Addressing the Race Pay Gap

Recruitment and retention

An ongoing review into all recruitment continues with changes made to improve the way in which racialised minority candidates are attracted and recruited into the University. Actions include:

• Job adverts and job descriptions contain an EDI statement.
• Recruiting Managers guidance. A focus on inclusivity when writing job adverts and job descriptions, advice on broadening job appeal to wider demographics, reducing racial bias, as well as how to increase diversity and reach e.g. careers events, open days for underrepresented groups, community centres etc.
• Belonging and Inclusion is a mandatory part of the Induction process for all starters and renewed for all staff members every three years.
• A revised exit interview process was introduced in May 2024 which is designed to capture information that will enable greater understanding of the reasons for leaving as well as positive and negative responses to a series of statements.
• HR Business Partners work closely with Schools and Services for their senior appointments to support with EDI data and informed decision making.

Reward and recognition

Supplementary Payments Guidance was published and a review of all supplementary payment conducted in 2024, with outcomes including continuing, reducing, re-classifying or removing payments. The review was conducted with an EDI lens to ensure transparency and equity across payments, with monitoring where there may be disparity. Racialised minority staff receive proportionately fewer supplementary payments (16%) than the university population (20%).

A review of reward arrangements was conducted and a reward scheme produced and published to support greater transparency, consistency and fairness across staff groups receiving bonuses. There has been a significant improvement in the bonus pay gap this year. The mean average bonus pay gap has improved significantly from 14.6% to 2.5% in 2024, an improvement of 17 percentage points. The median average bonus pay gap has improved from 20% last year to 0% in 2024.

Starting Salaries guidance is now available on the website which emphasises the university’s expected position on starting salaries and the commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

There is an annual review of Grade 9 academic pay conducted with an EDI lens.

Staff development

We are committed to the Race Equality Charter, which aims to improve the representation, progression and success of all minority ethnic staff and students within the University. Loughborough University has held the Race Equality Charter Bronze Award since 2022.

The Executive appointment processes (including sub-panels) includes race diversity as well as gender diversity across members.

Work continues to develop the RTE and SSA job families to include pathways for education and student experience, and research and innovation to enable those currently in the SSA job family to apply for merit-based promotion.

The Performance and Development Review (PDR) process has been reviewed and career development and progression discussions are embedded in the process. This will provide an opportunity for all staff and their managers to proactively discuss career development and identify hidden barriers.

The criteria and processes for academic promotions have been reviewed through extensive consultation and received Senate approval in late 2023. A key driver for the changes is improving Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

Committees and Networks

The Nominations Committee, which develops a pipeline of candidates for Council and its Sub-Committees, has 43% female and 29% for racialised minorities in 2023/2024 exceeding the commitment to 40% and 15% respectively.

REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage) staff network has a main purpose to raise awareness of race issues and to hold the University accountable to its stated commitment to challenge racism and discrimination.

The REACH network provides a safe environment for racialised minority staff to discuss issues concerning racial and cultural discrimination and maintain a forum for positively raising the profile of racialised minority cultures on campus.

Each of the 12 staff networks in the University has an executive sponsors senior leadership teams across academic schools and professional services. Executive sponsors use their experience and skills to empower, enable and inform the groups they represent.

Other actions 

Loughborough University is committed to tackling racism and being an anti-racist organisation. To help to facilitate the progress, the University signed up as a member of Race Equality Charter (REC) in April 2018 and was awarded the REC Bronze Award in May 2022.

An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Core Plan was launched in 2024 and sets out clear objectives around data, equity, diversity and inclusivity. This Core Plan supports the University strategy and HR vision and purpose all which place equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of improving the employee experience which is essential to reducing all pay gaps.

A new set of EDI leadership roles has been developed to support the University’s Schools and Professional Services in setting the direction for EDI in their area, as well as ensuring alignment with the institutional EDI Core Plan.

Reward and Recognition Focus Groups were held in 2024 with a total 90 staff attending from across the university. The engagement and findings of these groups contributed to the work developing a new reward framework.

The suite of HR policies and procedures continues to be reviewed in 2024 with a focus on those which impact the working lives of all staff.

Dynamic working is embedded across the University which supports people to work more flexibly and to blend work and home life more effectively.