Infrastructure and property company John Holland has announced a major step towards gender pay parity – adjusting the salary of women found to be paid less than their male colleagues across the business.
CEO Joe Barr said the company identified 15 per cent of women were being paid less than men and acted immediately to fix the problem.
“The construction industry hasn’t typically led the way when it comes to providing a level playing field for women, but that’s something I am determined to change,” Mr. Barr said.
“I want John Holland to be a great place to work where everyone is treated fairly and has the same opportunities to be their best. I also want that for our whole industry and John Holland needs to play its part.”
According to Mr. Barr, fixing salaries immediately is the first step, and the challenge is making sure pay gaps doesn’t creep back in.
“This is about truly understanding and addressing the issues that create pay inequity in the first place. As part of my role I’ve held gender forums across the business to get to the bottom of these issues.
“Our commitment on gender pay is just the start. We’ve got a lot more to do when it comes to making our workplace more inclusive for everyone, especially women. It’s something I am passionate about because it’s not only good for our business, it will lift our whole industry.
“Our next focus is on embedding a flexibility and wellbeing culture into the business – no small feat in construction and property. We already offer lots of benefits to our people to promote flexible working and I want to lead the way to make this a reality on John Holland work sites.”
Mr. Barr was also named a Pay Equity Ambassador by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) this week.
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