An Post Reports Zero Gender Pay Gap for a second year

30 November 2022

• First company to report zero for two years in a row
• Female Representation on Senior Management Group increases from 33% to 41%
• An Post commits to driving female recruitment and progression
• Recruitment drive to attract more diverse talent for vital sorting and delivery roles

An Post has become the first major employer in Ireland to report a Zero Gender Pay Gap for the second year in a row. An Post marked this milestone with the launch of a new video featuring entrepreneur and equality advocate Sonya Lennon, getting under the bonnet of An Post’s operations to hear the experience of women and men across the business.
 
Since 2019, the company, which employees over 9,000 employees, has achieved significant progress in balancing representation across the business. There is a 50:50 balance on their Management Board and female representation in the Senior Management Group has increased from 33% to 41%, up by 7% from 2021. However, gender representation among postal sorting, collection and delivery operations staff is at 13% female compared to 87% male. Outlined in this year’s report, An Post has committed to replicating their success of gender representation at the front line of their business with a clear strategy to re-design the recruitment process for postal operative (sorting and delivery) staff. This plan will actively recruit diverse talent with:

• Targeted advertising campaigns
• Revision of the company’s inclusion statement on job ads
• Training of operational managers on inclusive recruitment.

 
A full copy of An Post’s Gender Pay Gap Report 2022 can be downloaded here anpost.com/genderpayreport2022
 
Cultural Transformation:
An Post has been on a cultural transformation over the last three years. Commenting on this and the Gender Pay Gap Report 2022, David McRedmond, CEO, An Post said: “I’m immensely proud of all the great work across the business to make sure that we are a more equal company but also a much better company. This is not just about gender pay it is about equality and diversity, it is part of our programme to provide decent work for all in line with the UN Sustainable Developmental Goals. Equality at all levels is a critical part of our business strategy and An Post is undergoing a major cultural transformation to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve every day and one in which every colleague feels that they fully belong at An Post.”
 
“We know that we have a lot of work still to do in some areas and we have got to work harder to attract more women to work in postal sorting and delivery. While we don’t have a gender quota, we have introduced 50:50 gender balanced shortlisting for senior management jobs and removing any opportunity for unconscious bias so that the best person is always appointed to the role.”
 
Survey of female colleagues:
To measure if their actions are having an impact on the ground, An Post recently conducted a survey of all female colleagues across the business have been with the company for more than three years to understand their feelings on whether the impacts of the cultural transformation were visible and tangible for women at all levels. 61% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that An Post has made solid progress in gender representation within the past three years. Those surveyed reported seeing women progress through the organisation, an increase in female representation, women being more visible, a culture of women supporting women,  as well as women finding their voices and speaking up more.
 
Progression & Developmental Opportunities:
At An Post, over 70 females engaged in development opportunities in 2022 through the An Post Green Institute, An Post’s further education, training and development programme. Programmes they completed included, Aspire, a female talent acceleration programme; Advance, a Mentoring programme, Elevate, a frontline manager programme and the Strategic Leadership Programme. Overall, there has been a 36% increase in female applications for education support in 2022 vs. 2021 demonstrating the demand for these programmes.
 
Speaking on the success of the Aspire Female Talent Acceleration programme, Eleanor Nash, Chief People Officer, An Post said: “Our Aspire programme has had a powerful multiplier effect across the business, as women share their stories of having increased confidence and taking on new opportunities. We are now seeing more and more colleagues contacting  our learning and development team or having open conversations with their line managers about  the development options available to them and how we can support their careers at An Post.  A recent survey of Aspire participants found that 89% of participants were more confident in their role and 19% have changed role while three in four participants are availing of further development opportunities.”
 
Areas for improvement:
Outlining the areas for improvement for An Post, Eleanor Nash, Chief People Officer, An Post added: “Over the last three years we have been actively listening to our people to ensure our future actions are the correct actions to drive positive change for all colleagues so they feel that they belong and can achieve anything at An Post. We recognise that there is more work to be done at the frontline to support our female colleagues. Informed by our recent survey, we will be working to improve women’s health and wellbeing, our representation of women, creating more development opportunities and focusing on more respect for everyone in the workplace.”
 
Heather Lowry, Head of Talent, Diversity & Organisation Development, An Post, added: “We are equally committed to a broader inclusion agenda and this year launched our first inclusion survey to learn more about our workplace and our people. We have an agreed action plan sponsored by the Management Board to promote a positive work environment for all employees through new and existing policies, introducing a Reasonable Accommodation Passport to support those with disabilities and we’re developing a career support framework to enable employee promotion and succession.”
 
Welcoming An Post’s Gender Pay Gap report, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton T.D., commented: “I welcome the publication of An Post’s fourth annual Gender Pay Gap Report. I commend the leadership the company has shown in eliminating the gender pay gap in its organisation. It is also recognised that An Post has put together an action plan to support the development of both women and men across their whole business. It is clear that driving gender equality and diversity is an essential strand of An Post’s transformation. Gender equality and diversity initiatives should always be at the forefront of the workplace agenda.”
 
Video Documentary:
Speaking on her experience of going under the bonnet at An Post to get a first-hand account of employees’ experiences, Sonya Lennon, Entrepreneur and Equality Advocate, added: “An Post has made incredible strides in creating a culture which prioritises gender equality. The business has done this in just a few short years, proving beyond doubt that it's possible. I met many of the women and men from across the company. Speaking to them there is a genuine passion for greater equality and diversity and a lived experience of belonging and value. Perhaps the most impressive piece is how An Post is  driven to keep improving in stubbornly challenging areas. This report is threaded with a motivation to keep improving, share learnings, and co-create a more equal society.”