Gender Pay Reporting (April 2024 – reporting April 2025)

At Hidden Hearing, we are committed to paying our staff based on their role and productivity, without gender bias.

Snapshot Date: April 2024

• Total Headcount: 638 employees
• Gender Distribution: 68% identify as female

Registered Hearing Aid Dispensers

• Total: 239 employees
• Gender Distribution: 45% identify as female
• Pay Structure: Two standard packages based on basic and productivity criteria. The second, less costly package, replaced the first for all dispensers registering after April 2017.
• 2024 Update: The percentage of female dispensers increased from 42% to 45% compared to 2023. Most female dispensers have a lower average length of service and are on the new package.

Trainee Hearing Aid Dispenser Programme

• October 2023 Cohort: 20 trainees (14 female, 6 male)

Operating Manager Group (Sales)

• Gender Distribution: 50% female managers

Branch Coordinators

• Pay Structure: Variable basic pay benchmarked against regional roles with a standard productivity scheme.
• Gender Distribution: 97% identify as female. No change in percentage despite efforts to attract a more even gender mix by changing the role title and screening recruitment advertisements for gender-biased language.

Mathematical Gap Analysis

• Productivity: Male dispensers were, on average, more productive and earned more commission. Six female dispensers were among the top 20 salespeople, an increase of two from 2023.
• Board Composition: 6 members (5 male, 1 female). Two males and one female had less than one year of service. The company remains mindful of the need for gender balance at all levels.

Upper Quartile Pay Range (2020-2024)

• Female Employees: 45% of the top 25% of earners for the second year.

2024 Gender Pay Gap

• Mean Gender Pay Gap: Narrowly decreased
• Median Gender Pay Gap: Increased (root cause analysed)

Actions to Close the Gender Pay Gap

• Structured interviews with grading for a fair and consistent process
• Recruitment training for managers to address unconscious bias
• Extensive DEI training for managers in 2025
• Extending flexible working options, including hybrid working
• Screening recruitment adverts to reduce gender bias
• Introduction of a global female mentoring programme for the top 50 positions in the global organisation in 2025
• Increasing the number of female managers at the Board level by ensuring qualified female candidates are included in shortlists for senior management positions

Richard Boyd
Managing Director