Lifting the lid on statistics

Theo Paphitis - 2022

I have spoken on the subject of being careful not to view statistics as black and white several times, since the first Gender Pay Gap data was released in 2018. We must continue to be aware that statistics are not always black and white and there is a danger in viewing them as such.  

It should be recognised that this data set doesn’t represent age, ethnicity or equal pay.  The value of the Gender Pay Gap data is an undeniable force for good and we must all be careful not to fall into the trap of pointing fingers at businesses that are actually championing women in the workplace, for the sake of undiagnosed data and easy headlines.  Boux Avenue, one of my businesses, is still an easy headline or social media target, for those who do not look at the makeup of that business, despite being 95% female/5% male and a leadership team that is 60% female. To confirm also, no pay weighting is skewed towards male colleagues.

Boux Avenue is a business for females; for our colleagues and customers. 95% of our colleagues are female (and importantly when viewing the statistics, 100% in stores due to the intimate nature of our products). The men that we employ have either been recruited into the new warehouse or occupy head office positions - the majority of the latter fall into the upper quartile, tipping the statistics in a way that doesn’t fairly reflect Boux Avenue and its focus on females.

That said, our statistics have improved again for Boux Avenue this year, and that is mainly down to one factor.  The Boux Avenue warehouse, opened in 2018, attracts both males and females, and I am delighted to report that this also bucks the trend of warehouse demographics and has a heavier weighting of female employees at 79%. As I said, Boux Avenue is a female-driven business; evident throughout the whole business.  2021’s figures are 43% mean (down from 50.3%) and 15% median (down from 31.4%), so again moving in the right direction within the boundaries of the full context.

We must understand why the statistics for Boux Avenue are different and challenge what lies underneath, rather than jump onto the ‘headline’ bandwagon without full context.  Ultimately, there are things we can change and we continue to ensure equal opportunities, but there are also things in a business that cannot be changed. At Boux Avenue we cannot change the very nature of our business. We won’t apologise for the fact we hire 95% women, and that 100% of our store colleagues are female, because we sell lingerie, swimwear and nightwear to mainly females.

Understanding the restrictions upon our data in this area is key and we have increased our focus on this from the boardroom to the shopfloor.  Boux Avenue is all about female leadership, recognition, development, progression and equality - that women are as entitled to the leadership roles as men, on an equal footing.

So, I still insist that we have a reality check, before jumping on an easy social-media bandwagon, to ensure that the analysis is worthwhile, considered appropriately based on the business context, and ensures we are not being busy fools. In essence, don’t judge the Gender Pay Gap data book by its cover. There is always a narrative behind the facts and here at Boux Avenue, and at the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, we know that ours is ultimately a positive one.  

April 2022