Keltbray Gender Pay Gap Report 2022

A message from our CEO

At Keltbray we are committed to building a culture that is diverse, open and inclusive, where everyone’s viewpoint is valued. Attracting and retaining the best talent available from all communities and backgrounds enriches our diversity and experience, making us a more successful and innovative business.

In this latest 2022 report, I hope you recognise that our aim remains to close the gender pay gap, achieving a material narrowing year-on-year. Like the entire industry, we are on an Inclusion journey at Keltbray. Our Inclusion Committee has set some stretching targets for our business, but these will only be achieved by us all taking small steps each and every day. This report outlines some of the steps we have already taken and some that we plan to take in the coming 12 months to help close our gender pay gap into 2023 and beyond. Reflecting on the last 12 months covered in this report, whilst we are pleased with the progress we are making, we recognise we have much work to do.

In the industries we operate in - engineering and construction, systemic issues exist which have propagated an unacceptable gender pay gap over decades. We are therefore now working in specific areas to reverse this situation in a much shorter time frame. For example, going in to schools to promote the career opportunities for all and looking wherever possible to provide flexibility in work patterns and career paths. We are committed to continuing to pursue an Inclusion and Diversity agenda and to ensuring equality of pay for men and women when undertaking the same role is in line with Government legislation. In addition, we are committed to creating and promoting diversity at all levels and our expectation is that through our Group diversity and inclusion committee, we will increase the representation of women, particularly at middle management and senior levels across our business.

We know that the changes we want to happen will take time and that we will not fix the current disparities overnight, but by focusing on how we

can attract and support women to fulfil their career aspirations, we will continue to narrow the gap over the coming years. I am particularly proud of the brilliant women already working in our business, their stories are inspiring and show exactly why having more women in our industry is paramount to its future success.

Thank you.

Darren James Chief Executive Officer

Keltbray believes passionately in the value of equal opportunity and diversity. Our people strategy aims to make Keltbray a place where people thrive and the business succeeds:

People thrive because Keltbray is a great place to work where everyone is valued

– The best people want to join the ‘one Keltbray’ team because we develop them to achieve their goals

Our people are agile, customerfocused and easy for our clients and partners to do business with

This underpins our commitment to driving improvements in Diversity and Inclusion across the business at all levels. Closing the gender pay gap is a fundamental part of this transformation.

GENDER PAY GAP INFORMATION AND DEFINITIONS

The Gender Pay gap is the difference between average earnings of the male population in comparison to the average earnings of the female population within an organisation irrespective of their role or seniority. This difference is expressed as a percentage, either positive or negative.

The mean pay gap . . . is the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and women.

The median pay gap . . . is the difference between the midpoints in the salary ranges of men and women.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT GENDER PAY IS DIFFERENT TO EQUAL PAY.

Equal pay refers to people in equivalent job roles being paid equally. All roles in Keltbray are aligned to our pay and grading structure. This ensures that jobs are evaluated based on a consistent and objective set of criteria, and that all employees are paid fairly and objectively based on the role that they do. This report does not therefore look at equal pay.

Key figures for 2022

PAY GAP

28.62% Mean pay gap

BONUS GAP

72.97% Mean bonus gap

25.37% Median pay gap

-14.29% Median bonus gap

BONUS RECEIVERS

11.02% Female bonus recipients

11.53% Male bonus recipients QUARTILE

What is Keltbray’s gender pay gap?

WE REPORT ON SIX MEASURES AS PART OF OUR GENDER PAY GAP AS FOLLOWS:

1. Mean gender pay gap in hourly pay

2. Median gender pay gap in hourly pay

3. Mean bonus gender pay gap

4. Median bonus gender pay gap

5. Proportion of females and males receiving a bonus payment

Females 2022

Males 2022

6. Proportion of females and males in each pay quartile

2022 reporting

2022 GENDER PAY GAP PERFORMANCE

Our 2022 Gender Pay Gap results reveal:

2022 2021

Mean 28.62% 28.11%

Median 25.37% 22.19%

Although there was no material improvements in the reported metrics when compared with the previous year, this is not because our focus has dimmed or commitments have not been actioned.

UNDERLYING THESE RESULTS GOOD PROGRESS WAS MADE ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS, INCLUDING:

– We have embedded the Inclusion Council within our Corporate Governance Framework which is made up of representatives from across the business to set and drive the Inclusion strategy for Keltbray

– We deployed inclusion and diversity training as a mandatory module for all new starters as part of their induction

– Continued to screen all our job descriptions and pay and benefits content to ensure they include gender neutral and inclusive language.

– We implemented various types of agile working arrangements across our business, wherever possible, particularly in support of people with parental and care responsibilities

– In 2022 we conducted a company-wide health and wellbeing survey supported by Robertson Cooper, this has provided us with areas to target in 2023 to ensure our employees have more “good days at work”. Asking specific questions about inclusivity in our employee engagement survey, followed by analysis and actions of the outputs, including by gender to ensure an inclusive experience.

– Carried out STEM and career events in local schools and colleges, including schools where social mobility is historically low and to promote careers in construction to females.Our Grow, Perform, Succeed (GPS) performance review process has been fully embedded with the ambition to now produce equitable career pathways alongside this process to aid the development of all employees

Flex, our digital learning management system has revolutionised the way we approach training in the business enabling us to provide a comprehensive library of online training and development remotely, to support more flexibility in people’s daily lives

– We continued to recruit, retain and develop more females into entry-level apprentices and graduates intro core construction and engineering roles

We created a job levels framework to provide a better structure for how we group, manage, develop and reward our people

We conducted a full benefits review and launched a new Benefits Brochure to help our people get the most out of working at Keltbray

As part of the benefits review we have been able to significantly enhance family leave and pay for all our people We provided a tiered cost of living pay review in 2022 with a significant number of our employees receiving a 5% pay increase. We also gave an industry leading 1 off cost-ofliving payment of £1,000 to all employees paid £50k or below to ensure targeted support where it was needed most

We continue to provide ‘We Care’ which is a comprehensive health and wellbeing support service, giving all our people to 24/7 support, counselling sessions, financial advice, legal advice and a virtual GP service

We commenced a structured manpower planning process to enable us to more accurately forecast our labour needs in the short, medium and long term to help target roles attractive to females

– We continue to extend our talent database even further so our resourcing team have access to the best talent in the industry regardless of gender as we grow and expand

When a company like Keltbray is making progress at recruiting more diverse talent overall at entry levels, this temporarily impacts on their gender pay gap as more females join the company in the lower quartile pay ranges initially, before progressing higher. This is true for our graduate and apprenticeship intake where we have seen good progress in the number of females recruited but our gender pay gap has slightly reduced as a result, however this will recover as they hopefully progress in their careers with us. Similarly, we have seen better ethnic diversity enter our business through various community and social value initiatives at a local level, but fewer females enter through these programmes. Our focus now is on ensuring our female emerging talent has clear progression paths in the coming years. Our approach to closing the gender pay gap is a long term, sustainable focus to help bridge the industry skills gap and achieve our strategic goals.

Progress update

A MESSAGE FORM OUR PEOPLE DIRECTOR

Despite the ongoing challenges of recovering from COVID-19 and the recruitment and retention issues that affected the construction industry and beyond, we at Keltbray have continued to focus on achieving greater diversity and gender balance within our workforce during 2022.

Training for inclusion is now a core component of our onboarding process. We aim to ensure that every new employee understands the benefits of a diverse workforce and how they can contribute to achieving it. We recognise that construction is still a difficult industry to attract more female talent, especially in the operational areas of the business. However, we are pleased that we have strong female representation in our early careers segment. Our challenge now is to provide support and encouragement for those talented women who have joined us at junior and entry level positions to pursue their career development within Keltbray and advance to senior roles within the organisation. In the coming years, we will complement our current initiatives on training and inclusion with a more targeted approach in areas of the business where we feel that female employees are underrepresented based on industry benchmarks or gender ratios of related graduates in the field. By focusing on these specific areas where we can make a difference, we hope to demonstrate a meaningful change in both female employment levels and gender pay gap reduction as those new hires establish themselves and progress through the organisation.

Another key initiative that we will be implementing is succession planning to help more women move into senior management roles. We believe that having more female leaders in our organisation

will inspire and motivate other women to pursue their career aspirations and create a culture of diversity and inclusion at all levels. We will identify potential candidates for leadership positions and provide them with mentoring, coaching and development opportunities to prepare them for future challenges and responsibilities. By doing this, we hope to create a pipeline of female talent that will enrich our organisation and enhance our competitive edge in the industry.

We thank all of those within Keltbray who are committed to our vision of creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. We look forward to working with you in 2023 and beyond as we strive to achieve our goals together.

Director

Neil Patterson People

FOCUS IN 2023

We remain committed to working on our gender pay gap in a variety of ways in the coming year, including but not limited to:

– Highlighting our female role models and encouraging them to mentor other females within the business in their career progression

Focus on recruiting more female talent in all roles

– Create clear career paths for our female employees

Continued focus on more diverse entry talent recruitment channels

Enhancing further our family friendly policies and support, including for those with parental and caring responsibilities

Ensuring all our recruitment agency partners present us with a gender diverse shortlist for vacancies wherever possible.

We recognise there is a great deal more work that needs to continue to be done on our recruitment, retention and talent progression approaches to attract more females into our business and the industry as a whole.

The construction sector continues to have a predominantly male demographic, particularly in trade specialisms and project delivery roles, and we must appreciate that achieving true gender parity as a whole across the business is a challenging ambition. This is due to the nature and physical demands of the working environment in construction and the salary premiums that certain types of work in this arena can command versus other sectors. However, we are committed to the longer term journey of making the industry more attractive and accessible for all, and achieving salary equivalence to the greatest extent possible.

Case studies

NATALIE BROWN Senior Health & Wellbeing Advisor

How long have you been working for Keltbray?

I’m currently in my 5th year of working for Keltbray

Brief outline of what your job involves?

My job is really varied, no two days are the same.

Primarily my role is to work with our people, provide support, provide education and signpost to onwards support. A great deal of it involves listening.

I also work with managers to help them support their teams and a member of the H&WB committee who are in place to drive development/ improvement of the H&WB programmes.

Day to day my job can involve delivering;

– Health and Wellbeing Checks.

– Site visits.

Providing advice, support and guidance to individuals, teams and managers.

– Referring individuals to onwards support.

Undertaking DSE assessments

– Planning, scheduling and delivering H&WB initiatives

– Delivering H&WB training, briefings and inductions

– Mentoring team members, MHFAiders and H&WB Advocates.

– Producing H&WB Data and reports.

– Campaign and communications planning.

– Research, development and improvement.

– UK wide travel.

What made you choose this industry?

I wouldn’t say I necessarily chose the industry, more the role itself. I feel my role is fairly unique in the fact that it can be applied and modified to fit any industry. However the opportunity to work within the industry has given me the opportunity to test my existing knowledge and apply my experience in a more challenging environment. The opportunity for travel was also a big draw for me.

Did you find it easy to enter the industry?

I found it relatively easy to enter the industry. It wasn’t a direct intention to move into the industry, however my role can be easily applied and I’ve always been open-mind about my working environment. I think I was lucky to enter the industry just as health and wellbeing was starting to be accepted and talked about more, so it’s be a great time to bring my experiences into Keltbray and support the development of the H&WB programme.

What’s it like working at Keltbray?

No two days are the same at Keltbray. In reality, it’s a busy, challenging, fast-paced and changeable environment to work in. There is a great deal of planning and control around the activities we undertake as well huge amounts of innovation and passion for development.

And with that comes a wonderfully diverse workforce to work with and support. Our people are so interesting, it may sound cliché but you really do learn something new every day.

One size does not fit all when it comes to health and wellbeing, there is always something to learn, research and find solutions for.

This all makes it a fascinating business to work for, which provide real opportunities to challenge yourself, develop your knowledge and provide input into development.

Do you feel like you have been given opportunities at Keltbray?

Through being able to work autonomously and independently

I feel I have had the opportunity to develop my role as needed.

My role at Keltbray has allowed me to travel, learn about the industry and for me to work with a wide range of people from all levels of the business.

Being part of the Health & Wellbeing Committee, Inclusion Council and Behaviours & Cultures PH2 group I have opportunities to share my knowledge, experience and ideas for development.

JUSTYNA CZERNECKA

How long have you been working for Keltbray?

Since Dec 2022

Brief outline of what your job involves?

Generating weekly + monthly reports

Minute taking

Creation and distribution of bulletin packs

Commuting to various meetings

– Creation of guides and processes for work related processes (not actual procedures)

Formatting old templates onto new ones

– Regularly updating events/ findings of incidents/accidents to keep HSQE + Project Manager up to date

What made you choose this industry?

I have law degree and H&S resembles law a lot – from applying policies and procedures to finding out what has happened and establishing facts of the story. Adhering to rules and number 1 priority is to keep individuals and business safe – both elements are embedded with my personal beliefs.

Did you find it easy to enter the industry?

I have worked in Rail recruitment office therefore, I have had a standard understanding of the industry, common risks and rules.

What’s it like working at Keltbray?

I have only been working for Keltbray for 2 months+ but, overall, I am amazed with the working culture. It is a healthy working environment and that is by far the thing I mostly appreciate about Keltbray. It makes me want to dedicate my time and hopefully grow with Keltbray.

Do you feel like you have been given opportunities at Keltbray?

I haven’t had any official opportunity but, I strongly believe a new opportunity with Keltbray is something that is possible to achieve.

HSQE Coordinator

CAITLIN WESTON

Pre-Construction Coordinator

How long have you been working for Keltbray?

I joined Keltbray in 2013

Brief outline of what your job involves?

As Pre-Construction Coordinator, I am responsible for the management and coordination of the D&C and Structures preconstruction administration. Based in Esher, Head Office, I provide support to Management, the Estimating & Pre-Construction Department, other business units within the Built Environment division and project teams where necessary. I am also the KBE administrative lead for CRM, working with the CRM development team and users to maintain the CRM system and build on future developments.

What made you choose this industry?

I think that I perhaps chose Keltbray before choosing the industry. Having joined Keltbray shortly after moving to the UK, I did not have any experience in the construction industry. Keltbray was an exciting new opportunity for me to develop my skills in uncharted territory.

Did you find it easy to enter the industry?

Yes. As I am based at head office, I don’t see the disproportion of men to women ratio as you might find on site. I have never experienced inequality or felt that I’ve missed out on opportunities because of my gender. I feel very fortunate for this as I’m aware of women’s struggles in the industry. Although

still a male dominated industry, more is being done to increase opportunities and equality for women in construction. I believe Keltbray is an avid supporter of this.

What’s it like working at Keltbray?

Since joining Keltbray in 2013, I have seen it grow and change considerably over the years. It feels good to have been a part of that. With more company growth and development on the horizon, I hope to be able to contribute to Keltbray’s success. I am a part of a great team and am surrounded by people who are genuinely lovely. I think that with one spending the majority of their time at work, it’s so important to have good relationships with the people you work with. Especially in a (quite often) high pressured and fast paced environment. Good support and humour is key. There are many a laugh in my department!

Do you feel like you have been given opportunities at Keltbray?

I have been very fortunate to have had wonderful managers and leadership during my time at Keltbray and have been given the opportunities to develop, both in training and further education (completing a Business Administration NVQ) and also role progression. As my responsibilities have increased, I have been given the additional training and support necessary to equip me for my role.