The prime activity of Jelson Limited is house-building and around 300 of the 408 employees included in this report are directly engaged in that activity. Construction is predominantly a male industry, however there are a number of UK wide external initiatives that are promoting females in construction, and businesses are seeing more females entering the industry at the apprenticeship level.

Most construction operatives are not paid by the hour, but receive a piecework payment for the value of the work they do. Some can earn the equivalent of £35 per hour, and this affects the calculation of the average hourly rates for males.

Many of our female employees have taken up flexible working, specifically part-time hours within clerical roles, and we have seen female career progression into more senior / managerial roles. In the last year we have made senior managerial appointments in both Human Resources and Sales, these female appointments have supported the business in reducing the hourly rate pay gap. Gender is not a barrier to progression in Jelson, and the company is considering ways in which it can attract more females into senior roles, such as publicising of promotional opportunities for women and further promoting our flexible working policy.

Bonus payments are only made to monthly paid salaried staff. Bonus payments tend to reflect the level of responsibility of the employee, and with a greater number of males in more responsible positions, the differences reported are to be expected. In the year there have been more female staff appointments made in key areas across the business such as Design, Sales, Health & Safety and Human Resources. So, whilst the mean female bonus is reduced slightly from last year, the number of female bonus recipients is greatly increased.

In the year ahead, the business will be focussing on ensuring we have a robust recruitment strategy in place, reviewing salary and role equal worth, focussed advertising and promotional avenues, and discussing career planning and opportunities with the Board of Directors.