The 12 examples
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Inclusive job descriptions can attract diverse talent by using neutral language, listing only essential requirements, and highlighting equal opportunities.
When it fits. This action may be useful if you have identified recruitment bias or under-representation of certain groups in your organisation. This includes women in mid-to-senior roles and those returning to work after a career break.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of new adverts that use the features of inclusive job descriptions; Applicants and successful candidates by sex; Retention of new staff at 6 and 12 months after starting; Candidate survey on the recruitment experience.
Women make up a fifth of applicants for our distribution centre roles, though the work suits a wider range of people. A review found adverts full of ‘must-haves’ and words such as ‘competitive’. From January 2027 every advert will pass a checklist that removes them, separates essential from desirable criteria and invites requests for adjustments. We will track the share of adverts that pass the checklist, applicants and hires by sex for each role, and how many new starters stay 6 and 12 months, against this year’s figures.
88 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Actively seeking applications from under-represented groups can ensure a broader range of applicants for all roles.
When it fits. You might choose this action if your workforce lacks diversity or representation in certain roles.
Metrics the action page suggests: Applicants and successful candidates by sex; Returners and previous applicants hired; Retention of new recruits from targeted groups at 12 months; Candidates’ recruitment experience.
Men hold four in five of our distribution centre roles, and most applicants come through two agencies. We will advertise these roles through local return-to-work schemes and community groups, and invite past applicants to apply again. Recruiters will report applicants, interviews and hires by sex every quarter. We will also count the returners we hire and how many new recruits stay 12 months, compared with the last two campaigns.
69 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Using structured, skill-based screening can minimise bias and boost diversity in hiring.
When it fits. This action aims to reduce unconscious bias when you are first screening the CVs of job applicants.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of recruitment campaigns that use an anonymous application form and CV template; Applicants shortlisted, invited to interview and offered the role, by sex; Candidate survey on the recruitment experience.
Store managers shortlist for assistant manager roles from full CVs, and last year women were shortlisted at a lower rate than men. From February 2027 applicants will use an anonymous form that lists experience in years, so a career break does not hide relevant experience. HR will track the share of campaigns using the form and the shortlisting, interview and offer rates of women and men, against last year’s figures.
70 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Structured interviews support fair, objective hiring. Standardised questions and scoring helps reduce bias and promotes equal opportunity.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if your organisation lacks diversity or representation in certain roles or pay grades, or if you have identified a lack of diversity in your interview shortlists.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of hiring managers using structured interviews; Shortlisted and successful candidates by sex; Retention of new employees from targeted groups at 12 months; Candidate survey on the recruitment experience.
Interviews for assistant manager roles differ from store to store, with different questions and no scoring. By June 2027 every interview will use the same scored questions for the role and a panel of two, and every hiring manager will be trained. HR will track the share of interviews that follow the format, shortlisted and successful candidates by sex, and how many new assistant managers stay 12 months, compared with this year.
72 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Advertise parental, carer, and compassionate leave policies widely to ensure all prospective employees know the entitlements they would be eligible for.
When it fits. The aim of advertising leave policies is to encourage more people to apply for roles.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of new adverts that state leave details; Use of leave policies, by sex, disability or caring status; New staff or applicants who say the leave policies influenced their decision to apply; Staff who identify as unpaid carers, over time.
Our adverts say ‘competitive benefits’ but not what we offer, though our parental and carer’s leave go beyond the legal minimum. From January 2027 every advert will state our parental, carer’s and compassionate leave. We will track the share of adverts that do, ask new starters in their first month whether the leave policies affected their decision, and count staff who tell us they are unpaid carers, starting from this year’s baseline.
72 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Recruiting staff. Gender pay gap.
Flexible working policies can aid work-life balance, especially for people with caring roles. Advertising flexibility can attract a wider, more diverse group of applicants.
When it fits. Advertising flexible working can encourage a wider range of people to apply for your roles, particularly women.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of new adverts that state flexible working arrangements; Applicants and successful candidates by sex; Candidates who mention flexible working as a reason to apply.
Most head office roles can be worked flexibly, but only one advert in ten says so, and women are under a third of applicants for senior head office roles. From January 2027 every advert will say which flexible working arrangements the role allows and that staff can ask for flexible working from their first day. We will track the share of adverts that state it, applicants and hires by sex, and how many candidates name flexibility as a reason to apply.
81 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Developing and promoting staff. Gender pay gap.
Automatically considering all eligible employees for promotion gives them the choice to opt-out rather than opt-in.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if you have low rates of women moving into senior roles or staying in employment with your organisation. It might also be useful if you have a difference in the number of men and women in senior roles.
Metrics the action page suggests: Rate of progression from middle to senior management, by sex; Promotion applicants and successful candidates, by sex; Retention of employees; Candidates’ experience of the promotion process.
Women are 64% of our lower pay quartile but 38% of the upper quartile, and fewer women than men apply for store manager roles. From April 2027 every assistant manager who meets the criteria will be considered for each store manager vacancy, with the choice to opt out. We will track progression from assistant to store manager by sex, applicants and appointments by sex, and candidates’ views of the process, against this year’s figures.
74 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Developing and promoting staff. Gender pay gap.
Giving all employees clear and actionable advice on how to develop may benefit organisations with low rates of progression and retention for women.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if you have low rates of women moving into more senior roles, fewer women staying at your organisation, or more women who seem to stay at certain levels.
Metrics the action page suggests: Employees’ understanding of their development goals, and how useful they find their feedback; Managers’ understanding of how to give effective feedback and development advice; Rate of progression from middle to senior management, by sex; Retention, particularly of high-performing women; Changes in knowledge and skills over time, for example a skills inventory.
Exit interviews show that women at assistant manager level often leave without a clear route to the next role. From January 2027 every appraisal will end with two or three specific development steps and a date to review them, and managers will be trained to give that feedback. We will survey staff on how useful they find their feedback, and track progression and retention by sex at each grade against this year’s baseline.
73 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Developing and promoting staff. Gender pay gap.
Providing development programmes, such as mentoring, gives employees a formal channel for advice and support.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if there is a lack of gender representation in certain roles or a gender imbalance in rates of progression.
Metrics the action page suggests: Participants and their career progression, by sex; Participation over time, and the rate of and reasons for drop-out; Whether participants stay longer than those who did not take part; Whether employees feel they have a clear career path and more confidence; Feedback from those who took part and those who chose not to.
Women hold 38% of our upper quartile roles, and few women in head office have a senior colleague who speaks up for them. In 2027 we will pair 30 employees with senior sponsors for a year, with places open to all and promoted to women in particular. We will track who takes part and their progression by sex, drop-out and its reasons, and whether participants stay longer than colleagues at the same grade who did not take part.
78 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Building diversity into your organisation. Gender pay gap.
Setting specific internal targets that you can monitor using data gives your organisation clear steps to improve gender representation and equality.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if your organisation has under-representation in certain areas, such as women in senior roles. It may also be useful when you start a new recruitment campaign.
Metrics the action page suggests: Share of departments that met their targets at each milestone; Progress departments have made towards their targets; What helped or hindered each target; Share of targets achieved at each milestone; Employee satisfaction with the targets and how they were put in place.
Women are 38% of our upper pay quartile and 31% of store managers. We have set a target of 40% of store managers by April 2029, with a target for each region agreed by its director. Regional directors will report progress to the executive team every quarter, using the same headcount data as our gender pay gap report, and we will record what helped or held back each region.
69 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Increasing transparency. Gender pay gap.
Transparency in pay, promotion, and bonus policies helps ensure everyone understands how decisions are made.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if you have unequal rates of women and men moving into senior roles or staying with your organisation. It might also be useful if you have a gap in the number or level of bonuses between men and women.
Metrics the action page suggests: Promotion applicants and successful candidates, by sex; Employees in senior roles, by sex; Retention rate, by sex; Reward and performance data for men and women doing similar work; Employees’ understanding of how to increase their pay or get a promotion; Employees’ view of whether pay and reward decisions are fair.
Our mean bonus gap is 31.0%, more than twice our hourly pay gap, and fewer women than men receive a bonus. From April 2027 we will publish the pay range for every grade and the criteria for each bonus scheme on our intranet, and explain how decisions are made. We will track bonus awards by sex within each grade, promotion applications and appointments by sex, and staff views on fairness in our annual survey.
74 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder
Increasing transparency. Gender pay gap.
Enhance and promote leave policies and flexible working so employees know their entitlements and how to use them.
When it fits. You may want to choose this action if you have identified low numbers of people using leave and flexible working policies, or feedback and insight from employees suggests they leave the organisation because they do not feel able to take up these entitlements.
Metrics the action page suggests: People using flexible working and leave across teams and seniority levels; Employees using each type of leave, by sex; Survey: employees understand the policies and managers feel confident offering support; Readership of internal communications about the policies.
Few men take shared parental leave, and our staff survey shows managers are unsure which flexible working they can agree. In 2027 we will publish one guide to flexible working and leave, brief every manager on it, and share stories from colleagues who have used it. We will track the use of flexible working and each type of leave by sex and grade, and survey staff and managers on how well they understand the policies.
75 of 100 words. Synthetic example, new or in progress. Start from this example in the builder