Tag Archives: women

Education, News, Research

Women spend 50% less time in full-time employment because of family events

Women spend half as much time in full-time employment than men as a result of family events, finds new research by the University of Cologne.

The study, conducted by WiSo doctoral student Wiebke Schmitz, and Professors Laura Naegele, Frerich Frerichs and Lea Ellwardt, investigated the employment patterns of both men and women and how their family events affected this.

They found that family events had a greater impact on the employment status of women more so than men late into their working lives.

The study revealed that on average, women between the ages of 50 to 65 spent four years in full-time employment, whereas men spent eight years.

It also revealed that women spent an average of three years in domestic employment, and one year in part-time employment.

Early family events such as children and civil partnerships were associated with unpaid housework or part-time work for women, and negatively affected the likelihood of full-time employment later in life.

“The course of late working life differs drastically depending on gender. Men’s later working lives are mainly characterised by continuous full-time work and the same family events had no effect on their full-time employment,” says Professor Lea Ellwardt.

The results of this study are prominent in areas that are conservative, and believe in traditional gender roles, or areas that are characterised by a lack of public social infrastructure.

“Greater integration of women into the labour market is necessary to mitigate the shortage of skilled workers in the wake of demographic change. Policymakers need to introduce life-course and gender-orientated strategies to mitigate women’s disadvantage in late-life,” says Professor Lea Ellwardt.

The researchers add that implementation of new policy measures should aim to prevent social inequalities in the earlier stages of life, as employment decisions influenced by earlier family events and associated career decisions accumulate over the course of life, especially for mothers.

The study was published in the European Journal of Ageing and was awarded the Best Paper Award of Section III for Social and Behavioural Gerontology of the “Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gerontologie und Geriatrie” (DGGG).

News

Britain’s most inspiring women in business crowned at national awards

The business women leading the way in their industries have been named in the second annual Great British Businesswoman Awards.

The programme launched in 2021 to recognise the growing number of trailblazing women in business leadership and entrepreneurship, champion their peers and advocates, and inspire the next generation of businesswomen.

In 2021, over 140,000 female-founded companies were established, a figure that is growing by a third every year, and the number of women in leadership positions in FTSE 100 companies increased to 32.5%, from 30.6% in 2020. It’s thought that this increase in representation of women in business could unlock a huge amount of economic potential, especially as the trajectory continues.

The final took place at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London as the awards was held in person for the first time, after coronavirus meant the first ever ceremony was held online.

The overall Great British Businesswoman of the Year was awarded to Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader for Europe, whose work surrounds building a better working world for women.

From helping women and girls to advance their careers in technology with programs like Amazon Future Engineer, to overseeing large-scale philanthropy initiatives for refugees fleeing the current crisis in the Ukraine, Beth has been highly commended for the work she has undertaken so far in her career.

The programme was founded by the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021, who had been blown away by the increasing volume and quality of applications to the prestigious awards series by women in previous years.

The winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from companies including Burberry, easyJet, WarnerMedia, Cabinet Office, Greggs and Heathrow Airport, who all have their own vast experience working within diversity and inclusion.

The Great British Businesswoman Awards were founded by Francesca James, who said that the showcased winners would play an important role in inspiring others: “It has been a great honour to highlight the commendable stories of the winners, not only because they thoroughly deserve to be applauded for their tenacity and leadership, but because the value of positive female role models and male allies in business cannot be underestimated.

“Statistics show that the participation of women in business is on the rise, but we want to play a part in ensuring this continues by shining a light on the stories that will instil confidence in the next generation and make certain that no stories of success go unnoticed.

“Congratulations to our fantastic winners, not only for your awards, but for the important work you are doing to lead and innovate your industries.”

Full list of winners:

Banking & Finance Businesswoman of the Year: Natasha Frangos, Partner, Head of Corporate, Haysmacintyre LLP

Construction Businesswoman of the Year: Gauri Talathi-Lamb, Co-Founder, Iolas Capital

Consumer Goods Businesswoman of the Year: Martha Keith, Founder & CEO, Martha Brook

Creative Industries Businesswoman of the Year: Lucy McCarraher, Founder, Rethink Press

Engineering & Manufacturing Businesswoman of the Year: Samidha Anand, Engineering Manager, Caterpillar

Entrepreneurial Businesswoman of the Year: Lizzie Carter, Founder, Only Curls Ltd

Food & Drink Businesswoman of the Year: Joyce De Hass & Raissa De Hass, Co-Founders, Double Dutch Drinks

Social Enterprise Businesswoman of the Year: Emily Aklan, CEO, Serenity Welfare

Technology Businesswoman of the Year: Collette Allen, Chief Operating Officer, SmartSearch

Telecoms Businesswoman of the Year: Tejal Maniar, CEO, BT OnePhone Ltd

Transport & Logistics Businesswoman of the Year: Nancy Hobhouse, Head of ESG ,Evri

Utilities Businesswoman of the Year: Lisa Waterhouse, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, National Grid

Young Businesswoman of the Year: Laura Cooper-Jackson, Director, Industrial Signs Group

Rising Star Award: Krystle McGilvery, Founder, Mind Over Money

Gamechanger in Sport Award: Charlene Gravesande, Assistant Producer, Sky UK Limited

Team of the Year Award: PUMA UK&I

Role Model of the Year Award: Lucile Kamar, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, ITN

Diversity Award: OLIVER

Male Advocate of the Year Award: Conor Whelan, Chief Information Officer, Experian PLC

Female Ambassador of the Year: Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader, Europe, Amazon

Great British Businesswoman of the Year : Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader, Europe, Amazon

Awards, News

Great British Businesswoman Awards 2022 finalists revealed

  • The most inspiring women in business have been shortlisted ahead of the Great British Businesswoman Awards Grand Final
  • The second annual awards ceremony will celebrate businesswomen in industries from tech to creative
  • Grand Final is to be held in London on November 29
The shortlist for the Great British Businesswoman Awards 2022 has been unveiled ahead of a Grand Final in November.
160 women in business have been named as finalists in the second annual awards in categories including Construction Businesswoman, Social Enterprise Businesswoman and Diversity Initiative of the Year. One of the winners will also be crowned the overall Great British Businesswoman of the Year, which was won last year by Unilever’s Leena Nair.
The programme launched last year to recognise the inspiring women innovating and leading the way in their respective industries. Despite this, statistics still show that there is still a long way to go before the number of women in top corporate jobs is equal to men.
Research has estimated that £250 billion could be injected into the UK economy if women were equally as prominent in leading businesses as men.* It’s hoped that the awards will play an active role in showcasing the importance of having more women in leading corporate positions and, ultimately, getting closer to realising that untapped potential.
The awards took place for the first time virtually last year, but the organisers are making the event bigger and better this year by holding it in-person at the De Vere Connaught Rooms in London.
It’s hoped that the live ceremony will offer guests the opportunity to connect with their fellow attendees, and ticket holders will also have access to a finalist networking conference in the daytime before the main prize-giving event.
Founded by the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, finalists and winners are also encouraged to remain engaged with the programme after the final as they are welcomed into a growing alumni network where previous award applicants can connect, learn and share ideas.
The finalists will be whittled down to 21 winners selected by a panel of expert judges spanning a wide range of industries and big name companies, from Greggs PLC Chief Executive Roisin Currie, to Easyjet Trading & RM Director Melissa Skluzacek.
Awards founder Francesca James said that the judges have a tough decision on their hands: “The standard of entries was fantastic and the breadth of talent and achievement demonstrated by the finalists is nothing short of inspirational. The finalists should be very proud to have been shortlisted out of so many worthy applicants, and I don’t envy the judges who now have the task of choosing the winners.
“Celebrating and supporting women in business is not just for other women – if we want to see more women leaders in business, it will be strong collaboration between us all that achieves it. We’ve created these awards to reflect that, with categories honouring male advocates, corporate initiatives and teams that are empowering business women and championing equality and diversity.
“Congratulations to all of our fantastic finalists – I look forward to finding out who our 2022 winners will be!”
The Grand Final of the Great British Businesswoman Awards 2022 will be held on 29th November 2022 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Tickets are available at freshbusinessthinking.com/great-british-businesswoman-series/tickets.
Great British Businesswoman Awards 2022 Finalists: 
Banking and Finance Businesswoman sponsored by Global Processing Services 
• Dr Narisa Chauvidul-Aw, KogoPAY Group
• Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Blend Network
• Natasha Frangos, Haysmacintyre LLP
• Rosie Lyon, Allied Irish Bank GB
• Liz Jackson MBE, BCMS
• Palak Tewary, Price Mann
• Katharine Wooller, Dacxi
• Chloe Mercer
• Private Markets Alpha Limited
Construction Businesswoman 
• Carol Massay, Access Group
• Sophia Graves, Real
• Louise Stewart, ProjectPay
• Roni Savage, Jomas Associates
• Leanne Coop, The Tiny Housing Co
• Kelly Cartwright, Core Recruiter Ltd
• Gauri Talathi-Lamb, Iolas Capital
• Mandy St John Davey, Mandy St John Davey
Consumer Goods Businesswoman 
• Greta McDonald, Sweet Lounge
• Emma Macdonald, The Tartan Blanket Co
• Martha Keith, Martha Brook
• Monika Ludwiczak, Everlasting Brows
• Bethan John, The British Blanket Company
• Amanda Mountain, Lola Design
• Emma Naumann, Cogito Talent Limited
• Mellanie Lykourina Struthers, Draught Drop
Creative Industries Businesswoman 
• Shannon Jennings, The Very Group
• Priya Downes, Nudea
• Chloe Baldwin & Abigail Baldwin, Buttercrumble
• Claire Menzies, Istoria Group Ltd.
• Debra Mayfield, DML Marketing
• Anna Kyriacou, The Zeros Art
• Sedge Beswick, SEEN Connects
• Lucy McCarraher, Rethink Press
Engineering & Manufacturing Businesswoman 
• Samidha Anand, Caterpillar
• Beverley Gibbs, NMITE
• Nathalie Sorde, CMR Surgical
• Dr Zoe Tolkien, Advanced Furnace Technology Ltd
• Lara Edison, Encirc
• Lana Harrison, Exterior Solutions Ltd
• Mandy Forster, AA Flags Limited
• Rachel Garrett, CMG Technologies
Entrepreneurial Businesswoman 
• Sharon Daly, Venture Life Group Plc
• Lizzie Carter, Only Curls Ltd
• Abi Selby, Spabreaks.com
• Emily Riddington, TechNET IT Recruitment
• Emma Bardwell, Bardwood Support Services
• Alice Hall, Rowen Homes
• Hannah Allen, Operatix
• Anita Dougall, Sagacity Solutions Ltd
Food & Drink Businesswoman 
• Joyce De Hass & Raissa De Hass, Double Dutch
• Krisi Smith, Bird & Blend Tea Co.
• Shakshi Chhabra Mittal, FoodHak
• Ellie Webb, Caleño Drinks
• Hannah Williams, Tiny Rebel
• Laura Belshaw, Musclefood
• Olivia Ferdi, TRIP CBD
• Nirali Buch Mankodi, Superfoodio
Social Enterprise Businesswoman
• Hannah Samano, Unfabled
• Alison Delaney, Little Bird People Development
• Melanie Vaxevanakis, The MAZI Project
• Toni Horn, Think Differently Coaching CIC
• Emily Aklan, Serenity Welfare
• Julie Hawker & Kate Doodson, Cosmic
• Marva Trenton, Lifelong Family Links
• Anisa Morridadi, Beatfreeks
Technology Businesswoman 
• Georgina Nelson, TruRating
• Laura Hutton, Quantexa
• Tanya Field, Novatiq
• Charu Bjuvestig, QA Talent
• Lesley Da Costa, Bendac
• Collette Allen, SmartSearch
• Deepti Velury, Tag Worldwide
• Sarah-Jayne van Greune, Payen Limited
Telecoms Businesswoman 
• Beverley Brookes, Spoke Interactive Limited
• Nektaria Efthymiou, BT
• Tejal Maniar, BT OnePhone Ltd
• Amanda Jobbins, Vodafone
• Jeanie York, Virgin Media O2
• Claire Harvey MBE, Vodafone
• Gill Cooke, Three UK
• Rebecca Armstrong, Talk Talk
Transport & Logistics Businesswoman 
• Sarah Taylor-Jones, Evri
• Fiona Smith, AGS Airports Ltd
• Lorna McAtear, National Grid
• Ginny Buckley, Electrifying.com
• Nancy Hobhouse, Evri
• Caroline Green MBE, Pallet-Track Ltd
• Rachel Houghton, Business Moves Group
• Katie McIntyre, Adverttu
Utilities Businesswoman 
• Lisa Waterhouse, National Grid
• Charlotte Swift, British Gas
• Sharna Matson, Cadent Gas Limited
• Lynne Higgins, Octopus Energy
• Marianne Moberg, Utility Warehouse
• Jacqueline O’Donovan, O’Donovan Waste Disposal Ltd
• Vicky Kelsall, Scottish Power
• Katie Jackson, Shell UK
Young Businesswoman sponsored by EMCOR UK 
• Rachel Thomas, The THOMAS Recruitment Group
• Jade Cohen & Brittany Harris, Qualis Flow
• Laura Cooper-Jackson, Industrial Signs Group
• Chiara Macarti Speranza, Google
• Lucie Rowley, Evri
• Natalie Porter, Happy Plants
• Lissele Pratt, Capitalixe
• Millie Goodwin, With Love Cosmetics LTD
• Nipuni Karunaratne, IVY TECH Ltd
• Megan Gamble, Hashtag Me
Diversity Initiative of the Year Award 
• Lucile Kamar, ITN
• Tasneem Bhopalwala, Oxford University Press
• Christopher Sumner-Smith, Charu Bjuvestig, Hannah McDougall, Christina El-Hawi and Kieran Prout, Qa LTd
• Carol Poloni, Amina Folarin, Sagina Shabaya, Vijay Chohan, Theresa Sarbeng, Melanie O’Hagan and Jerome Ntumba, OLIVER
• Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Harrington Starr
• Nadine Campbell, ACE Entrepreneurs
• Charlene Brown, Howlett Brown
• Jodie Greer, Be #PeopleSmart LTd
Female Ambassador of the Year Award 
• Fran Pestana, E.ON
• Nikki Ross, Thames Valley Partnership
• Beth Knight, Amazon
• Chloe Foster, Valorum Care Group
• Angela De Souza, Women’s Business Club
• Patricia Phillips, Panasonic
• Ruby Sweeney, The Events Hub
• Tracey Secker, The Haven Wolverhampton
Gamechanger in Sport Award 
• Jess Roper, I am Fighting Fit
• Katie James, bpsorty Ltd
• Yvette Curtis, Waves Wahines CIC
• Charlene Gravesande, Sky UK Limited
Male Advocate of the Year Award 
• Conor Whelan, Experian PLC
• Richard Port MBE, George Green LLP
• Matthew Read, Volume99
• Seb York, CatSci Ltd
• Ian Boyd, Trekstock
• Simon Martin, OLIVER
• Lee Proctor-Wright, Encric
• Daniele Fiandaca, Token Man Consulting
Rising Star Award 
• Janani Prasad, Minority Supplier Development UK
• Lauren Williams, gemsatwork Ltd
• Joan Tolentino, Infoteam International Limited
• Krystle McGilvery, Mind Over Money
• Giulia Pedretti, Arteak Limited
• Louise Blisset, Inception Consultants Ltd
• Lisa Dukes, Dukes & King
• Lucie Grech, The Laser Lounge Enterprise Limited
Role Model of the Year Award sponsored by Moody’s 
• Lucile Kamar, ITN
• Raqual Amador Quintanilla, Bango
• Sadie Restorick, Wellity Global
• Emma-Jane Taylor-Moran, Rebel Law Ltd
• Georgina Moseley, Help Harry Help Others Cancer Support Charity
• Melyni Bronson, Masterclassing Ltd
• Claire Russell, Mental Health in Business
• Mahira Kalim, Spruce
Team of the Year Award 
• Bendac Group
• Criteo
• PUMA UK&I
• Independent Schools Examination Board
• Mount Street
• Pallet-Track
• Your Space Property Group
• Noble Events
• Lendology CIC
• OLIVER
ESG/CSR, News

Unreasonable exceeds tough diversity goal, annual report reveals

More than half the members of invite-only Unreasonable Collective are women and people of colour, previously under-represented among investors

51% of Collective members identify as women or people of colour

70% of CEOs and co-founders of Collective portcos are women/people of colour

100% of the Collective Team is made up of women/people of colour

LONDON, 21st April 2022 – Unreasonable Group has revealed it has hit its ambitious 50% diversity target in just one year. Now 51% of its Unreasonable Collective members are women or people of colour, the company announced in its annual report, released today

Last year, Unreasonable made a commitment to give under-represented groups in investment a seat at the table – and that includes women, people of colour and those who identify as LGBTQ+.

“Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do, when we’re looking at potential members or companies to invest in, which is why we ended up with these great stats,” says Pratibha Vuppuluri, Head of Investments, and Partner, Collective, Unreasonable Group.

The impact of having diverse investors – whether that’s in terms of gender, ethnicity or geography – has already been felt, with valuable new perspectives being brought to The Collective.

And the shift doesn’t stop there. Diversity filters through to investment decisions, too. One of the Unreasonable Collective’s first investments was Air Protein, the pioneering product that aims to feed the world’s growing population sustainably, founded by Dr Lisa Dyson. And climate technology startup BlocPower, founded by Donnel Baird, is helping disadvantaged communities in New York save on their energy costs.

“When it comes to capital channelled to diverse and under-represented founders, that is where the biggest gap lies. Most of the money in Silicon Valley goes to white, male founders. We’re here to disrupt that,” says Vuppuluri.

The achievement is particularly impressive because 2020 saw women lose ground in the investment space when funding to female-led and mixed-gender founding teams dropped to just 14%.

“Our focus on diversity is ongoing. It’s something I haven’t seen much of in the venture world, but Unreasonable’s community-driven model opens up new opportunities for women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ investors. We offer pre-vetted deals at Series A stage and if someone wants to make an investment they can go and visit the business and ask the CEO questions. That’s so important because people are looking to put their money in companies that have a positive impact on the world,” added Vuppuluri.

And Unreasonable Collective’s investments all have a positive impact, from innovative and sustainable design and manufacturing company Plant Prefab to Goodr, the diverse, female-owned company leveraging blockchain technology to reduce food waste and combat hunger.

Construction, News

Bhangals Construction Consultants celebrates Women In Construction Week

All female employees at Bhangals Construction Consultants came together for a photoshoot to mark Women In Construction Week 2022 (6-13th March).

Seven career driven women take key roles in the award-winning firm, where founder and managing director Parm Bhangal believes in equal opportunities for all, despite the sector being predominantly male dominated.

Operations manager Katie has grown in the business, starting out as a client service executive four years ago. Katie’s core responsibilities consist of overseeing and improving the business processes and in-house strategies to ensure the business is continuously growing. Katie also deals with other elements of the business such as recruitment and staffing.

She said: ‘’Going into an industry which is predominately male based, you do worry that you won’t be taken seriously, or you will be limited to what you can and can’t do but I truly believe since being in my role that if you are willing to give 110%, you can go far and progress.

‘’My advice would be not to allow the inexperience to stop you going for it. Before I started my career in construction, I had no experience and this can be daunting, however I have learnt so much in the last four years which has ultimately got me to the role I am in today.”

Yasmyn, Giuditta and Jasmin are the talented trio in the estimating team.

Yasmyn, who has been with Bhangals for two years, had previously worked for a steelwork firm and had experience in the construction field. Her current role involves pricing complex projects for clients and sending quotes out to suppliers.

Giudy prices projects in a time sensitive manor and reviews other colleagues work to ensure that estimates are totally accurate. Jasmin started her career at Bhangals with estimating experience from a previous role and has been an amazing asset to the team.

Client service administrators Scarlet and Charlotte work within the admin team, dealing directly with clients to ensure they receive an exceptional service from start to finish.

Charlotte said: “One of the main things I love about working in the construction industry is seeing the finalised design of our client’s project and seeing their dreams come to life.”

If you’re interested in a career in construction, visit https://www.bhangals.co.uk/about-us/careers

International Women's Day, News

Hootsuite celebrates International Women’s Day with World Woman Hour

#myLEADhER campaign honours 60 women in 60 minutes who are fighting inequality and breaking stereotypes for women in their industries

 Today on International Women’s Day, Hootsuite will power the second annual World Woman Hour, a global digital celebration dedicated to highlighting inspirational stories of women from all walks of life.

Led by the World Woman Foundation, the socially-enabled movement aims to mentor one million women by 2030 and will feature inspiring stories from 60 women, told in 60 seconds — presented together in a powerful 60 minutes of film. The hour will inform viewers about how women, every hour, lack access to healthcare, education, sanitation, energy, equal pay, and its impact on gender inequalities worldwide. 

According to UN Women, every hour, members of national parliaments or legislatures are making decisions on important issues, and only 25% of all national parliamentarians are women. The World Woman Hour honourees will share perspectives to lead the new era of a sustainable, peaceful, healthier, and equitable world for women and girls around the world.


“The goal is to harness digital platforms to engage and empower one million women and girls by 2030 with wisdom, advice, confidence boosters and lessons to follow their dreams and ambitions,” said Rupa Dash, Co-founder & CEO, World Woman Foundation. “We are so excited to be able to use social media for good, and share 60 hero stories of women to drive awareness of women’s and girls’ critical issues globally.”  

Despite progress in recent years, there is still much work to be done in addressing obstacles, disparities and gender gaps that women continue to tackle. According to Hootsuite’s Digital 2022 report, men account for nearly 54% of global social media users, while women account for 36%.


“We are thrilled to be a strategic partner for #WorldWomanHour for the second year running,” said Eva Taylor, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Hootsuite. “We continue to see disparity and inequality for women at a global scale, and we know that the gender gap has further widened due to the pandemic. This makes collaborative initiatives such as World Woman Hour more important and impactful than ever before, in order to help drive positive social change and champion the power of human connection to create a global movement that addresses such a critical issue.” 

The event will bring together a group of inspirational women from across the globe who are challenging the status quo and disrupting their industries. A few notable speakers include:

  • Lauren Ridloff, Tony-nominated actress, Marvel Cinematic Universe Superhero
  • Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General & Co-Chair of UN-Energy
  • Ashlan Gorse Cousteau, Journalist, explorer, ocean advocate & author
  • Brooke Baldwin, Award-winning journalist, thought leader
  • Leyna Bloom, Model, activist & actor
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo, Emmy winner, Oscar-nominated actress
  • Tegan and Sara Quin, Canadian indie-pop duo
  • Hannah Marcina Bronfman, Advocate, author, founder of HBFIT & investor
  • Maya Higa, Founder of Alveus Sanctuary
  • Christina Koch, Engineer & NASA astronaut

These women have fought against stereotypes and persevered through personal and professional challenges to achieve ideas that are changing the world. The event will premiere on Facebook Live and on the World Woman Foundation YouTube channel on March 8, starting at 1pm EST/10am PST.

For the latest additional news and information, visit  www.worldwomanhour.com. Follow World Woman Hour on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook to see more and share your hero using the #myLEADhER hashtag. 

News

Sedex report highlights inequalities and risks for women in agriculture, alongside solutions to progress gender equality in supply chains

London, 8 March 2022: This International Women’s Day, Sedex releases a report which reveals inequalities, challenges and risks for women working in agriculture. The findings, released today in the report “Progressing gender equality in agriculture”, provide crucial insight and actions for organisations sourcing from agricultural industries, supporting to drive gender equality in supply chains.

An estimated 28% of people working globally are in the agricultural sector [1], making it a major employer that many businesses are connected to through their supply chain. Agriculture is also one of the world’s most hazardous industries for workers [2].

Women comprise about 43% of agricultural workers [3]. While this work provides crucial economic opportunities, female workers in agriculture are often more exposed to physical, financial and other risks than their male counterparts. Understanding these risks and what actions businesses should take to address them are key to progressing gender equality in supply chains, with gender-disaggregated data a key enabler.

“Sedex’s insights into women’s working situations in agriculture help organisations to identify risks, focus their efforts, address negative impacts, and drive positive change for female workers. These activities are more crucial than ever, as businesses face growing pressure from investors, consumers and governments to operate more responsibly and sustainably.” Jessica McGoverne, Director of Policy and Corporate Affairs at Sedex

High-risk issues within agriculture vary between countries, but some are consistently high, including insufficient wages and irregular employment – with women often more vulnerable. Gender stereotypes and the roles women have at work also make them vulnerable to many risks that are already high for agricultural workers. Multiple factors, including age, ethnicity, and religion, can intersect to increase this vulnerability.

Women are more likely than men to be in lower-paid roles with less decision-making power. Women tend to be excluded from leadership roles. At agricultural sites in Sedex data, women make up only 21% of manager positions and 31% of supervisor positions, and accounted for only 38% of promotions from 2020-2021. This lack of representation can detract from progressing gender equality.

Women are underrepresented in structures that act as enablers for change.

Alongside underrepresentation in management roles, Sedex data shows women comprise only 38% of worker committee members in agriculture work sites.

“Gathering gender-disaggregated data and assessing risk is crucial for protecting workers and improving gender equality. Sedex members are able to access and model data that helps to assess where risks of irresponsible behaviour in supply chains exists. This allows organisations to focus resources in the areas that need the most improvement – whether in terms of gender equality and representation or other factors like health and safety risk assessment. Sedex provides a platform, tools and consulting services to aid companies to improve their sourcing practices”, says McGoverne.

[1] https://ilostat.ilo.org/100-statistics-on-the-ilo-and-the-labour-market/ – no.36

[2] https://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/hazardous-work/WCMS_110188/lang–en/index.htm

[3] https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/cgiar-celebrates-international-womens-day-2021/

News

62% of women in technology have experienced toxic work cultures within the last five years

  • Toxic environments are identified as the most common factor that put women off tech roles, with 21% citing frequent experiences
  • Only 17% feel that a lot of progress has been made to attract women to tech roles in the last five years

Manchester, UK; 8 March 2022: The majority of women in technology have experienced toxic work environments, with 21% experiencing it frequently. That’s according to Talent Works, the Recruitment Processing Outsourcing (RPO) provider, which surveyed women in technology on their experiences on recruitment and employment in the UK.

The results, released today on International Women’s Day, make for concerning reading, after campaigns like Women in Tech have been running for well over five years.

When asked what puts women in technology off taking a role, a toxic culture was the most common answer (36%). A healthy work culture tops the list of female desires to feel supported in tech (59%), followed by the gender pay gap being addressed (56%) and seeing more women in leadership roles (54%).

An overwhelming percentage of respondents said the responsibility to create organisational change lies with the top (74%), 73% noted that they would be more likely to join a tech firm that has female leadership.

Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, President of TechUK, commented: “Encouraging women into the tech sector is critical. Diverse voices must be at the table when designing our digital future, otherwise we risk creating a world that doesn’t work for everybody. Sadly, these results today show that culture remains the biggest barrier to Inclusion, and if anything, the pandemic has worsened the diversity gap. Against the context of the UK skills shortage, it’s time for organisations to actively create conditions for women and minority voices to thrive and to differentiate through hiring strategies that support diversity and inclusion.”

Elena Hill-Artamonova, Research Manager at Talent Works, commented: “Although there’s been a focus on attracting women to tech roles, the working environments in many organisations are toxic and women aren’t confident that enough is being done to support them. It’s the responsibility of leadership and middle management to create healthy working environments that support women and encourage them to both apply and stay in tech roles. Without this, the industry is at risk of further reducing the number of women in tech.”

The application process also has a considerable impact on whether women in technology apply for a role, with 66% of respondents being confident that they can spot a toxic work environment during the application process. 52% of women also feel that companies create gendered job adverts (for example, using masculine and feminine words).

“At a time of intense skills shortage in technology, companies are neglecting some of the best talent right here, and the solution might be a cultural change and hiring more women to lead the charge from the top,” Hill-Artamonova concluded.

Charity & CSR, News, North of England, Telecoms

Fibre broadband provider 4th Utility signs first ever charity partnership as ambitious fundraising plans announced

 Manchester-based fibre broadband provider 4th Utility has signed a major deal with an organisation helping unemployed women find jobs.

It’s the first ever charity partnership for 4th Utility, a supplier of ultrafast connectivity to homes and businesses across the UK, and it has been agreed with fellow city region-based Smart Works Greater Manchester.

As a corporate partner, 4th Utility has committed to raising a minimum of £10,000 in 2022 for the charity, which supports women throughout their employment journey, including in-person and online pre-employment coaching and interview styling.

Since launching in 2015, Smart Works Greater Manchester has been working to deliver its mission and vision to help more women get into the workplace.

It has delivered more than 3,000 appointments with the aim helping women build interview techniques and allowing them to be their best at crucial moments in life, instilling confidence, self-belief and practical skills. The charity also provides workwear and accessories for the women it supports, taking in clothing donations from the public. Smart Works Greater Manchester says 70% of the women it has supported have successfully secured employment.

4th Utility was established in 2017, and works with residential and commercial landlords, property developers and house builders to install and upgrade properties with full fibre connectivity.

The new corporate partnership announced today will also see 4th Utility staff take part in various projects planned throughout the year, including volunteering days supporting Smart Works Greater Manchester in Stockport town centre.

On the partnership announcement, Tony Hughes, CEO of 4th Utility, said: “Our team was truly inspired by what the Smart Works Greater Manchester team does, and their sizeable ambitions meant they were a perfect fit to become our first ever charity partner.

“So many women across Greater Manchester have been disproportionately and negatively impacted by the pandemic, meaning the charity’s services are needed now more than ever.

“We hope to make a significant contribution to the efforts of a fellow Greater Manchester-based organisation and look forward to helping with their programme of exciting projects planned throughout the year.”

Jan Iceton, Chair of Smart Works Greater Manchester, said: “We are delighted to have 4th Utility on board as a new corporate partner – they share our commitment to giving back into the Greater Manchester community and have the skills and resources to make a significant impact on the success of our organisation.

“As we enter into a period of much more active recruitment, with a long-term partner like 4th Utility on board, we can take advantage of the jobs market by supporting even more unemployed women to ‘get the clothes, get the confidence, get the job’.”

Smart Works Greater Manchester said its services are now vital to ensuring the country builds back better across communities, enabling women to take advantage of the resurgence in employment now seen across the board. The charity helps to make sure they are ready to apply for roles and that they succeed at interview.

Ms Iceton added: “At the beginning of 2021, to support our growth objective, we set ourselves a target to secure five corporate partners by the end of the year and we are thrilled that 4th Utility now joins Timetastic, Trinnovo Group, Ingeus and Energize to make that a reality.

“Working with 4th Utility will make a real difference to Smart Works Greater Manchester and its vital service delivery, helping to fund our activities, raise awareness of what we do and, ultimately, improve the employment outcomes for many women across our region.”

For more information about 4th Utility, visit https://the4thutility.co.uk/

News, Wellbeing News

Egress named a Best Workplace for Wellbeing™ by Great Place to Work®

Prestigious listing highlights Egress’ commitment to employee wellbeing and work-life balance and adds to recent recognition as a Best Workplace in Tech and Best Workplace for Women.

London, UK – 17th February 2022 – Egress, the leading provider of intelligent email security, today announced it has been named as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Wellbeing for 2022. Celebrating Egress’ dedication to promoting wellbeing and work-life balance, this recognition is based entirely on anonymous employee feedback compiled by Great Place to Work, the leading authority on workplace culture and engagement. In addition to its recent inclusion on the 2021 Best Workplaces in Tech and Best Workplaces for Women lists, this commendation underlines Egress’ status as an employer of choice in the rapidly growing cybersecurity industry.

Egress has continuously invested in initiatives to prioritize employee wellbeing, including establishing an internal team of trained mental health first aiders and offering free counselling via its employee assistance programme. Other wellbeing benefits include flexible working, an enhanced maternity leave package and private medical insurance.

“At Egress, employee wellbeing is our top priority, so we’re proud to see our efforts recognised by Great Place to Work®” comments Laura Probert, Chief People Officer at Egress. “As organisations renew their focus on tackling burnout amid Covid and the Great Resignation, it’s vital that we continue to push the boundaries with initiatives that make a real difference to the lives of our people. Egress is going through a period of rapid growth, but we’ve shown that expansion doesn’t have to come at the expense of our people’s wellbeing. Egress is a place where people really care about our success and passion runs high, so creating a more autonomous culture that gives permission to also take time for ourselves has been a major contributor to our success.”

“Being better for people is better for business, especially in tough times,” explained Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK. “When employees feel genuinely cared for, their loyalty, engagement and productivity improve. Happier people also become brand advocates for the business and will often go the extra mile to provide a positive experience for their clients and customers. We’re delighted to launch our first-ever UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Wellbeing list in 2022, shining a light on the 250 companies who have succeeded in ensuring staff experience high levels of wellbeing across the organisation. Hopefully this recognition and acknowledgement will inspire more workplaces to do the same in years to come.”