Predominantly male construction businesses should support and advocate equality, says Andy Pritchard of Willmott Dixon.
Gender equality in the workplace cannot be achieved solely as a result of the efforts of women. Male allyship is crucial if the construction industry is to achieve a gender balance across all disciplines, says Willmott…
Tag Archives: equality
Innovative Thinker | Pay transparency key to closing gender pay gap says academic
The construction industry’s gender pay gap will not be bridged organically, says Jennifer Tomlinson.
In the first quarter of this year, 311,000 women were working in construction, accounting for 14.6% of the sector’s workforce, according to the Office of National Statistics. Construction companies must address this gender imbalance and close the…
Innovative Thinker | Laing O’Rourke’s Abigail Brierley on the need for female role models in construction
Improving gender diversity in civil engineering depends on role models and school outreach, Abigail Brierley.
Laing O’Rourke graduate construction manager Abigail Brierley came face to face with the civil engineering and construction sectors’ gender imbalance before she even had her first job. “When I joined my university course [BEng Civil Engineering…
Why PPE designed for women is as much about safety as comfort
Although women have been raising the issue of ill-fitting PPE for decades, the availability of such products remains low.
"It’s not a fashion show”. This is a typical comment women working in the construction industry receive if they complain about wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) designed for men, according to Tarmac…
Editor’s Comment | Why does gender balance matter for the civil engineering sector?
In March many businesses in the civil engineering sector marked International Women’s Day with celebrations of their female staff and their career achievements. International Men’s Day is on 19 November, in case you were wondering.
Over the years, I have noticed that International Women’s Day is either something people love…
Your View | High Speed 2, unconscious bias, public consultation for major projects, renewables in the energy mix
Thomas Johnson’s article (NCE, online 12 January) quotes Nick Smallwood as saying that High Speed 2 (HS2) was not well developed, scoped, prepared and planned. He misses the main factor which turned the public against it – the inadequate marketing and selling of the project to the public and the…
How can firms address counter-inclusion in the engineering sector?
There is clearly work to be done when it comes to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) in the engineering sector.
Diversity research shows that 83.5% of engineers are male and only 7.8% are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME). Within the umbrella term "Equality Diversity & Inclusion" are three different…
Your View | Tier 1 contractors, technicians, innovative M1 footbridge, HS2 Manchester station
The other day I received in the post a certificate commemorating my 70 years as a member of the ICE. All this time I have been active in the profession, partly in design, but most of my time has been spent in construction working for what would now be called…
Innovative Thinker | Willmott Dixon’s Helen White explains how contractors can benefit from flexible working
Agile working policies can help companies boost employee morale, attract talent and improve gender balance says Willmott Dixon head of reward, policy and systems Helen White.
Our people were looking for a better work/life balance – that was coming through on our annual engagement survey,” says contractor Willmott Dixon’s head of…
Editor’s Comment | Putting people first to benefit project delivery
Over the last few years, the civil engineering industry has moved beyond putting the spotlight solely on cost and programme and placed greater emphasis on outcomes. Improved outcomes for the client through good project delivery, better outcomes for society resulting from the new infrastructure and enhanced outcomes for the environment…