Standout gender pay gap narratives by employer size
01st July 2026
Julia Hanna
In our recent review of more than 4,500 gender pay gap narratives, one finding stood out: only 43% of employers provided a working link to a voluntary narrative alongside their statutory figures.
That’s a missed opportunity.
The narrative is where organisations can explain the story behind their numbers, demonstrate accountability and share the actions they are taking to improve representation and inclusion. While some employers still treat reporting as a compliance exercise, others use their narrative to provide context, build trust and communicate a clear commitment to change.
In our first blog highlighting the best gender pay gap narratives of 2025-26, we promised to share some standout examples by employer size. These organisations demonstrate that effective reporting isn’t about producing the longest report or having the biggest budget. It’s about being clear, honest and action oriented.
Unsurprisingly, the prevalence of published narratives increases as employer size grows. Larger organisations are more likely to have the resources and specialist HR expertise needed to go beyond regulatory compliance.
However, there is still considerable room for improvement. Around a third of employers with more than 20,000 employees do not publish a narrative, compared with approximately half of those employing between 250 and 499 people.
| Employer Size | Organisation | Why It Stood Out |
| < 250 employees | nDreams | A strong example of voluntary reporting. A crisp communication style clearly identifying drivers of the pay gap through underrepresentation in key areas. Good to see that commitment to inclusivity also extends to their products. |
| 250–499 | Yasa Automotive | Simple, concise and effective. A clear CEO commitment and an easy-to-follow progress chart demonstrates how impactful a short narrative can be. |
| 500–999 | Cargill UK | Openly acknowledges the challenges of a male-dominated sector by clearly setting out commitment to improving opportunities with the organisation. Provides clear multi-year data and a broad range of actions including a menopause initiative. |
| 1,000–4,999 | Corserv Solutions Ltd | Easy to find on the website. A comprehensive and data-rich report combining entity-level, group-wide and additional analysis with a structured action plan. |
| 5,000–19,999 | Bright Horizons | An engaging format setting the context of being female centric without shying away from the challenge of a more balanced workforce, while clearly setting out progress and future priorities. |
| 20,000+ | Lloyds Banking Group | A comprehensive group-wide report that goes beyond mandatory reporting, incorporating ethnicity and wider inclusion data. Provides clear commitments and targets across multiple inclusion priorities including menopause support. |
The strongest narratives don’t simply describe the numbers. They explain what sits behind them, what is being done about them and why it matters.
With upcoming changes to UK pay gap reporting placing greater emphasis on transparency, equality action plans and accountability, organisations that already approach reporting in this way will be well placed for the future.
You can also explore our overall shortlist of the best gender pay gap narratives and our review of standout examples by sector.
How we can help
At Verditer, we are specialists in reward including pay transparency and gap reporting. Contact us if you’re looking for external expertise to support with your gender pay gap or equality action plan.
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