Asda takes major steps to reduce gender pay gap

Representational image by peoplematters.in

Asda recently published its gender pay figures for 2022 which show a year-on-year reduction in both its mean and median pay gaps.

In a report submitted to the Government’s Gender Pay website, Asda confirmed the following:

• The median pay difference between all male and female colleagues is 4.7% (2021: 6.1%)
• The mean pay difference between all male and female colleagues is 7.6% (2021: 8%)
• A 0% median pay gap for hourly paid retail store colleagues who make up 84% of Asda’s total workforce

Asda, whose majority stakeholders are British Indian businessmen Mohsin and Zubair Issa, has revealed that the gender pay figures in the supermarket chain remain significantly lower than the UK average of 14.9% (median) and 14.6% (mean) as measured by the Office for National Statistics.

The supermarket said an increase in the number of female colleagues in senior leadership roles in its retail and logistics businesses helped to reduce the gender pay gap last year.

Asda’s Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer, Hayley Tatum, said, “We are pleased that our gender pay gap has reduced year on year as we welcomed more female colleagues into senior leadership roles across our business.

“However, we know that more work is needed to close the gap further and we’re committed to giving female colleagues the support they need to progress their careers and move into more senior roles with Asda.”

As part of a number of initiatives to reduce the pay gap, Asda ran a bespoke six-month development programme last year to help increase female representation in senior levels throughout the business. Almost 300 colleagues participated in the programme and a similar one is planned for this year focussing on skills development and career advancement.

Asda also continues to invest to develop leaders of the future. Last year, 96 female colleagues completed the supermarket’s apprenticeship programme and gained experience of working in a number of different roles before deciding which area to specialise in. One hundred female colleagues will join this year’s programme.

The supermarket will also continue collaborating with its external memberships, such as LEAD, to help it drive greater gender-balanced leadership across the business.

To read Asda’s 2022 gender pay report please click here.