All UK companies with 250 or more employees are required to file their data by midnight tonight, with more than 9,100 having now submitted data up to date as of 5 April last year.
The median UK national average gender pay gap is 18.4%, with different print companies falling on either side of the line. Companies were also required to publish data on gender proportions within four tiered quartiles, from the highest paid jobs to the lowest.
Figures vary greatly from company to company, and the gap fluctuates depending on whether mean or median is used to calculate it.
London-based printer Moo Print reported a median pay gap of 23.2%, attributed to a lower proportion of women in top-paid and technology roles, while making up 91% and 73% respectively of lower-paid manufacturing and customer service roles.
Moo employs 237 women out of a total workforce of 451, though 46% of its staff work outside the UK and are not subject to the government’s criteria on data. It voluntarily published its global pay gap data, with a median gap of 20.8%.
The firm laid out an action plan to improve its disparities which included establishing a diversity and inclusion team, reviewing flexible working provisions and providing unconscious bias training for hiring managers.
Chief executive Richard Moross said: “At Moo we’re trying to build a company that reflects the world around us. As a result of this process, we now have some meaningful actions which we intend to implement to ensure we have a business that better represents society. We will continue in our efforts to create a diverse, inclusive and friendly environment.”
Paragon Group beat the national average with the median woman earning 11.6% less than the median man, as HR director Lorraine Nixon said the company will “benchmark against competitors and commit to take action to address the underlying issues”.
Communisis’ results showed a lower disparity between the two averages, and also came in better than the national average, with a 9.8% mean gap and 11% median.
Prinovis reported two very different averages, with a mean hourly rate 8.2% lower for women and a median 21.4% lower – highlighting in its report that this was due to men taking up 74% of positions in its highest-paid quartile.
St Ives subsidiary Clays published its own pay gap data, with a 36.7% median gap and 24% mean.
Williams Lea Tag confirmed to PrintWeek that it is committed to publishing its data ahead of the deadline but is having “technical difficulties” with the government portal. It has made the information publicly available on its own website, reporting an 8.5% median pay gap and 12.4% mean.
So far, the only print-related company seen to have a pay gap that works in favour of its female staff is HP Inc UK, where women’s median hourly rate is 12.7% higher than men’s. This results in women earning on average £1.13 for every £1 men earn. The mean gap is slightly slimmer with women earning 4.1% more than men.
HR lead Debbie Irish said: “Because the average female employee at HP UK has a higher job grade and associated salary and bonus than the average male employee, women earned both a higher mean and median salary and bonus in the reporting period.
“We’re proud that many women at HP UK hold positions of significant influence and impact. That’s uncommon in technology and reflects HP’s commitment to recognising and rewarding talent.”
Men still far outweighed women in terms of representation at each level at HP, making up 72% of each of the top two quartiles, 82% of the third and 73% of the lowest paid.
In March, Adare International was one of the first UK print companies to release its data, reporting a mean pay gap of 13.6%. This was attributed by chief executive Andrew Dutton to the significant proportion of women in the lowest-paid jobs and committed to hiring “on the basis of meritocracy”.
Tracy Ellison was appointed UK managing director in February last year as more women moved into the upper quartiles of the company.
