UK pay
gap report
Gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps
Foreword
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to Mott MacDonald’s business strategy – we view it as more than just a nice to have and are confident that being diverse will make us more successful.
Having a business that looks more like society will help us be more innovative and creative in how we consistently deliver technical excellence and deliver better outcomes for our clients. The desire to meet this ambition drives our dedicated approach to foster a workplace where our colleagues feel respected, valued and empowered to contribute their unique talents.
Publishing our gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps and detailing the actions we are taking to try to deliver improvements year on year serves as a vital tool for assessing our progress on creating the environment we strive for. The information within this report means that we can be held to account by our colleagues, as well as others, on our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. By carefully analysing the data, we aim to better understand the root causes of disparities within our business and take the necessary steps to address them.
This year I am pleased that our reporting shows a reduction in our gender pay gap. While the change is small, it is a step in the right direction especially as it is a result of greater female representation at leadership level. However, while our disability and ethnicity pay gaps are smaller than our gender pay gap, there has been a slight increase in both. The reasons for this increase are explored in detail within the report and we remain committed to taking proactive steps to reduce this gap, as well as continuing to work on closing the gender pay gap.
While reporting of gender pay gaps has been mandated for businesses of our size since 2017, reporting of ethnicity and disability pay gaps remains voluntary. Therefore, I am pleased that the new government has plans to bring the reporting of ethnicity and disability pay gaps in line with gender pay gap reporting. I believe that businesses having an open and honest overview is critical to addressing pay disparities across society head on.
Pay gap reporting terms explained
When looking at pay gap figures, it is important to remember there is a difference between equal pay and a pay gap.
Equal pay
Equal pay means that a person in one group in an organisation and a person in a comparative group should not be paid differently for performing equal work.
Pay gap
A pay gap measures the difference between the average earnings of one group compared against the average earnings of another group. The difference is expressed as a percentage of the first group’s earnings.
Mean pay gap
The mean pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of two groups.
Median pay gap
The median pay gap is the difference in hourly pay between the mid-points of two groups’ earnings, when their salaries are listed by size.
Reporting populations
Mott MacDonald’s reporting is based on an employee population size of 7,613 on 5 April 2024.
Please note throughout this report, numbers have been rounded to one decimal place. Sometimes, this leads to what appear to be discrepancies in data. This is solely due to the limitations of rounding numbers and is not a result of inaccuracy.
How pay gaps are calculated and reported
Gender, disability and ethnicity pay gaps have been calculated using the UK government’s statutory methodology for pay gap reporting. Mott MacDonald’s reporting is based on pay after salary sacrifice, as required by statute. The reporting period is 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024.
Note on ethnicity reporting
Ethnicity pay gap calculations are based on those individuals who have chosen to declare their ethnicity and exclude those for which no data is held, due to lack of historical diversity monitoring, or who have selected “prefer not to say”. At the time the calculations were made, ethnicity data was held for 82.0% of Mott MacDonald’s UK colleagues. The breakdown of the reporting population by ethnicity is shown on the section below.
Ethnicity pay gap calculations are based on ethnic minority colleagues collectively, rather than divided by specific ethnic groups. The decision was taken to combine data because of the smaller numbers of different ethnic minority groups within the organisation. As pay gap calculations report on averages, the data is more meaningful when based on a larger dataset.
Note on disability reporting
Disability pay gap calculations are based on those individuals who have chosen to declare that they have a disability and excludes those we do not hold data for or who have selected “prefer not to say”. At the time of the calculations for this report, disability data was held for 86.4% of Mott MacDonald’s UK colleagues. The breakdown of the reporting population by disability is shown on the section above.
Note on gender reporting
Gender pay gap reporting is based on legal sex data. Although the terms “gender”, “male” and “female” are used for the purpose of this report, it is acknowledged that some people’s legal sex does not match their gender identity. Some people do not fit into binary gender and/or sex categories, including non-binary people and intersex people, and not all trans colleagues will hold a gender recognition certificate.
Although the requirement for reporting against legal sex may remain the same, Mott MacDonald has introduced a gender identity field within its HR system, which allows collection data on gender identities beyond male and female. Pending higher completion rates, this field will enable a better understanding of employee demographics and to report pay gaps internally on gender identity, as well as legal sex.
Ethnicity pay gap and representation
Ethnicity pay gap 2024
Mott MacDonald’s median and mean ethnicity pay gap has increased in the past 12 months.
The ethnicity pay gap at Mott MacDonald is impacted by lower representation of ethnic minority colleagues in senior positions and higher representation in junior roles. While positive growth in representation of ethnic minority colleagues has been seen overall with an increase over the past 12 months from 16.3% to 17.0%, the growth in ethnic minority representation was greater at junior levels than in senior positions. Mott MacDonald’s median and mean ethnicity pay gap has increased in the past 12 months.
The ethnicity pay gap at Mott MacDonald is impacted by lower representation of ethnic minority colleagues in senior positions and higher representation in junior roles. While positive growth in representation of ethnic minority colleagues has been seen overall with an increase over the past 12 months from 16.3% to 17.0%, the growth in ethnic minority representation was greater at junior levels than in senior positions.
Compared to the previous reporting period, ethnic minority representation increased by 1.4 percentage points at the lower quartile and by 1.7 percentage points at the lower middle quartile. However, it remained static at the upper middle quartile and decreased by 0.4 percentage points in the upper quartile. This resulted in the mean and median hourly pay rates of ethnic minorities becoming lowered, therefore increasing the pay gap. While ethnicity pay gaps have increased, actions being taken to increase ethnic minority representation across the business support Mott MacDonald’s ambition to improve workforce diversity. The business also has a detailed EDI strategy that aims to support the development and progression of under-represented colleagues.
Small changes, big impact
When comparing a smaller group with a much larger group, changes outside recruitment, retention, salary review and promotion still have a significant impact on mean and median pay gaps. Some of these changes cannot be controlled. For example, because pay gaps are derived from hourly pay figures, a change in annual benefits, such as increased pension payments or salary exchange for annual leave, will show as a reduction in pay.
The shape of the workforce
The shape of Mott MacDonald’s workforce significantly impacts its pay gaps. Based on the business’s internal grading structure, employees have been grouped into “junior staff”, “management”, “leadership” and “ungraded”, as shown in the graph below. Ungraded colleagues are those who are paid hourly or non-payroll, and as such are not included in Mott MacDonald’s grading system.
Since 2023, ethnic minority representation has increased within junior staff and management populations and decreased in leadership and ungraded populations:
- -0.4% at leadership level
- +0.9% at management level
- +3.4% at junior staff level
- -3.0% in the ungraded population.
Representation per quartile
Pay quartiles are used to show how the representation of white and ethnic minority employees varies throughout the organisation. They are created by ordering the population based on hourly pay from lowest to highest and then dividing it into four equal groups.
Mean ethnicity pay gap per quartile
Mott MacDonald’s ethnicity pay gaps per quartile are much smaller than the overall ethnicity pay gaps. This supports the conclusion that overall ethnicity pay gaps within the business are predominately caused by over-representation at more junior levels and under-representation in senior positions. The larger ethnicity pay gap in the upper quartile is caused by lower representation of ethnic minority employees at senior levels. Mott MacDonald is working hard to improve this and recognises that the high retention rate in senior positions means that change will be gradual.
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
Upper |
5.6% |
6.6% |
5.2% |
5.9% |
4.1% |
|
Upper middle |
1.1% |
1.2% |
0.7% |
0.6% |
0.6% |
|
Lower middle |
0.7% |
0.8% |
1.0% |
1.2% |
1.5% |
|
Lower |
-2.6% |
-1.1% |
-0.2% |
1.6% |
-1.5% |
Ethnicity bonus gap
Percentage of ethnic minority and white employees receiving bonuses in 2024
The difference between the proportion of white employees and ethnic minority employees receiving a bonus is 8.3 percentage points, a decrease from 8.5 in 2023. This change was driven by a 3.3 percentage point increase in the number of ethnic minority employees receiving bonuses in 2024, compared to 3 percentage points for white employees.
The proportionately lower percentage of ethnic minority junior staff receiving bonuses may primarily be due to a proportionately higher number of ethnic minority new hires who are ineligible for bonuses in their first year of service.
Bonus gaps
In the past 12 months Mott MacDonald’s median ethnicity bonus gap has increased by 10.8 percentage points while the mean ethnicity bonus gap has increased by 1.85 percentage points. This is mainly the result of a greater increase in representation of ethnic minority employees at junior staff level compared to leadership level during this time.
Mott MacDonald’s global performance bonus scheme sets performance bonus payments as a percentage of base salary rather than as a discretionary allocation. While this ensures consistency of approach and a more meaningful bonus payment, it means that the average performance bonus payment for employees in the upper quartile is higher. As there is a lower representation of ethnic minority employees in this quartile, it has led to an increase in the ethnicity bonus gaps.
The median ethnicity bonus gap is lower than the mean ethnicity bonus gap because it is not affected by the upper quartile, which consists of senior employees who receive the highest bonuses as a result of bonuses being a function of base salary
Gender pay gap and representation
Gender pay gap 2024
Mott MacDonald’s gender pay gaps have decreased slightly in the past 12 months.
While the overall representation of women decreased slightly from 33.6% in 2023 to 33.2% in 2024, an increase of 0.7 percentage points in female representation in the upper quartile has contributed to a positive shift in Mott MacDonald’s gender pay gaps.
As the female population within the business continues to grow, specifically in the higher quartiles, the pay gap is likely to continue to reduce.
The shape of the workforce
The shape of Mott MacDonald’s workforce significantly impacts its pay gaps. Based on the business’s internal grading structure, employees have been grouped into “junior staff”, “management”, “leadership” and “ungraded”, as shown in the graph below. Ungraded colleagues are those who are paid hourly or non-payroll, and as such are not included in Mott MacDonald’s grading system.
Since 2023, female representation has increased within the leadership population and decreased in junior staff, management and ungraded populations:
- +1.2% at leadership level
- -0.5% at management level
- -0.8% at junior staff level
- -2.0% within the ungraded population.
Representation per quartile
Pay quartiles are used to show how the representation of female and male employees varies throughout the organisation. They are created by ordering the population based on hourly pay from lowest to highest and then dividing it into four equal groups.
Mean gender pay gap per quartile
Mott MacDonald’s gender pay gaps remain smaller when reviewed within each pay quartile. The gender pay gap remains largest within the upper pay quartile as a result of lower representation of female employees at senior levels.
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
Upper |
3.6% |
3.6% |
3.7% |
4.4% |
3.7% |
|
Upper middle |
1.5% |
2.7% |
2.1% |
2.9% |
1.2% |
|
Lower middle |
0.4% |
0.1% |
0.8% |
1.4% |
1.2% |
|
Lower |
0.1% |
-0.5% |
-0.5% |
-0.9% |
-0.9% |
Gender bonus gap
Percentage of male and female employees receiving bonuses in 2024
Overall, more people received a bonus in 2024 than in 2023. The difference between the proportion of men and women receiving a bonus in 2024 was 1 percentage point in favour of women, an increase since 2023 when it was 0.5. This may have resulted in a positive shift towards closing the mean gender pay gap.
Bonus gaps
The lower representation of female colleagues in the upper quartile impacts Mott MacDonald’s gender bonus gaps. The mean gender bonus gap has decreased by 4.6 percentage points since 2023. This primarily results from more women receiving bonuses in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase in female representation at leadership level is also a contributing factor.
Mott MacDonald’s median bonus gap has decreased by 4 percentage points in the past 12 months. Mott MacDonald’s median bonus gap is lower than the mean bonus gap because, while the middle rate will fluctuate slightly with population changes, it is not affected by the upper quartile who receive the highest bonuses.
Disability pay gap and representation
Disability pay gap 2024
Mott MacDonald’s disability pay gaps have both increased slightly in the past 12 months.
There have been small increases in both the mean and median disability pay gaps. The disability pay gaps are mainly caused by the lower representation of disabled colleagues in senior positions and a higher representation of disabled colleagues in junior roles. Overall representation of disabled colleagues decreased from 4% in 2023 to 3.6% in 2024. An increase in the unknown/undisclosed population since 2023 may also have contributed to the higher disability pay gaps.
The shape of the workforce
The shape of Mott MacDonald’s workforce significantly impacts its pay gaps. Based on the business’s internal grading structure, employees have been grouped into “junior staff”, “management”, “leadership” and “ungraded” colleagues, as shown in the graph below. Ungraded staff are those who are paid hourly or non-payroll, and as such are not included in Mott MacDonald’s grading system.
Since 2023, disabled representation has increased within the ungraded population and decreased in junior staff, management and leadership populations:
- -0.7% at junior staff level
- -0.1% at management level
- -0.8% at leadership level
- +1.4% within the ungraded population.
Representation per quartile
Pay quartiles are used to show how the representation of disabled and non-disabled employees varies throughout the organisation. They are created by ordering the population based on hourly pay from lowest to highest and then dividing it into four equal groups.
Pay quartile analysis shows that there is a higher concentration of disabled employees in the lower pay quartile, which may partially explain the increase in disability pay gaps in 2024.
Mean disability pay gap per quartile
The disability pay gaps per quartile are much smaller than they are at an overall level.
|
2023 |
2024 |
|
|
Upper |
-0.6% |
0.1% |
|
Upper middle |
1% |
-1.7% |
|
Lower middle |
-0.5% |
1.6% |
|
Lower |
1.4% |
-0.1% |
Disability bonus gap
Percentage of disabled and non-disabled employees receiving bonuses in 2024
The difference between the proportion of disabled employees and non-disabled employees receiving a bonus is 0.1 percentage points with a larger number of employees declaring a disability receiving a bonus. The difference has decreased since 2023 when the disparity between the two groups was 3 percentage points.
Bonus gaps
The business’ global performance bonus scheme sets payments as a percentage of base salary rather than as a discretionary allocation. While this ensures consistency of approach and a more meaningful bonus payment, it means that the average performance bonus payment for employees in the upper quartile is higher. As there is a lower representation of disabled employees in this quartile, there continues to be a disability bonus gap.
The median disability bonus gap is based on the middle bonus in each population. The reduction in the disabled population within the business could impact where that middle figure falls.
Addressing
Mott MacDonald’s
pay gaps
Mott MacDonald’s pay gaps are largely due to the underrepresentation of female, disabled and ethnic minority talent in its business, specifically in senior positions. Actions to close these gaps focus on:
- attraction and recruitment
- retention and engagement
- and development and progression.
Fostering a supportive, respectful and inclusive environment while also building equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) employee competencies will also help narrow existing pay gaps.
Addressing
Mott MacDonald’s
pay gaps
Mott MacDonald’s pay gaps are largely due to the underrepresentation of female, disabled and ethnic minority talent in its business, specifically in senior positions. Actions to close these gaps focus on:
- attraction and recruitment
- retention and engagement
- and development and progression.
Fostering a supportive, respectful and inclusive environment while also building equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) employee competencies will also help narrow existing pay gaps.
Attraction and recruitment
Progress
Over the past year Mott MacDonald has built on previous actions in this area to ensure that recruitment practices remain inclusive and equitable, while also supporting the mission to build a diverse and empowered workforce.
In 2024, a comprehensive review of talent acquisition processes and practices was undertaken. Alongside identifying areas for further development, efforts were also made to ensure that everyone involved in any stage of the talent acquisition pipeline understands Mott MacDonald's approach and the reasons behind it.
The business has developed an inclusive hiring policy statement supported by comprehensive guidance which covers all stages of the recruitment process. This guidance outlines key aspects of the role of both hiring managers and the talent acquisition team. It is also supplemented by several templates which aim to support equitable recruitment at all stages of the hiring process, including:
- Job description templates with embedded EDI considerations
- Integrated structured scoring matrices
- Interview assessment forms
- A library of competency-based questions.
The talent acquisition team and hiring managers all have access to unconscious bias and inclusive hiring training, plus the talent acquisition team also support hiring managers throughout all stages of a requisition. At the start of any new requisition, a member of the talent acquisition team holds a kick-off meeting with the hiring manager. The conversation covers inclusive hiring and ensures everyone has a clear understanding of the essential criteria candidates will be assessed against.
Other key measures which continue to be a part of Mott MacDonald’s approach to inclusive recruitment include:
- Job advert reviews: Using gender decoders to ensure job advertisements are neutral and inclusive in language. Job adverts also clearly highlight Mott MacDonald’s commitment to EDI and agile working ethos.
- Enhanced accessibility: As a Disability Confident Employer, Mott MacDonald provides reasonable adjustments and guaranteed interviews for disabled candidates meeting essential criteria.
- Updated entry criteria: At graduate level, the requirement for a 2:1 degree and Master’s qualifications have been removed for most roles, reducing barriers for candidates from lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Partnerships and collaborations
Mott MacDonald’s talent acquisition team also explores multiple partnerships and collaboration opportunities with the aim of making intake processes more equitable and inclusive.
Recent and current initiatives include:
- Expanding outreach to non-Russell universities and institutions with higher ethnic minority representation
- Launching a STEM Returners programme to support women and other individuals on career breaks returning to the workforce
- Taking part in the 10,000 Black Interns scheme, a programme that offers paid internship opportunities
- Working with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers providing transition events for early careers students moving from university into the workplace, as well as events focused on 9–17-year-olds to encourage them into the engineering profession
- Supporting the East London Business Alliance by offering mentorship to young black men in London who aspire to get into the construction industry
- Partnering with Breakthrough, which supports individuals leaving the prison system or who are at risk of offending.
Going forward - Recruitment
Equitable and inclusive intake processes are vital for ensuring diversity within Mott MacDonald’s talent pool. In 2025, we aim to achieve the following:
- Embed an Inclusive Recruitment pilot across the business, ensuring consistency and fairness in recruitment practices
- Review and enhance the Early Careers recruitment process to attract a wider range of talent
- Implement an enhanced social media plan to bolster talent attraction efforts
- Maintain active involvement in external attraction initiatives, such as STEM Returners, to promote opportunities for underrepresented groups
- Improve recruitment data intelligence to enable more informed decision-making
- Launch data disclosure campaigns to encourage transparency and support diversity goals.
Retention and engagement
Progress
To retain diverse talent, the business needs to ensure it creates a positive engagement culture and builds EDI competencies across the workforce. Mott MacDonald wants to give colleagues a platform to engage where they feel that their contributions are valued. It is also important that employees have the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver positive EDI outcomes and challenge unfair practices.
One of the commitments in Mott MacDonald’s 2023 pay gap report was to roll out a long-term inclusive behaviours campaign which was achieved in 2024. During the campaign two new pieces of guidance were communicated - “Inclusive etiquette” and “Addressing microaggressions” - as well as multiple webinars on topics related to inclusive workplace behaviours and practices. Monthly intranet posts sharing targeted EDI dilemmas were published to spark discussions between colleagues. The campaign was brought to life with video messages from colleagues and senior managers on the importance of speaking up and addressing exclusionary behaviour.
In 2024, a new mandatory EDI e-learning module was also introduced. The training covers unconscious bias and inclusion basics, as well as emphasising the importance of allyship and challenging inappropriate behaviours. In addition, senior leaders received in depth inclusive leadership training which will be cascaded to further cohorts in 2025.
Employee voice
Mott MacDonald’s five employee EDI networks focus on disability inclusion and accessibility; gender inclusion; LGBTQ+ inclusion; parent and carer inclusion; and race and cultural inclusion. At unit level there are also EDI champions and EDI committees which help drive the agenda within their respective business units. Network and business unit EDI action plans and initiatives are developed in alignment with the wider EDI strategy to ensure a cohesive approach and avoid duplication of labour.
The network and unit committees play a key role in enabling the business to foster an inclusive environment through meaningful engagement. Consultation with the networks on relevant business decisions helps ensure the lived experiences of the communities they represent are considered. For example, in 2024, with support from the parents and carers network, Mott MacDonald introduced enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and carers’ leave.
Mott MacDonald also supports network committees in their efforts to educate, mobilise action and offer peer support. Network activities make important contributions to overall colleague wellbeing, as well as to engagement with the EDI agenda. In 2024 the networks organised several informative webinars and champions worked together with the EDI team to develop and communicate guidance on a range of topics including a “Let’s talk about race” resource.
Going forward -
Retention and engagement
Listening to employee voices, building competencies and refining the approach to retention and engagement are essential to addressing Mott MacDonald’s pay gaps. In 2025, the business aims to:
- Enhance EDI communications in local offices and organise more local events, fostering a greater sense of community
- Collaborate with the wellbeing team to deliver impactful campaigns on mental health and psychological safety
- Develop essential management resources for colleagues, covering topics such as handling difficult conversations effectively
- Introduce mandatory sexual harassment training for all employees and managers, alongside a comprehensive sexual harassment awareness campaign
- Extend inclusive leadership upskilling to a broader range of senior colleagues, promoting diverse and inclusive decision-making
- Explore new avenues for employee feedback and improve the quality of qualitative data collection to better understand workplace needs.
Development and progression
Progress
Mott MacDonald is consistently investing in its people’s development and continues to monitor planned improvements to career pathways and succession planning frameworks to ensure they support EDI aspirations. When it comes to the requirements and competencies of each role and level within the business, the business knows that greater transparency is key to giving all colleagues fair and equitable access to career advancement.
The business is committed to providing professional development opportunities for Early Career Practitioners and using data insights to deliver positive action development programmes for employees currently under-represented in the workforce.
All colleagues now have, as a minimum, four “Connected Conversations” with their line manager each year. These more frequent discussions on performance, career development and progression are designed to build stronger relationships and to empower colleagues to be their best. They ensure colleagues have opportunities to communicate their development needs to the business and have those needs met.
Inclusion of EDI performance goals as part of the Connected Conversation process recognises that everyone is accountable for the delivery of the EDI agenda. Since the roll out of these performance goals in 2022, there has been an increase in the number of employees setting an EDI performance goal in these conversations. By assuming individual responsibility, EDI principles can be more successfully embedded into everyday business practices to achieve transformational change.
Internal development programmes
In 2024, Mott MacDonald expanded its reciprocal mentoring scheme to include the option for mentors to focus on experiences related to parent/carer roles and gender. Reciprocal mentoring means that each participant acts as both a mentor and a mentee with the senior participant providing career mentoring while also being mentored on an EDI topic, or topics, based on their EDI mentor’s lived experience.
Some business units have also implemented focused development schemes, for example, the Women’s Future Leader Programme run within the advisory unit. Featuring a series of virtual workshops, this programme is designed to address development and progression of women within Mott MacDonald by helping participants build their personal brand, realise their potential and bring the best version of themselves to work.
Mott MacDonald continues to look for ways to support the development of under-represented colleagues by increasing participation in existing programmes or implementing new initiatives.
Going forward -
Development and progression
It’s crucial that all employees are provided with equal opportunities to develop their skills and advance in their careers. In 2025, Mott MacDonald aims to:
- Develop and implement a talent development pilot programme specifically for ethnic minority colleagues within the UK business, supporting career growth and representation
- Deliver workshops and coaching sessions to address the unique challenges faced by carers and parents, fostering inclusivity and work-life balance
- Review the promotion processes to ensure they are fully inclusive and equitable
- Strengthen career pathways and succession planning frameworks to align with Mott MacDonald’s EDI aspirations
- Continue delivering and evaluating the effectiveness of the reciprocal mentoring scheme to promote mutual understanding and growth
- Enhance Mott MacDonald’s understanding of the internal diverse talent pool to better support and nurture employees’ potential.
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