We’re excited to have hit a trifecta as for the third year in a row we’ve been included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for 2022. Diversity and inclusion is sewn into the fabric of our culture at Xero so to be globally recognised for our efforts in supporting gender equality three years running means a lot to us.

This year Xero is the only company headquartered in New Zealand to be included in the index. Our score puts us ahead of the industry average, the technology sector average, and is an improvement on our 2021 score. We’re pleased our progress is reflected by our scores improving each year, and that our commitment to improving gender equality within Xero and our communities is making a difference. We hope our efforts inspire and encourage other organisations to play their part in creating a more equal society.

The index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand. To be considered for the index, we completed a survey to demonstrate our achievements and progress across more than 70 metrics, and were awarded a score of 100% for transparency.

In the financial year 2021 we set numerical targets for representation of women at Xero. For our leadership team and across the company, we took a 40:40:20 approach – at least 40% women and 40% men, with the remaining 20% unspecified to allow for flexibility and to recognise that gender is non-binary. As of 31 March 2021, we achieved this target as 63% of the Xero leadership team was female, 42% of our employees were women, and we had three female and five male directors on our Board.

How we’re supporting gender equality at Xero

We have a number of initiatives in place to recognise and celebrate gender equality within our organisation and in our communities. These include:

• Our Women of Xero Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are designed to build connections for our women of Xero and raise awareness around gender equality issues impacting women of Xero and the broader community.
• Designing our parental leave benefits to support parents regardless of their gender identity, how they become a parent, or how long they’ve been with Xero
• Running a leadership program on diversity and inclusion for our people leaders around the globe
• To support a range of gender identities, we provide the option for our people to add their preferred pronouns to their email signature and display name on Slack

In 2021, we evolved our reporting to include the representation of gender diverse and non-binary people at Xero (based on self-identification) in addition to the representation of women.

Ensuring people of every gender have a seat at the table

At Xero we believe a diverse workforce is a strength that enables businesses, including ours, to better understand and serve customers, attract top talent and innovate successfully. We want people of every gender to have a seat at every table in the organisation, at every level and in every function. We also believe that people of all genders deserve fair treatment when it comes to compensation. We’re committed to equal pay for equal work, and we complete analysis in regards to gender pay equity each year to ensure we can track any potential gaps and address these.

We’re proud to be an organisation that celebrates diversity and to be a place where people of all genders and across the gender diversity spectrum feel comfortable and are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work each day. It’s an honour to be recognised amongst other global companies who are advancing their efforts to support gender equality and contributing to disclosure that drives collective change.

Learn more about Xero’s focus on diversity and inclusion here.