Gender pay reporting
In the UK, public, private and voluntary sector organisations with 250 or more employees must report on their gender pay gaps annually (2025 will be the 9th cycle of reporting). The report shows the difference between the average earnings of men and women expressed relative to men’s earnings.
A gender pay gap doesn’t mean women are paid less than men for doing the same job within the organisation, but it does show that on average, men occupy higher-paying roles than women.
Where we are and why
At the snapshot date of 5 April 2025, WWT’s workforce consisted of 553 employees and casual workers with 36% being male and 64% being female. This profile remains unchanged from last year.
Analysis of pay data as at this date reveals a 6.1% mean average gender pay gap and a 3.9% median gender pay gap.
Both our mean average and our median average gender pay gaps have more than halved since 2020 and the differential is continuing to steadily narrow (see Figure 1).
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean gender pay gap (the average hourly rate) |
12.8% | 11.4% | 9.9% | 8.0% | 6.1% |
|
Median Gender Pay Gap (the mid point hourly rate when listed in order) |
11.9% | 13.7% | 5.2% | 4.9% | 3.9% |
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) reported in 2022 that approximately 68% of the UK voluntary/charity sector workforce is female.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual estimates of the UK gender pay gap based on the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). According to the provisional 2025 bulletin, the median gender pay gap for all employees (full- and part-time combined) was 12.8% in April 2025 - meaning women’s median hourly earnings were 12.8% lower than men’s - compared with 13.1% in 2024.
At WWT, our median gender pay gap is notably below the ONS national figure. The remaining gap at WWT largely reflects the distribution of roles and working patterns across the organisation, including a higher proportion of women in part-time and casual roles at lower pay grades - a pattern that also contributes to the larger overall UK gender pay gap.
For gender pay gap reporting, employees are divided into four pay quartiles based on hourly earnings, and the proportion of men and women in each quartile is reported at the snapshot date (see Figure 2).
As a means of encouraging and supporting all employees who may need to balance their employment with other commitments we offer, wherever possible, flexible working arrangements. This year has seen an increase in the percentage of women represented in the upper quartile (2024 - 54%), a slight decrease in the upper middle (2024 - 68%), with lower middle and lower remaining stable. As of April 2025, 4 out of our 6 most senior leadership roles were held by women.
Bonuses
No employees at WWT receive bonus pay.
Paying the same for doing the same job
It’s important to note that the gender pay gap is not a measure of the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job. Within WWT, men and women are paid equally at the same grade for doing equivalent jobs and where differences occur they are justifiable.
What we have done and are doing to reduce our gender pay gap
Actions taken in 2025/26
- Conducted a WWT-wide Equity, Diversity and Inclusion audit with an external third party. Findings have informed a structured action plan, which is being implemented.
- Developed and launched a values and behaviours framework aligned to our Thrive ambitions. Initial integration has taken place across key people processes to support engagement, empowerment and consistent expectations.
- Continued to offer paid student placements and expanded our apprenticeship provision to support accessible entry and develop routes within WWT.
- Maintained and promoted flexible approaches to support family-friendly working and enable colleagues at all levels to work in ways that suit their personal circumstances.
- Introduced recruitment of casual workers through our central recruitment system to ensure consistency and fairness across all recruitment activity.
Actions we are taking in 2026/27
- Continue embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a core organisational priority by implementing the recommendations from the EDI audit action plan.
- Continue to integrate the values and behaviours framework into Performance and Development Reviews and recruitment processes. This work is ongoing as part of embedding the framework more fully across the organisation.
- Strengthen workforce data reporting and analysis to improve insight into recruitment and progression trends, enabling WWT to identify and address structural barriers.
- Expand WWT’s early careers framework to strengthen entry pathways and create clearer development routes for progression within the organisation.
- Initiate a review into pay, grading and benefits to modernise our approach to flexible working and reward framework and ensure it supports organisational priorities and long-term sustainability.
- Monitor forthcoming employment legislation affecting casual and zero-hours working arrangements and prepare WWT’s approach ahead of expected implementation.
Committed to promoting equity
The reasons more women choose to work in part-time roles are influenced by cultural, economic and societal factors. While WWT cannot influence all of these, we remain committed to reducing our gender pay gap, and this is reflected in our 2025 figures. We are working to ensure our procedures and practices do not create barriers to gender equality and that we remove obstacles to women progressing to senior levels within the organisation.
We are serious about enabling a healthy work–life balance for all colleagues and continue to strengthen our flexible working practices. Alongside this, we have advanced our work on EDI and will continue to recognise and challenge factors that may contribute to the gender pay gap. In preparation for upcoming legislation, we are reviewing and updating our policies to support the right to request flexible working from day one of employment and monitoring changes affecting casual and zero-hours arrangements to ensure our approach remains fair, compliant and financially sustainable.
We are also further integrating our values and behaviours framework into recruitment and performance processes, strengthening access to early career and development opportunities, and initiating a review of pay, grading and benefits. Together, these actions are designed to support fairness, transparency and progression, and to ensure our organisational approaches actively contribute to closing the gender pay gap.
Deborah Holmes
Head of People (Interim)
March 2026
- In this section