Workforce diversity and equality

Equal Opportunities

Orkney Islands Council is committed to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and with respect. As one of the largest employers in Orkney, with around 2,000 employees delivering a wide range of services, we play an important role in supporting an inclusive and welcoming community.

We believe that diversity strengthens our organisation and the services we provide. We are committed to promoting equality, valuing difference, and creating an environment where everyone feels included and able to contribute.

We work to ensure that no one is treated less favourably because of who they are. Our approach supports equal access to opportunities and aims to remove barriers that may prevent people from reaching their full potential. This commitment applies across all aspects of employment, including recruitment, training, development and progression.

We also strive to foster a positive working environment where people feel valued, supported and respected, and where differences are recognised as a strength.

Workforce Data

We are dedicated to creating a workplace that is inclusive, fair and supportive for everyone. We collect information about the protected characteristics of our employees, along with data on recruitment, development and retention.

Why We Collect This Data

This is not just about meeting our legal obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty — it is about building a better workplace and improving the services we provide.

By understanding the diversity of our workforce, we can:

• Identify and remove barriers to opportunity
• Ensure fair access to career development
• Track progress towards our equality outcomes
• Make informed decisions that reflect the needs of our colleagues

Equally Safe at Work

We are proud to be part of the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme, which represents a significant step towards making our workplace more equal and supportive for everyone.

Our Commitment

• As an employer, we are dedicated to advancing gender equality
• Over the next 18 months, we will take action to support gender equality and help all colleagues who are affected by domestic abuse and violence against women (VAW)

Why Gender Equality and Preventing Violence Against Women Matters

Addressing gender inequality is key to preventing VAW. By creating a fair and supportive working environment, we can help reduce the risk of violence and support those who have been affected.

We recognise that women face different challenges at work, influenced by various inequalities such as race, disability and socioeconomic status. By acknowledging these intersecting issues, we can create more effective and inclusive policies.

Gender inequality and domestic violence is not just an issue for women — it's an issue for our organisation as a whole. We recognise that domestic abuse can affect anyone, including men, trans and non-binary people, and those in same-sex relationships. We all need to have a better understanding of how to support our colleagues and team members who are impacted by these experiences.

What We're Delivering

Over the next 18 months we will be:

• Creating new policies for domestic abuse and VAW
• Running awareness campaigns on gender equality, domestic abuse and VAW
• Providing e-learning for managers on flexible working and VAW
• Taking action to tackle job segregation

Equal Pay

At Orkney Islands Council, we are committed to fairness and transparency in how we pay our people. We publish our gender pay gap data, showing the difference between the average hourly pay of men and women (excluding overtime).

How We Measure

Our data is based on permanent employees and uses payroll records to determine sex. This is separate from our general diversity data, which relies on self-declaration.

Some of our services, such as Marine Services, are traditionally male-dominated and compete with private sector industries such as oil and renewable energy. Pay levels in these areas reflect market demand, which can influence our overall figures.

Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is measured in two ways:

• Mean (average): the total of all hourly rates divided by the number of employees
• Median: the middle value when all hourly rates are listed from lowest to highest

Progress on Gender Pay Equity

We are pleased that the Council's gender pay gap has narrowed to 3.05% in 2024/25, down from 4.45% in the previous reporting period. This positive shift reflects meaningful changes, including:

• An increase in the minimum hourly rate
• Higher pay awards for lower graded roles (Grades A and B) compared to those in Grades C to N

Data as at 31 March 2025

Top 5% Earners

As a result of our management structure review in 2023/2024, we shifted from five Director roles to four. This has influenced the composition of our top 5% earners.

• Total employees in top 5%: 96
• Women employees in top 5%: 32
• Percentage of women in top 5%: 33.3%

Ethnicity Pay Gap

Our pay gap information for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) employee groups is based on a comparison between minority ethnic combined employees and white combined employees, and does not include data for employees not stating their ethnicity.

No pay gap has been identified based on ethnicity. However, we acknowledge that we report low figures for ethnic diversity within our workforce, and we continue to work on addressing the gaps in employee diversity data.

Disability Pay Gap

We regularly analyse the difference in average hourly pay between employees who have disclosed a disability and those who have not.

As of 31 March 2025:

• 64.9% of disabled employees work part-time, compared to 59.3% of non-disabled employees
• Part-time roles typically offer lower pay and fewer progression opportunities
• The average hourly rate for disabled employees in part-time roles is £16.38; those in full-time roles earn £24.00 on average

The overall disability pay gap is -1.79%, meaning that on average, disabled employees earn slightly more than non-disabled employees. However, this should be interpreted with caution due to low declaration rates and the relatively small number of disabled employees in higher-paid, full-time roles.

We continue to explore potential barriers to full-time employment and career progression for disabled colleagues and have an action plan to address these challenges as part of our Disability Confident commitment.

Occupational Segregation

One of the key factors influencing the gender pay gap is occupational segregation — the tendency for certain groups of employees to be concentrated in specific roles or pay grades.

We see clear signs of vertical segregation in our organisation. Many women are employed in lower graded roles, often in traditionally female-dominated areas such as social care, cleaning and administration. In contrast, men are more likely to hold higher graded positions. Additionally, more women than men work part-time, which can limit earning potential and career progression, further contributing to the pay gap.

Disability Confident

The Disability Confident Scheme is a government initiative that encourages employers to increase the number of disabled people they hire. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, demonstrating our commitment to:

• Ensuring our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive to all
• Communicating our vacancies using a variety of platforms to encourage a wider diversity of applicants
• Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria on the job description
• Providing reasonable adjustments during each stage of our colleagues' employment with us
• Supporting our existing colleagues to sustain their employment with us

Our Two Priorities

As a Disability Confident Employer, we focus on:

• Getting the right people in our workplace
• Retaining and developing people with disabilities

Being part of the scheme shows our current colleagues that we are also committed to supporting them should they acquire a disability while working with us.

Applying for a Job

When applying for a job, we ask whether you consider yourself to have a disability. You should select this if it applies to you. However, if you do not select this box, you can still share this information at a later stage if you wish.

Reasonable Adjustments for the Application Process

If you are disabled, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment processes according to your needs. Please contact the interview panel using the details on the job advert to discuss further. We are committed to reducing barriers that disabled candidates face when applying for jobs.

Interview Adjustments

If you are invited for an interview, you should book a time that works best for you. You will receive a confirmation email with all interview details and contact details for requesting any adjustments you might need.

You can also find our Manager Guide for Reasonable Adjustments in Recruitment.