Overall approach
PIA strives for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls in all their diversity. We envision a world in which children and young people are not disadvantaged by gender inequality, exclusion and unequal power. This is reflected in our Values and Feminist Leadership Principles which describe the way we work together. It is also embedded into our work and culture to ensure this is reflected in how we manage the pay for our people.
We ensure that organisational policies, code of conduct, business processes and procedures, management functions and leadership concretely promote gender equality, equity, diversity and inclusion, are anti-racist, family-friendly, and promote staff wellbeing, in line with our overall commitment to gender equality and inclusion. We prioritise positioning PIA to attract and hire staff with competencies and values that strongly align with our gender equality and inclusion ambitions.
Removing pay gaps is an important component of our approach to fulfilling our DEI commitments. Our commitment is to maintain gaps close to zero and create a gender equal environment for all our employees, whilst recognising that in a relatively small organisation like PIA, factors such as staff turnover mean that there will inevitably be year-to-year variations. We recognise that closing the gender pay gap and DEI efforts must be ongoing, and we are dedicated to taking long-term action.
Gender & Racial Pay Gap Action
In November 2023 PIA engaged an independent consultant to undertake a Gender and Racial Pay Gap Analysis to ensure that everyone at PIA is fairly rewarded regardless of their gender, race, or ethnicity. We went further than just a gender pay gap analysis as we believe this plays an important role in fulfilling our DEI commitments, and we welcome greater transparency. We hope this additional analysis will also become mandatory, but in the meantime, we can help to set an example and encourage other employers to join us.
A Gender and Racial Pay Gap Analysis is a comprehensive assessment aimed at identifying any differences in compensation that may exist based on gender and ethnic backgrounds and any other intersecting factors. This analysis was crucial in our journey to promote fairness, transparency, and equal opportunities for all our employees.
At PIA, we value each team member and believe in respecting everyone and challenging inequality in our programs and our workplace. This analysis allowed us to address potential disparities and take meaningful steps towards rectifying them. By doing so, we aim to ensure that all our employees are valued and compensated fairly for their contributions. The analysis also provided us with a greater awareness and understanding of structural barriers and factors that that will now inform our “roadmap for change”.
Upon completion and review this independent Pay Gap Analysis identified the Gender Pay Gap at PIA in November 2023 to be -0.4%. We are very proud of this result and our commitment is to maintain gaps close to zero.
What is the gender pay gap?
The gender pay gap is a measure of the percentage difference in the average earnings between women and men at PIA.
It is not to be confused with women and men being paid the same for the same, or comparable, job. This is equal pay and has been a legal requirement since 1969. A concentration of females in lower-paid roles and males in more senior and highly-paid roles can increase an organisations gender pay gap; so, too can a gender imbalance in management.
The gender pay gap is a useful proxy for measuring and tracking gender equality across our organisation. Closing the gender pay gap is important to PIA and reflects our commitment to be an equal and fair employer for all.
Median gender pay gap: is the middle value after sorting the gender pay of organisations in the comparison group from lowest to highest. If the number of comparison groups is an even number, the median is the average of the two middle values.
Our figures relate to PIA and are based on the key results of our April 2023 submission to the Workforce Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) annual Gender Equality Census as required under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (the Act).
Our Gender Pay Gap as reported in April 2023
PIA’s median gender pay gap is 9.7%.
The industry comparison group is 1.4%.
A positive percentage indicates men are paid more on average than women in our organisation.
It is important to note the gaps reported are not a measure of equal pay. We are committed to ensuring that our people are paid equally for doing the same or equivalent jobs across PIA.
We deliver on this commitment by ensuring consistent salary bands for comparable roles inclusive of all forms of diversity, ensuring PIA remuneration complies with industrial requirements, in particular the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS), remuneration is competitive and aligned with current market rates where possible and that remuneration processes are clear, transparent and equitable. This includes sharing salary ranges and the detail of how jobs are accessed and graded within the SCHADS Award and across the organisation.
Gender Pay Gap Drivers
A concentration of one gender in lower-paid roles and the other in more senior and highly-paid roles can increase the gender pay gap; so, too can a gender imbalance in management.
The chart below divides the total remuneration full-time equivalent pay of all employees into four equal quartiles. A higher concentration of men in the upper quartiles and a higher concentration of women in the lower quartiles is driving a positive gender pay gap at PIA.
Workforce composition by role
PIA has a gender balance in the Key Management Personnel and Manager groups. There is however a larger concentration of females in non-management roles which are lower-paid. This is what contributes to the gender pay gap at PIA.
Workforce composition by employment status
Part-time and casual roles are often lower paid as these are generally more entry level roles. An imbalance in the composition of employees in these roles at PIA is another driver of the gender pay gap.
Actions & Strategies
Goal 1: Employer of Choice for Gender Equality
Our goal is to position PIA as a leading organisation in gender equality by preparing for and obtaining the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) Citation. We aim to meet all relevant criteria to be considered by September 2024.
Goal 2: Policies
We aim to establish equitable and inclusive policies, practices and processes within PIA. It is crucial that our internal policies create, support and uphold an inclusive working environment. We will review our policies to ensure they are aligned with DEI values and priorities, specifically examining whether any seemingly neutral policies or practices unintentionally discriminate against priority diverse groups
Goal 3: Pay Equity
Our goal is a workplace culture that is accountable, transparent and fair. We are committed to achieving pay equity across our workforce, ensuring that all individuals receive equal pay for equal or comparable value. Our aim is to review, and if required, reduce existing gender and racial pay gaps across PIA.
Goal 4: Inclusive Recruitment
We aim to establish recruitment processes and practices that are free from unconscious bias, ensuring that our recruitment decisions embrace diversity and inclusion. We strive to embrace diversity and inclusion at every stage of the employment cycle, from recruitment and selection to access to training and professional development opportunities. Our goal is not only to attract new talent from diverse backgrounds, but also to support the career development of our existing employees at PIA, enabling them to reach their full potential.
Goal 5: Training and Education
We aim to build our organisational knowledge and literacy around diversity, equity and inclusion. In this, we aim to provide education and collective learning around what we as individuals can do to contribute to an inclusive environment, challenging biases, cognising existing barrier and acknowledging structures of power and privilege. This will include education around issues common to the workplace context, for example micro-aggressions, harmful language and stereotypes. This will contribute to an inclusive, anti-racist culture that not only acknowledges the diversity of our workforce but actively challenges racist bias and discrimination.
Goal 6: Embedding a DEI focussed culture
In formal and informal ways, we aim to embed DEI initiatives and considerations into our day to day or BAU activities. To reinforce intersectionality in our actions and tap into the expertise of various committees and networks, we will build a culture where various working groups and committees will collaborate closely with one another. By strengthening connections, we aim to create a unified approach to diversity inclusion and equity that embraces the diverse perspectives and experiences present within our organisation.
Goal 7: Inclusive External Messaging
We aim to ensure our external messaging in campaigns, social media platforms and any external communication is inclusive and consistent, and that the authentic messaging will resonate with our diverse audiences.
Goal 8: Increased Diversity in Workforce
We will commit to building our baseline of staff demographic data so that we can identify areas of improvement in the diversity of our workforce. Understanding the demographic makeup of our workforce helps foster strategies that attract and retain people from diverse backgrounds.
We strive to establish comprehensive processes and tools for monitoring and reporting on the diversity of our workforce. By collecting and analysing robust diversity data, we aim to gain valuable insights into workforce trends, including recruitment, progression, retention and a turnover of target demographic groups. This data will inform our workforce planning efforts and enable us to assess our progress against our goals and targets. Quarterly reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and the Board will ensure transparency, accountability and informed decision-making.
In doing this, we aim to ultimately create and maintain a more balanced spread of gender, CARM people and ATSI people balance in our leadership teams and general staff cohort. Data will be used to inform what numerical targets and timeframes will be established to improve underrepresented groups within our prioritised focus areas in leadership. These will be built into future workplans.
Goal 9: Safe Reporting Mechanism and General Feedback
We believe in the power of feedback and the importance of engaging our staff in our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. By establishing an ongoing feedback and response mechanism, we aim to create a culture of open communication and collaboration, where our people can actively contribute their ideas, perspectives and concerns.