Gender Pay Gap Employer Statement

Our Gender Pay Gap Employer Statement

The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay. Equal pay is where women and men are paid the same for the same or similar positions - in Australia this is a legal requirement (and a moral one for us!). Gender pay gaps do not compare like or similar roles, instead they compare everyone in the business and show the overall difference in the average pay for women and men across the entire workforce. Our analysis shows that we provide equal pay, so we can be confident that our gender pay gap is not a result of equal pay concerns.

The gender pay gap data includes all positions and employment types within the business which includes full-time, part-time, casual, professionals, technical trades, administrative roles and senior executives. The total remuneration data also includes things like superannuation, overtime, bonuses and cars.

Similar to other businesses in the building and construction sector, our pay gap is the result of certain roles within our business that have historically been performed mostly by women or men as well as the number of women we have in senior or manager positions.

Henley Properties Group gender pay gap compared to the industry comparison

2022 – 2023 Gender equality reporting period

Our commitment to the full and equal participation of women in construction is reflected in the makeup of our team; 46% are women, compared to an industry average of just 26%. We are proud to employ a wide and diverse range of technical and professional skills and experiences, bringing together a strong team who create better, happier and healthier homes for Australian families.

Henley Properties Group gender composition compared to the construction industry average

2022 – 2023 Gender equality reporting period

The more focus we have on this, the narrower our gender pay gap will become. For example, by increasing the employment of women in construction, trade and managerial roles, and men in administrative and professional roles, this will contribute to a more balanced gender distribution throughout Henley.

The most significant driver of our gender pay gap is the number of women we have in senior or manager positions as compared to men. In the 2022 – 2023 reporting period, women represented 26% of this group. Over half of the manager positions in our business are within the Construction division, and we currently have no women in these roles.

Henley Properties Group gender composition by role compared to the construction industry

2022 – 2023 Gender equality reporting period

Women make up only 2% of the overall on-site construction workforce (those with a trade) which results in a high number of on-site Construction positions being performed mostly by men. Across our business and the industry itself, construction based roles are at a higher average remuneration than office based roles (e.g. estimating, drafting, customer service). This reflects market rates of pay, job responsibilities and company paid motor vehicles.

We are determined to change the overall composition of women in construction, starting with a pilot program targeting junior high school girls, to ensure they are empowered in knowing that construction is a valued career choice. Through our partnership with the HIA and their Apprentice Program, we are actively creating ways to enable more women to commence a trade apprenticeship with Henley. We are proudly an equal opportunity employer however the number of applications received for Construction related positions from women is 4% as compared to 96% from men. These are external drivers of gender equity in the construction industry that will take time and a long-term commitment to change.

Internally, we have a program to grow and develop women in our cadet programs through Drafting and Estimating, which is a strong pathway into construction. In the 2022 – 2023 reporting period, we promoted 1 female Estimator into a Construction supervisor role and 50% of our cadets hired were female.

We prioritise the investment of learning and development with our team, creating growth and promotion opportunities for more senior positions. During the reporting period, we supported 70 women through various management, certification and tertiary education programs, which will assist in developing the skills required to further reduce the gap with women representation in senior roles.

Another driver of our gender pay gap is the diversity at various levels of our sales team. We proudly employ 60% women in Sales Consultant positions however with only 9% men employed in Associate positions this impacts the gender pay comparison. Attracting and recruiting more men into our Associate positions will help us to become more balanced.

We have a plan to reduce the gender pay gap in these key areas of our workforce however, in other areas, we report almost a zero gender pay gap which means we can be confident that our regular pay and benefits reviews are ensuring equal pay for the same or similar positions.

Our Diversity and Inclusion plan reflects our commitment to removing barriers for women in construction.

Fair Recruitment Practices

We make an equality commitment to all candidates when they apply for a position at Henley, removing any biases from the recruitment process. We employ our team based on skills, attitude, and merit rather than to a specific gender target and we are committed to improving the root cause of the gender equity issues in the construction industry.

Our Board

The board is comprised of the male owners and directors of the business. Currently no external parties are invited to sit on the board. Female representation at our board is regularly welcomed through invitation to report on matters that impact the operations of the business.

Each year our board is provided a copy of the WGEA Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark report. This forms part of our commitment to our team, ensuring our board is informed and committed to our plan to reduce the gender pay gap.

Pay Equity

All team members working in the same or similar roles have access to equal pay, benefits, rewards and opportunities – regardless of their gender. Many factors are considered when deciding on salary and benefits adjustments, including skills, qualifications, performance, tenure, attitude, values and commitment to customer and industry.

Flexible Work and Family Support

We all have different needs at different times in our lives, which is why we make flexible work arrangements available to everyone in our team. Our approach to flexible work arrangements supports inclusion and we think differently about the traditional structure of roles and how the work can be performed. Flexibility enables our team to make time for training and education to grow their career and supports the diverse range of needs and requirements throughout a person’s life.

Growing a family in our modern world isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to returning to work after a period of parental leave. We encourage our parents and carers to find a balance that works for them and their families. We acknowledge that only 54% of businesses in Construction offer Paid Parental Leave programs, and introducing further support is on our list of priorities for 2024. We know that paid parental leave plays an important role in enabling equal caring responsibilities for working parents and caregivers.

Our family values and workplace support programs extend to times when our team may need a little extra help. Our leaders work together to find ways to support those who may be experiencing family violence, grief and loss, or illness. Our focus is to ensure our team feel safe, whilst being treated with respect.

Communication

We conduct regular employee feedback surveys to ask our teams about their experience as it relates to equality, fairness, psychological safety and having a say about their work and workplace! In 2023, 90% of our team participated in the survey and we are proud to report 88% of our team say that they feel fairly treated regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. An important part of our engagement survey plan is the follow up conversations where our leaders and teams collaborate on actions required to improve the feedback provided.

We have a range of communication channels that ensure our team are always connected and up to date - from regular CEO updates, The Henley Hub, team briefings and check-in conversations. We are confident that our team are both informed and consulted and the ideas, suggestions, and recommendations from our team continue to contribute to our growth.

Safe Workplace Culture

Everyone has a right to feel safe at work which is why we take a firm approach and have no tolerance for sex-based harassment and discrimination. Our Leaders undertake regular training to support their teams in addressing behaviors that do not align to our values and expectations. Additionally, all team members undertake regular proactive training on discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying. Our team complete this training when they commence employment and renew their understanding yearly. We ensure 100% participation and completion in this important area, and we are looking forward to refreshing our knowledge again this year (or sooner, thanks to on-demand access to this content through our Learning Hub).

Our responsibility to safe and inclusive workplaces extends to our trades, suppliers and customers. When we start working with a new trade or supply partner, we go through an onboarding process that ensures anyone partnering with our business is aware of our expectations and policies related to sex-based harassment and discrimination. Similarly, our customers know that their building journey with us will be one based on fairness, trust and respect.

Breaking barriers. Building dreams.

Our gender pay gap is not a reflection of our values, efforts or commitment to diversity and inclusion. Instead, it reflects traits that are common for businesses in our industry. We are committed to building a more inclusive industry for all and we’re confident that our diversity and inclusion plan will narrow the gender pay gap and enable greater female participation.

We will keep striving to remove the traditional and long-term barriers for women in construction.