Here’s the final part of our 3 part mini blog series on Women in Construction.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Why You Should Want Women in Your Workforce, and How to Get Women Into Construction.
In this short blog we take a delve into the hurdles you need to address if you’re to retain women in your team…
Getting women in role is just the first hurdle. How do we go about retaining them in role? First we need to understand why so many women leave the construction industry…and they do! According to a 2021 report by Atkins, women leave the construction sector for other industries at more than twice the rate of men, and more than one in 10 women aged 20-34 leave to work elsewhere each year.
Back to Work Support
Many women choose to have children, it’s an unavoidable factor considered by employers when employing women. The childcare provisions need to be addressed by employers to offer a solution, rather than a hurdle to women within the sector. Recently both Kier and Wates announced a increase in their paid paternity leave policies – hopefully more will follow suit.
Employers need to put in place an attractive flexible working scheme, which is fit for purpose, and not simply lip-service that ultimately sees women loose responsibilities and leadership within their role. Women need confidence that flexible working will not hinder their future career development opportunities, or pay assessments once they return to work.
Equality (Not Just a Buzz Word)
It’s something that’s needs to be consciously actioned, not just talked about.
If you’re to keep women in role, it’s important to practice equality within your workforce. According to UK Construction Media, women are paid, on average, 12% less than their male counterparts performing the same role. Is it any surprise women choose to leave the industry in search of more attractive opportunities?!
According to a study by Randstad – ‘41% of women in construction said they had been on the receiving end of inappropriate comments or behaviour from a male colleague. Worryingly, this was significantly higher than when similar research was carried out two years ago when 28% of women said they had experienced gender discrimination in the workplace in the form of inappropriate comments or behaviour from male colleagues.’
You have a duty to provide a safe, respectful, and financially rewarding environment for your female employees if you wish to hold on to them.
Time to Make Changes
It’s never easy to juggle everything a business throws your way, and managing staff can be a constantly evolving time-vampire! Reclaim more of your time by using the support of a Virtual Assistant. At CSnotepad we have a friendly and professional team of customer service advisors ready to take on the time zapping tasks that eat into your day. Free up more of your time by outsourcing your ringing phone, call patching, general enquiries and even general admin to our team. We’ll help you find the time needed to make valuable changes to benfit your workforce. Call a member of our team today to find out how we can support your business. Or head over to our website to find out a little more about our services here.
For more information on women in construction, read this great article by Construction News.
