Retail supermarket organisation Aldi has reported a 11.5% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay.
The organisation has reported its gender pay gap data in line with the government’s gender pay gap reporting regulations and ahead of the private sector submission deadline of 4 April 2018.
The gender pay gap reporting regulations require organisations with 250 or more employees to publish the difference between both the mean and median hourly rate of pay for male and female full-time employees; the difference between both the mean bonus pay and median bonus pay for male and female employees; the proportions of male and female employees who were awarded bonus pay; and the proportions of male and female full-time employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands.
Aldi’s median gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay is 4.8%.
Aldi has not reported its mean and median gender pay gap for bonuses as it does not award bonus payments based on individual performance to male or female employees.
Less than a third (30%) of employees in the highest pay quartile at Aldi are female, compared to 51% in the second quartile, 52% in the third quartile and 51% in the lowest pay quartile.
Aldi attributes its gender pay gap to the fact that it has more male employees than female employees working in store management positions, which typically sit in the highest pay quartile.
To address its gender pay gap, Aldi has established a Women in Aldi Forum, which will look at all aspects of gender diversity and representation in the business.
James Hutcheson, managing director, corporate finance and administration at Aldi, said: “At Aldi, [employees] are paid based on the role [they] undertake for the business and [their] length of service. No other factors, including gender, come into play. It’s something we’re really proud of, because it makes us one of the few retailers that pay male and female [employees] exactly the same amount at every level of our business.
“Not only do we pay all our employees fairly and ensure they have access to the same opportunities, our pay and benefits are also the highest in the retail sector. We’re renowned for our graduate training scheme where we ranked third in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employees for 2017; the highest ranked retailer.
“Our rapid growth in the UK has enabled thousands of our people to advance their careers through the opportunities that we create at all levels of our [organisations].
“While we have always ensured [employees] have access to the same opportunities and recognise there are a number of factors outside of our control, such as an employee’s personal choice of working hours to suit their individual circumstances, we recognise that there is more we can do to address our gender pay gap. This is something we are absolutely committed to.”