At Arcadis, our enthusiasm lies in nurturing a workforce that embraces diversity and inclusivity, valuing every employee and ensuring fair compensation for their efforts.
Although there is more progress to be made, our dedication to narrowing the gender pay gap compels us to persistently pursue transformation within our organization, industry, and community. We firmly believe that transparent reporting will play a pivotal role in accomplishing this objective.
The Gender Pay Gap is the difference in the average earnings between women and men in the workforce. This is different to ‘equal pay’, which is the difference in pay between women and men carrying out similar jobs or work of equal value. At Arcadis we proactively monitor pay equity as part of our annual remuneration review and bonus processes.
At Arcadis, we firmly believe that having a diverse workforce, both in terms of people and ideas, brings immense benefits to our employees, our culture, our clients, and our projects. However, like many other organisations in our industry, we are faced with a historical gender imbalance, which has contributed to gender pay and bonus gaps at Arcadis. This disparity arises from a larger proportion of men occupying senior positions, job segregation and more women holding part-time or casual roles within the business then men.
In the 2022-23 period, the average pay difference between total remuneration for men and women at Arcadis Australia stood at 26.1%, with a median gap of 29.2%. While progress has been made, with the mean pay gap down by 2.7% since 2021-22, these figures highlight that addressing and rectifying the gender pay gap is a complex and ongoing process. It requires a commitment to taking the right actions and ensuring their effectiveness. Changing this situation cannot be achieved overnight; it will be an iterative journey.
As a company, we are fully dedicated to addressing the gender imbalance within our workforce and creating an environment where everyone can thrive and excel. We understand that this requires concerted efforts and a commitment to providing equal opportunities for all.
How we are addressing the Gender Pay Gap
We want more women to join, remain at and progress within Arcadis Australia.
- Join Arcadis. We want to attract, and retain, the best talent possible. Our diverse senior leaders are also proactive in promoting Arcadis as an employer of choice, championing STEM subjects through widening participation in schools and universities and promoting careers in Arcadis with graduates. We have set gender targets which has already seen increased representation of women across all levels of our business, and actively promote our reputation as being one of the most inclusive engineering companies worldwide to work for, as recognised in Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index 2023, the Financial Times 2023 Diversity Leaders list, and being named by Forbes as one of the world’s Top Female Friendly Companies.
- Choose to stay in Arcadis. Whilst we are seeing progress in this area (attrition rates of women Arcadians in 2023 was 28.1%which was 4.7% lower than 2022), we know circumstances and priorities can change, independent of gender. Our paid parental leave scheme was increased to 14 weeks for primary caregivers and 4 weeks for secondary caregivers in 2021), and we are continually evolving our Flexible Working Policy to suit the needs of our employees. Within Arcadis, we partner with our Gender Affinity Group to highlight and celebrate key events in Australia and have implemented a culture of inclusive mindfulness through our zero-tolerance policies, unconscious bias training and educational resources, and re-designing of full-time managerial positions where possible.
- Progress in Arcadis. Within Arcadis, we are proud of our talent and progression planning, which sees us proactively nurturing and empowering everyone with a personal drive and ambition to accelerate their careers. We continue to invest in programs that develop our talent including the Mentor Connect platform, internal sponsorship program and the Women of Colour initiative, as well as professional development offered through our Skills-Powered Organisation goals.
David Raftery, Country Director and Business Area Director, Resilience, for Arcadis Australia:
“Reducing the gender pay gap within our organisation is not just a matter of equity, but also a strategic imperative. We know that diverse and inclusive teams drive better business outcomes, and to achieve that, we must ensure that all employees are compensated fairly for their contributions, regardless of their gender. We are actively working towards implementing transparent pay practices and providing equal opportunities for career growth and development. Our aim is to not only make a positive impact within our company, but also in the broader community by setting an example for others to follow and driving meaningful change."
