Gender Pay Gap Reporting

Gender Pay Gap Reporting 2023

Download the PDF version of the report here.

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Gender Pay Gap reporting was introduced to encourage organisations to review internal pay disparities. The aim of this report is to eventually eliminate the pay differential between men and women. Build-A-Bear Workshop has been preparing these reports since April 2018 when all UK companies were required to share their findings. Over the years we have used the results to enhance our performance review strategies and review our recruitment processes.

At Build-A-Bear Workshop, our Mission is to ‘Add a Little More Heart Illustration to Life.’ As such, our Core Values put people at the heart of what we do. The past year has seen this message driven even further through our strategic goals and the evolution of our Core Values - we are committed to treating everyone fairly, by valuing the diversity, individuality and background of all associates, Guests and business partners irrespective of their background, and to giving associates opportunities for development based on performance.


“I am pleased to share the 2023 gender pay gap figures for Build-A-Bear Workshop in the UK. 2023 has been a successful year with the opening of several new partner and company operated locations, improving the accessibility of our multi-generational brand. This has culminated in the delivery of a milestone in 2023: our third consecutive year of revenue and profit growth. Our teams play a vital part in the organisation's success, and we strive to ensure that we provide an environment that is inclusive, diverse, and rewarding. We operate with a culture of ‘Experience 1st‘ across our organisation to ensure that our policies and processes are consistent, fair, and aligned with our company values.” – Matt Payne, Senior HR Manager


The Gender Pay Gap analysis results:


As per government requirements we looked at the full-pay relevant employees, which refers to all the employees who were employed by the company on the snapshot date, and: (i) are paid their usual full basic pay during the pay period in which the snapshot date falls (the relevant pay period), or (ii) are paid less than their usual basic pay or piecework rate, or none at all, during the pay period that includes their snapshot date, if it is for reasons other than leave (for example because of irregular working hours). For Build-A-Bear Workshop, the full pay relevant employees are the Head Office employees. We also used relevant employees; these are all the employees employed by Build a Bear as at the snapshot day.


Summary of Results

  • Of our 529 Employees, the gender split is 84% Female 16% Male.
  • The overall mean gender pay gap for the 2023 period was 33% in favour of men which is an 8% reduction on the previous year’s gender pay gap. The median (Mid-range) gender pay gap was 7% in favour of men which is a 12% reduction on the previous year’s gender pay gap.

Pay quartiles as of 5 April 2023:

Band Female Male
Upper Hourly Quartile 79% 21%
Upper Middle Hourly Quartile 85% 15%
Lower Middle Hourly Quartile 92% 08%
Lower Hourly Quartile 91% 09%

 

To put the pay quartiles into context, the total headcount across the organisation stood at 84% women and 16% men. Therefore, women represent a large proportion across all pay quartiles. Our Bear Builders (Sales Representatives) represent 72% of our population and are paid based upon pay ranges, influenced by the National Minimum Wage, along with store location and is irrespective of gender.

Bonus Gender Pay Gap Results

  • The percentage of men and women who received a bonus in 2023 was equal at 92%

The mean bonus gender pay gap in 2023 was 83% and a median gender pay gap of 50% in favour of men. Our bonus structures are fixed and weighted within job roles, with every team member included in our bonus program from day 1 of employment.

Our bonuses are performance based and awarded with monthly, quarterly, and annually frequency depending on job role. Our inclusive incentive program is planned to continue giving a great opportunity to reward the performance and increase the earning potential for our team members.

From a holistic perspective, as part of a global business we are proud to say that the Board of Directors of our ultimate parent company, based in North America is 43% female, along with our President and CEO. Additionally, 63% of the C-Level employees of our parent company are female along with 60% of the UK Leadership team


About Build-A-Bear Workshop

Build-A-Bear is a multi-generational global brand focused on its mission to "add a little more heart to life" appealing to a wide array of consumer groups who enjoy the personal expression in making their own "furry friends" to celebrate and commemorate life moments. Nearly 500 interactive brick-and-mortar experience locations operated through a variety of formats provide guests of all ages a hands-on entertaining experience, which often fosters a lasting and emotional brand connection. The company also offers engaging e-commerce/digital purchasing experiences on buildabear.com and its age- gated, adult-focused "Bear Cave". In addition, extending its brand power beyond retail, Build-A-Bear Entertainment, a subsidiary of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is dedicated to creating engaging content for kids and adults that fulfills the company's mission.

We challenge every associate to contribute wherever possible to our culture, our communities and our business success. In other words, no matter the role, we keep our values at the heart of everything we do. It is our philosophy of ownership and accountability, as well as a call to action in connection with all seven of our Core Values

  • GIVE
    Make our communities a better place to live, work and play through contributions of time and talent.
  • ACHIEVE
    Push beyond what seems possible. Attain maximum results.
  • COLLABORATE
    Trust your teammates and work together to achieve common goals. Seek the opinion of others. Take accountability for your actions.
  • EMBRACE
    Value the diversity, individuality and background of associates, guests, and business partners. Cultivate an environment of inclusion.
  • LEARN
    Be intellectually curious. Own your development. Listen actively and seek opportunities to improve professionally and personally.
  • CELEBRATE
    Acknowledge success, recognize individual and team contributions and have fun along the way.
  • WIN
    Consistently demonstrate relentless drive to enhance value for stakeholders. With tenacity, passion and focus, overcome all obstacles and attain excellence.