4. Our Colleagues

4.4 We were the first organisation in Greater Manchester accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer in 2012. We believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and continue to maintain our commitment to the real living wage.

4.5 We now undertake annual pay gap analysis for gender, ethnicity and disability. In relation to the gender pay gap, the median average hourly rate for men and women in 2024/25 is now 8.92%, the equivalent of £1.52, in favour of women. In 2023/24 this position was the same.

4.6 For those, who declared a disability the median average pay gap in 2023/24 was also, 8.92%, the equivalent of £1.52 in favour of those who have declared a disability, in 2024/25 this gap has reduced to 2.65%, equivalent of £0.48 but remains in favour of those with disabilities. The number of declarations in relation to disabilities has increased during this period.

4.7 Movement has been observed in the median ethnicity pay gap. In 2023/34, for those who had declared their ethnicity, the gap was 27.91%, the equivalent of £5.18. In 2024/25, this gap has significantly reduced to 11.53%, the equivalent of £2.42. There have been increased declarations for colleagues from diverse ethnic backgrounds than previous years and there is greater representation of those colleagues in more senior roles that attract higher salaries.

4.8 Through the strategic priority of Promoting and Embracing Inclusion, we will continue to be an active participant in the Boost Leadership Programme. This is a reciprocal mentoring scheme developed by Greater Manchester Housing Partnership in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University, to share ideas and best practices to promote representation of more ethnically diverse colleagues in more senior leadership roles, as well as wider activities to identify and remove barriers to inclusion.

4.9 A key commitment for delivery in 2023/24 was to confirm our approach to agile working by March 24. We have achieved this earlier than anticipated with the launch of our Hybrid Working Policy in July 23 following a comprehensive engagement process with all colleagues, through which their views were considered and influenced the outcome. We now believe we have an approach that continues to support our commitment to achieving a work life balance without compromising the quality of service provided.

4.10 We have also achieved, ahead of target, accreditation to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, which is a voluntary membership and assessment scheme that aims to raise employment standards across Greater Manchester. This standard aligns with our values, and we are proud to be part of this movement which positively addresses socio-economic discrimination in areas such as secure and flexible work and pay.

4.11 Through the delivery of the strategic priority ensuring solid foundations, we will undertake a review of our terms and conditions. As part of this review, consideration will be taken of the workforce demographics to ensure that any proposed changes do not, directly or indirectly, negatively impact different groups of colleagues, and seek opportunities to support colleagues appropriately where opportunities are identified.

4.12 Our EDI Commitments in 2024/25 to further this agenda are to deliver the following strategic objectives as detailed in the People Strategy 2024-27:

• Ensure Solid Foundations – Appraise current terms and conditions of employment.
• Promote Inclusion – Continued engagement with theBoost Leadership Programme.

4.13 It is important that our inclusion activities remain responsive to the environment we are operating within. This year colleagues have highlighted the difficulty in supporting customers who have been adversely affected by the economic crisis and how this is impacting their own resilience. As referenced earlier in this document, work has taken place and will continue to take place to provide colleagues with the knowledge, skills and abilities to positively respond to customer vulnerabilities, giving them confidence and support to operate in this challenging environment.

4.14 Difficult external factors not only impact our customers but our colleagues as well. The latest deep dive on reasons for absence identified that mental health accounted for almost half of colleague absence. Through the strategic objective to champion health and wellbeing we will continue to support our inclusion agenda by raising awareness of mental health, building on the management academies delivered on this subject, through the development of a mental health action plan. We do have a range of comprehensive mental health services available and they align with best practice as outlined by the Chartered Institute of Personnel, however like many organisations at this time there is a paradox which has identified that even with effective services in place, incidences of reported poor mental health are increasing.

4.15 The importance of an inclusive culture was reaffirmed by the introduction of our new values and competencies in October 2023. This framework clearly communicated to colleagues our expectations clarifying and rewarding positive inclusive behaviour. In supporting the development of colleagues, we will continue to embed and promote values and competencies which includes the celebration of positive behaviour and share these examples to support colleagues to understand how they can be displayed in carrying out their day-to-day duties.

4.16 We will build on these activities through the strategic objective to promote and embrace inclusion by annually delivering EDI training. This year, as a consequence of new legislation in relation to sexual harassment, we will also be raising awareness of this particular aspect to all colleagues.

4.17 In terms of meeting the strategic objective of enhancing colleague experiences we will continue to champion the colleague voice through the delivery of our colleague satisfaction survey. This year, included in the survey are specific questions on inclusion responses that will be reviewed by the Inclusion Group, and where appropriate inform this groups activity for the year.

4.18 Our EDI Commitments in 2024/25 that further this agenda are to deliver the following strategic objectives, as detailed in the People Strategy 2024-27:

• Supporting People Development –Embed new values and competencies.
• Promote Inclusion – Delivery of EDI training including sexual harassment.
• Enhance Colleague Experiences – Act on feedback from colleague satisfaction Survey.

4.19 There are lower levels of employment and labour market participation within the social housing sector. In areas where Salix Homes is the primary social housing provider the economic activity rate is 60%, this is the percentage of the population who are over 16 and have not retired and are available for work. Of those within this age group, 11.3% are unemployed. Nationally, the main reasons for those in social housing not being able to participate in paid employment have been associated with disability and health issues, and single parent families.

4.20 The personal circumstances of customers which permanently or temporarily exclude them from actively participating in paid work is an area where limited action can be taken by Salix Homes. However, what we can do is focus on those who are able to participate and are seeking support to do so. Therefore, we actively participate in several different Salford based employment programmes, such as Build Salford and Salford Housing Association Partnerships for Employment and Skills (SHAPES). These programmes offer a range of opportunities to support people into employment, and we will often also provide funding for courses and, through our contractors, enable placements and apprenticeships. We are also a disability confident accredited organisation and offer a wide range of support to achieve a good work life balance.

4.21 In addition to the usual online channels, all vacancies within Salix Homes are advertised with Salford Employ, which is a service that works with local people to access employment providing additional pre-recruitment training and support, and as an employer we support flexible working arrangements that allow colleagues to achieve a work life balance. This year we are trialling working with local recruitment fairs to understand if they are more effective in engaging local talent.

4.22 Effective resourcing is a key strategic objective within our People Services Strategy, and we will be reviewing and evaluating our approach to recruitment and selection which will focus on where and how we recruit, to ensure we attract a wide range of candidates. To better understand candidate experiences, we will undertake candidate research to identify whether there is any further action we can take to ensure that this is inclusive. This insight may prompt a wider review of our practices.

4.23 This year we have been exploring new approaches which we hope will attract more ethnically diverse candidates and have worked with Unlimited Potential, a local social enterprise, to understand how we can better encourage young adults into employment. We have also briefed our leadership team on unconscious bias and inclusive recruitment practices.

4.24 Further, we recognise that we have fewer younger people within the organisation, and recognising the challenges that they can face entering the workforce and will, as part of a wider workforce planning review, consider the reinstatement of apprenticeships. We will also work more actively with Salford based employment programmes to provide work placement opportunities.

4.25 Our EDI Commitments in 2024/25 to further this agenda are to deliver the following strategic objectives as detailed in the People Strategy 2024-27:

• Effective Resourcing – Review and evaluate the approach to recruitment and selection.
• Effective Resourcing – Review our approach to workforce planning.