Overall Approach
At Avanade, we have always been committed to equitable compensation practices and equal pay for equal work – regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. This means our people receive pay that is fair and consistent when considering similarity of work, tenure and career level. Our approach to performance, reward programs and employee benefits are designed to be inclusive and equitable for all. As of December 2022, we achieved 100% gender pay equity in every country where we operate globally.

At Avanade, inclusion and diversity is part of everything we do - from the way we treat people to how we make decisions and the solutions we take to market. We have always pursued a deliberate and purpose-driven strategy around inclusion and diversity since our founding in 2000. Our strategic priorities for inclusion and diversity, which are representation, culture and recognition, are enabled by defining and driving inclusive behaviors and inclusive policies and processes. We believe inclusion is a discipline that must be practiced with vigilance every day, and this belief has generated tangible results.

Context to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Gender Pay Gap
The WGEA Gender Pay Gap reporting approach calculates the difference in the median earnings between men and women, irrespective of career level and job responsibility. Using this methodology, Avanade Australia’s median gender pay gap for the 12 months ending 31 March 2023 stands at 18.3% considering total remuneration, and 18.2% considering base pay.

It is worth noting that these figures: (1) exclude voluntary salary data submitted for Avanade Australia’s General Manager (equivalent to CEO, Head of Business) towards women’s earnings due to current approach defined by the WGEA; and (2) exclude employees identified as non-binary while the WGEA establishes the baseline level for this new information.

Gender Pay Gap Key Driver
A primary factor driving the gender pay gap in Avanade Australia, as reported by the WGEA, is lower female representation at the mid- to senior career levels. Nevertheless, we are making progress in our efforts to increase women’s representation across our organisation with 33% at non-management levels as of 31 March 2023 — an improvement compared to previous years. Additionally, we continue to maintain gender parity with a 50/50 representation in our governing body.

Actions and Strategies
We remain confident that our approach to inclusion and diversity is having a significant impact throughout the organisation.

At Avanade, we hire women at all levels, and our biggest hiring demand is in the mid- to entry-level positions. There is a high demand for deeply technical senior female professionals, and while Avanade continues to look for opportunities to bring new talent into the organisation, we are cognizant of the role we play in creating new talent pools and capabilities within Avanade and within the industry.

While we continue to hire women into senior roles, Avanade believes in a long-term approach through its investment in early talent. With a 50:50 target on gender hiring and comprehensive development programs, our aspiration is that this early talent will progress through the organisation into more senior roles. Avanade wants to reinforce its long-standing reputation as providing long-term careers where employees can learn, develop and progress. With this strategic approach, the narrowing of its pay gap will be slower but more sustainable.

• Our approach to attract diverse talent:
  • Minimum target of 50% hires to be female.
  • Academy Hiring Program.
  • Strong women executives and leadership role modeling
  • Women in STEM Scholarship Program with Swinburne University of Technology.
  • Interrupting bias through gender-neutral job postings, gender-balanced shortlist and hiring representation, as well as providing mandatory trainings to all hiring managers to educate on cultural and diversity nuances.

• Our approach to progress and retain diverse talent:

  • Established leadership programs for women at different stages in their careers.
  • Sponsorship Program to nurture a strong pipeline of future female leaders.
  • Organisational value which acknowledges that diversity is ‘everybody’s responsibility’.
  • Gender-neutral policies and employee benefits, flexible working arrangements, employee assistance program, wellbeing and mental health support.
  • Employee Networks, e.g., Women Employee Network, Prism (LGBTQ+) and more.
  • “If not, why not” approach and flipped business case for all managers and above women promotions.
  • Focused lens on people processes such as promotion, succession planning, pay review.
  • Formal and informal mentoring at all levels.
  • Formal external coaching for all levels (BetterUp).
  • Celebrating our senior female role models both internally and externally.

  Transparency is a fundamental aspect of our culture and so we will continue to be fully transparent about the journey we are on.