessing the contribution of their actions to organisational results, and only a quarter calculating the costs – in tribunals or absenteeism, for example – of not getting gender and diversity right.

A further area for action is equal pay. While over half the respondents have procedures in place to ensure equality in promotion and appraisal activities, only 30% of employers regularly conduct equal pay audits to ensure gender equality.

216 organisations responded to this years Benchmarking survey – more than in any previous year.

Selected Results
Progress made
More employers have a business case for their gender equality work
– 48% of respondents have a clear business case or rationale for working on gender equality/diversity

There is top-level commitment
– 68% of respondents have gender champions in place and working effectively
– 67% are taking action to gain Board level commitment to this issue

Policies are in place
– 61% of respondents have formal gender equality/diversity policies

Recruitment and selection procedures are being developed
– Most employers have equality recruitment and selection procedures in place
– Around 80% apply these at non-management and management levels
– 75% apply their recruitment and selection procedures at Board level.

Many employers are working to attract women into non-traditional jobs
– 80% of respondents are taking action in this area.

And there is a high level of support for carers and flexible working
– Almost all respondents have initiatives in place to support employees with care responsibilities. For most, these go beyond statutory minimum requirements
– Over 80% of employers have schemes to support flexible working

To ensure equal pay
– A half to two thirds of respondents have procedures in place to ensure equality in promotion and performance appraisal activities.
– 43% of employers provide training for staff involved in pay discussions
– Only 30% conduct a regular equal pay audit

And more action is needed to develop an equality/diversity culture
– Around half of employers provide training on equality/diversity to all staff
– 49% of are taking action to develop a flexible working culture
– Just one third of respondents communicate their goals, business case or any progress being made on gender equality/diversity internally
– Less than half the respondents consult with their employees on perceptions of the organisational gender equality/diversity climate

More emphasis is needed on monitoring progress and the impact of actions
– 61% check that recruitment and selection procedures are followed in practice
– Just over half of respondents monitor the progress of applicants by gender through the recruitment and selection process
– Half the respondents monitor promotion rates by gender
– 40% monitor the take-up of initiatives to support women’s development
– Around a third of respondents monitor the take-up of flexible working options

And in particular on the impact of actions on the organisation
– Only 18% of employers assess the contribution of their gender equality work to overall organisational results.
– Only a quarter calculate the cost of not getting gender equality/diversity right (for example the costs of tribunals, or absenteeism)

Where are the women?
A total of 78% of employers provided data on their workforce profiles – higher than in any previous year. The results show that overall:
– Women make up about half of the workforce
– The majority of women are concentrated in non-managerial positions
– Women make up a quarter of all senior management posts
– Women occupy 40% of management posts below the senior level
– There are few women at Executive or non-Executive Director levels
– There are few part-time posts at management levels
– There are very few ethnic minority women in the workforces of Opportunity Now employers and most are concentrated at non-managerial levels.