Blog: Close the pay gap and attract the best talent

Earlier this year, new regulations came into force that compel organisations with more than 250 staff to report on the gender pay gap across their businesses.

The move is designed to highlight the differences in the average salary for men and women in their workplaces.

The gender pay gap may have shrunk in recent years, but the Office for National Statistics states that women still earn on average 9.4% less than men, which doesn’t make for good reading.

It is for that reason that I feel extremely proud to work for an equal opportunities employer and a company that remains transparent with regards to pay, training and career progression.

Transparency across the board

In Carole Woodhead, we have a female CEO who is a key industry thought leader, while many other women sit on our board or fill senior roles across the business.

These include our HR director Jill Maples, our director of client and product development Candice Ohandjanian and our head of customer service Catherine Lindsay, to name but a very small few.

“The Office for National Statistics states that women still earn on average 9.4% less than men”

Across our network of hubs and depots, we are also seeing a number of women thrive in managerial positions.

These include Rebecca Hendon, currently a transport shift manager at our hub in Nuneaton. A relative newcomer to the logistics industry, she has already proven to be an incredibly valuable asset to our business.

Despite applying for the position of transport team leader in the summer of 2015, Hendon’s positive attitude and her ability to proficiently apply her key skills led to her being offered the role of transport shift manager – a higher-ranking job with more responsibility.

Opportunity to step up

“The role of transport shift manager is to supervise operations across the hub, gather information concerning daily activity and observe trends, liaise with client managers and deal with any issues that may arise,” Hendon says.

She was quickly given more responsibility, being asked to cover for our senior operations manager for the South when he is away from the business.

Hendon adds: “Looking after four shift managers, eight team leaders and more than 120 drivers certainly provides the perfect opportunity to push myself.

“I was also put in charge of formulating the peak plan for our hub in Tamworth last year. I started to devise my plan as early as May, oversaw the first vehicle entering the premises during that period and was also there to see the last vehicle leave – it was a rewarding experience!”

Clearly someone that relishes managerial responsibility, Hendon continues to receive valuable training from our Learning & Development Team, including the internal Step Up Programme, which aims to shape employees for future progression.

“Looking after four shift managers, eight team leaders and more than 120 drivers provides the perfect opportunity to push myself”

Rebecca Hendon, transport shift manager, Hermes

She will join the workforce at our new Midlands super hub in Rugby, which opens later this year.

To provide the very best services to their retail clients, carriers must be committed to attracting the very best talent.

We hope that our excellent company values will put us in the strongest possible position as we look to the future.