Santander UK has been recognised as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2022 for taking action to decrease gender inequality in the workplace.
The Times Top 50 Employers for Women is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers striving for gender equality in the workplace. Run by Business in the Community (BITC) – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, and The Times for over a decade, the process identifies companies which make gender equality part of the way they do business, working to embed it at all levels.
This year’s applicants were closely assessed on the work they do to remove the drivers that enforce gender inequality, from flexible working and family-friendly policies to pay, reward and progression. Santander was recognised for a range of initiatives to support its work in driving gender equality including:
- A flexible working policy and extensive family friendly policies such as enhanced family leave – 23 weeks fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave and five weeks paternity leave;
- Its Champion Accreditation from Tommy’s Pregnancy and Parenting at Work scheme for its support towards pregnancy loss and stillbirth, fertility, surrogacy and adoption;
- Gender balanced recruitment shortlists for senior management positions;
- The partnership with menopause support app Peppy, providing access to expert guidance for more than 600 colleagues to support their menopause journey;
- An employee-led ‘Women in Business’ network which provides career support and networking opportunities, and supports in ensuring a more balanced representation of women in Santander; and
- Continued publication of a Pay Gap report alongside a targeted Gender Action Plan to help to reduce the pay gap.
Tim Hinton, Santander’s Gender Sponsor and an Executive Director said:
“This is fantastic news and recognises the continued focus we place on achieving Gender Equality and being an inclusive employer of choice for women. We’re making progress, but we must keep up the focus, remove barriers, provide additional career pathways and ensure that we have the right support in place to allow our female talent to thrive at Santander.”
Katy Neep, Gender Equality Campaign Director at Business in the Community, said:
“The cost of living crisis following hot on the heels of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 faced by women has further shone a light on how far we have to go on gender equality. Without action from all employers, we will end up chasing our tails while trying to eradicate the inequalities gap and create truly inclusive workplaces for all women.
“The Times Top 50 gives us hope that we are making strong progress in our goal towards gender equality and in our 40th year we call on all employers to be bolder, braver and faster in achieving that goal.
“This year’s application process was the most competitive one we have ever seen. Employers like Santander haven’t lifted their foot off the pedal when it comes to supporting women at work and they are a strong example of what commitment to making gender inequality a thing of the past looks like.”
