personal development

50% of London Build’s conference agenda is represented by female speakers, a first-ever for any construction show!

18 October, 2021 By WiC

The countdown is on to the UK’s leading construction show! London Build returns to Olympia London’s Grand Hall for the live expo on the 17th and 18th November.

Come meet, network and do business with thousands of the UK’s top contractors, developers, architects, civil engineers and more. This year the show will feature 500+ speakers across 6 stages, hundreds of exhibitors, 200+ CPD sessions, exclusive free-to-attend networking events including Meet the Buyer, Women in Construction and Diversity in Construction, the Festival of Construction with plenty of entertainment, live performances and music, surprise celebrity guests and much, much more.

New to London Build 2021 is the dedicated Diversity & Inclusion stage.

Hear from D&I leaders driving change across the industry, as they explore what can be done to make the UK’s built environment more diverse and inclusive, with two days of interactive panel discussions and open Q&A. Topics include ‘Improving the Image of Construction – Challenging Stereotypes’, ‘Hear From Leaders Driving Change in LGBTQ+’, ‘The Future Workforce – Fast Forward to a Completely Diverse Industry’, ‘The Importance of Mentoring and Leadership’, ‘Attracting and Retaining Diverse Talent’ to name a few.

London Build are very proud to announce that this year’s show will have a 50/50 split of men and women across the conference agenda, a first-ever for any construction show! Hear from a diverse and wide range of industry leaders from across the sector, including:

Dr Marzia Bolpagni, Head of BIM International, Associate Director – Mace Grou
Jenny McLaughlin, Project Manager – Heathrow
Frances McAndrew, Global Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – Mott MacDonald
Angela Brady, Director – Brady Mallalieu Architects
Dr Wei Yang, President – Royal Town Planning Institute
Amanprit Arnold, Senior Infrastructure Planning and Policy Officer – Greater London Authority
Annette Fisher, Founder and Chair – Let’s Build
Sheryl Moore, Group Social Sustainability Manager – Kier Group
Miranda Sharp, Stream Lead, National Digital Twin Programme – Centre for Digital Built Britain
Olaide Obog, Director of Partnerships – First Base
Christina Riley, Senior Planner – Quinn London Ltd
Joanne Flaherty, Project Director – Bouygues UK
Marylis Ramos, Director – PRP Architects
Jyoti Sehdev (She/Her), Group Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead and Senior Engineer – Costain

Take part in the UK’s largest networking event for women in construction.

Talk to and feel inspired by fellow architects, contractors, engineers, designers and other diversity champions from all sectors that make up the construction industry. In partnership with NAWIC, this event is free-to-attend and gives visitors the chance to share their experiences with a group of like-minded people. From graduates to Heads of Departments and CEOs to government officials, this is the place to build connections and hear about what is being done to make lasting change.

Once again this year, London Build is working with a large team of inspiring Diversity and Women in Construction Ambassadors. These Ambassadors who are passionate about driving equality, diversity and change, have helped shape discussions at the show and you can network with them at the event to exchange ideas and milestones.

Dates to mark in your diaries:

London Build Expo – 17th & 18th Nov
Women in Construction Networking Event – 18th Nov 10am – 11.30pm
Diversity in Construction Networking Event – 17th Nov 4pm – 5.30pm

London Build Expo is free to attend and promises to be two fun-filled days of high-level content, networking opportunities and endless entertainment.

Find out more and register free tickets for your team today

REGISTER NOW – IT’S FREE.

Hear from some of our speakers taking the stage at London Build:

How far has the industry come and how much further do we have to go?

The esteemed Women’s Engineering Society was formed in 1919 with the aim of supporting women in engineering and increasing their number. I wonder what they would think about the progress that we’ve made in the last 100 years? – Sally Sudworth, Global Head for Sustainability and Climate Change – Mott MacDonald

What do you think is the most important thing when it comes to bringing about change?

We need to move out of silos and adopt a holistic approach that is founded upon collaboration. Enough of talking, round tables, reports and promises that focus on only one part of industry, or – even worse – on only one trade or profession; now is the time to come together and to share knowledge, events and vacancies in a way that enables equality of opportunity for all. To bring about effective and long-lasting change we have to look at the bigger picture and take a joined-up and truly collaborative approach – together.- Rebecca Lovelace, Founder, Building People

‘You can’t be what you can’t see’. We need to include, highlight, and promote the representation of women and underrepresented groups at all senior levels of the professions. This is how we inspire and empower the next generation to gain the confidence to get involved and help bring about the change that’s so desperately needed: not only in construction but across all professions. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘it only seems impossible until it’s done’. – Annette Amanda Oyékunlè Fisher, Chair, Let’s Build and Partner FA Global

What excites you about the industry and the positive changes made?

As architects we appreciate and listen to all voices, from everyone who makes up our teams. I have championed Diversity all of my professional career, including when we started ‘Architects for Change’ group at RIBA and I continued this as President of RIBA. The BLM (Black Lives Matter) has showcased importance of more diversity in our profession and our gender balance has improved over the years – but it needs monitoring, with more role models and ambassadors standing up to challenges and promoting what a great profession architecture is.- Angela Brady OBE, Director, Brady Mallalieu Architects

Only 4% of employees feel confident at work

14 July, 2021 By WiC

Global research conducted by professional training company Roar! Training has uncovered that only 4% of employees feel confident at work.

The study gives a unique insight into confidence in the workplace. Below are some key findings included in the report.

Main Findings

Only 4% feel fully confident at work
96% have experienced imposter syndrome
53% have turned down work opportunities due to lack of confidence
86% reported having worked in a toxic work environment in the past
74% said company culture was very important when looking for a job
76% said their employer has a good company culture, but 58% said their expectation of the company culture didn’t match the reality
37% said they are expected to work out of hours on a regular basis
71% feel their employer has their best interests at heart

Current Perceptions

When asked what caused them to feel unconfident, the responses were varied with some general themes coming through:

Self-doubt
Lack of recognition
Being spoken over
Lack of feedback
Toxic company culture
Fear of failure
Anxiety
Limited support and training
Comparisons with others
Imposter Syndrome

Regular feedback (77%), external training (64%), internal training (59%) and regular catch ups (54%) are the top ways people said their employer could help them feel more confident at work.

Imposter Syndrome

96% said they have experienced Imposter Syndrome. So how can we work to overcome this?

Commenting on the issue Kirsty said “The problem with impostor syndrome is that, by its very labelling, it feels somehow irrational or unique. If 96% of us report experiencing it, it becomes more helpful for us to simply accept it as part of human experience, crucial for our growth.”

Kirsty continued “Next time those familiar feelings of “everybody else is better than me!” arise, try catching them and reminding yourself that what you’re experiencing is commonplace. Not an individual failing but simply part of an important process in your development.”

5 Quick Ways To Combat Crisis Of Confidence

Confidence coach Kirsty Hulse has compiled a list of 5 quick ways to combat a crisis of confidence.

Set an ambition to become your own cheerleader. Write it down. Commit to it. We cannot develop confidence overnight, but our intention tells us we are worth a shot.
Create a success spreadsheet. We often focus on what’s ahead, forgetting to reflect on how far we have come. Acknowledge and integrate your growth by consistently logging wins and reminding yourself when you need it.
Ask for feedback. Sometimes, we just need reassurance. Ask those that you can trust around you. “What do you think I do well? What are my talents?” The answers will often surprise you.
Stop saying stop. When we want to be more confident, we tend to say “stop being nervous, stop overthinking.” Instead, think about what you need to start for that to happen. This gives us a directive and moves us from judgement to action.”
Think about who you are when you’re confident. What do you wear? How do you stand? How do you speak? How do you treat others? Have a clear, mental picture and start by trying to embody that for a few moments every day.

Kirsty Hulse, Founder of Roar! Training said “Our workplace findings show just how widespread lack of confidence is and how this is holding us back from our full potential. Boosting confidence isn’t an instant fix, but with the right steps in place, consistency and self belief the 96% of people feeling unconfident could experience transformative results.”

Kirsty continued “The results of our survey show that there is definite room for improvement to ensure that the workplace is a safe, enjoyable space where employees are encouraged and left feeling as confident as possible.

Whether external training is needed to put that framework of encouragement and support in place to boost confidence, or company culture needs to be addressed and improved, positive change is very much at the core of what we all need.”

Download the full report

Missing Millions – the training gap in the UK workforce

11 March, 2020 By WiC

only 33% of working age people in the UK feel positive about their future career prospects
34% of respondents have either not received workplace training in the last five years or have never had any such training – equating to 17.8 million people with outdated skills.
31.3 million people (60% of respondents) feel their skills are underutilised

In its latest research report, Missing Millions, City & Guilds shines a light on the worrying reality of the UK’s skills and productivity crisis.

As productivity continues to decline, it’s widely understood that businesses and Government need to prepare to meet the demands of the workplace of the future and ensure the country has the skilled workforce it will need over the next decade. However, the research reveals that people across the nation are being denied access to training and opportunities to upskill that would enable them to be more productive.

According to the report – which is based on findings from labour market economists Emsi and a poll of 5,000 working age people – only half (53%) have received workplace training in the last three years, and a third (34%) have either never received training, or did so more than five years ago. The lack of opportunity for skills development leads to only a third (33%) of the UK working age population feeling positive about their future career prospects.

In addition to this, 60% of respondents stated that they felt the skills they did have were underutilised at least 50% of the time, suggesting that employers are not fully capitalising on the skills they already have within their businesses.

Kirstie Donnelly, Interim CEO at City & Guilds Group, commented:

Today we are fortunate that unemployment sits at its lowest level since 1975, but this masks the fact that many people in the country are in fact underemployed and could contribute far more to society if given the opportunity. By unlocking more people’s full potential, we can both increase opportunities for social mobility and help to drive up productivity.

Over the last decade, we have witnessed continued cuts to adult education funding, which has meant that certain groups of people have effectively been ‘left behind’. As the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution continues to totally reshape the labour market, we need to see urgent action from the Government to reverse the decline of the lifelong learning sector – ensuring people in all areas have access to critical skills development and employers have access to the talent they so desperately need.

The research found:

Those from lower socio-economic groups were much less likely to have received training in the last five years (44% vs 68%) and were less satisfied with their career prospects (22% vs 39%) than those from higher socio-economic groups;
Those living in the North East of England faced a significant disadvantage in access to training and opportunities for progression when compared with other regions. Only 21% of people in the North East felt positive about the jobs market in their local area, compared to 45% in London;
Those working part-time – significantly more women than men – were also less likely to have received training in the last five years than those working full-time (61% vs 72%). Part-time workers were additionally far less likely to believe there was opportunity to progress than their full-time counterparts (22% vs 36%);
People highly value the training they do receive – 77% of those who had received workplace training stated that it had enabled them to be more effective at their job.

Kirstie continued:

From better provision of training and education across regions of the UK to better access to childcare giving more part-time workers the chance to upskill, we need to see immediate action from government and policy makers. We are already lagging behind the other G7 countries when it comes to productivity so it’s critical that we address this challenge head on if we are to retain our status as a leading global economy post Brexit. Harnessing the full potential of the people that are already in work – and are yearning to learn – would be a significant step in the right direction.

As a result of the findings in the report, City & Guilds is calling for government and policy makers, employers and individuals to take action:

Employers need to invest in skills development for people at all ages and levels of their career. They also need to get better at recognising and utilising people’s full skillsets.
Individuals need to start looking for more opportunities to upskill themselves outside of the workplace or put themselves forward for training at work, as well as showcasing their full range of skills to employers, both current and potential.
Government and policy makers need to urgently review adult education and create a system that encourages lifelong learning, retraining and reskilling. They need to provide better careers guidance and advice to people at all stages of their career.

Download Report

Visit our searchable Knowledge Bank for a range of reports and studies on gender diversity, leadership and related topics.

Internal politics are biggest workplace struggle say study respondents

31 January, 2020 By WiC

Earlier this month, Roar Training asked nearly 400 people to reflect on their biggest workplace struggles of 2019. What came out of this exercise was the realisation that huge numbers of people are genuinely unhappy at work, for reasons that are easily managed.

Scenarios that require collaboration and navigating interpersonal relationships are some of our biggest struggles
Over half (54%) struggle with feeling bored, unfulfilled or demotivated
For some work is somewhere they “dread going to”, with “toxic bosses”, “sexist cultures” and “political sociopaths”

Relationships with bosses also scored highly, though relationships with co-workers less so. Considerations around productivity, such as managing workload and handling emails, are less challenging.

What do employees want?

Roar Training also asked people ‘If you felt completely professionally fulfilled, what would be different?’ to gauge the changes that participants wanted to see within their professional lives.

More autonomy

Professional autonomy and the ability manage one’s own workload was a common theme, with respondents stating:

“I’d have total autonomy over how I worked my day/hours.”, “I’d like more autonomy and opportunity to manage my own work.” and “A manager that trusted my decisions and my ability to do the right thing, without always needing to check on me. I know what I am doing, I would like to be able to just get on.”
“I would be happier if I was able to use my initiative more and work independently.”

Less stress

The majority of what would make respondents feel professionally fulfilled were emotional, rather than financial. (Only 8% of respondents mentioned money or salary specifically) and feeling less stressed and worried was a huge part of that.

“I’d be in a better place mentally and emotionally and it would help me in all other aspects of my life. I’d truly be working to live, not living to work which is how it feels at the moment.”

“I wouldn’t be dreading coming into work. I wouldn’t be stressed the second I open my emails. “

“I wouldn’t feel so stressed and I’d be able to focus on the parts of my job that add real value”

Focus and clarity

For many participants, a desire for professional clairty and focus was a recurring theme. Interestingly there was a correlation between this sentiment and wanting to feel valued and supported, suggesting a lack of direction or objectives, making employees feel lost and consequently uncertain of whether they were doing the right thing.

“Sit down and create more plans, structure is key!”
Clarity on what I do and my role within the business, especially how it can develop.
“A clearer understanding of what my job is and what exactly is expected of me”
“Have the time to focus on projects that will really move the needle and make a difference without distractions.”
“I’d feel motivated and have clarity in what I actually do.”

Feeling heard

The ability to feel as though you are being heard, believed and listened to is significant in developing professional fulfillment. Interestingly, this notion featured heavily in our research on creating gender parity in the workplace. Without feeling heard, people can feel ignored, undervalued and underappreciated.

“Bosses need to believe me”
“Understanding of how to be heard when you know you’ve got a company changing idea, a good one”
“I would be able to bring forward issues and solutions”
“Have the confidence to suggest changes or discuss them without fear of being fobbed off or ignored.”

Flexible working

Unsurprisingly, a desire to work remotely or flexibly features regularly in professional fulfillment.

“Flexible working would be key. I work full time and I have a small child. I wish my employer would recognise that sometimes doing the standard 9-5 isn’t possible, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t still achieve as much working around that.”

“I recently took on a remote role that offers flexible working in a department I love.
Previous to this I worked in an office in a role I wasn’t at all passionate about.
I can already feel the difference in both my professional and working life.”

“Freedom with working hours (not feeling like I have to stay until 5, even though I’ve tied my tasks up by 4.30 for example).”

What are your thoughts and main workplace challenges? Perhaps these are familiar, maybe yours are different.

Warrior Women gather at Lloyd’s

26 September, 2019 By WiC

Lloyd’s provided a stunning backdrop for our full-to-capacity Warrior Women at War leadership event held in partnership with ABF The Soldiers’ Charity on Wednesday 25 September.

The theme was to compare and contrast Army leadership with that in the corporate world and to discover what, if anything, each could learn from the other.

The Keynote, delivered by Major General Susan Ridge, set the tone for the evening and outlined her experience, as a lawyer, within the Army. “Whilst businesses had shareholders,” she said “the Army needed to satisfy the demands of multiple stakeholders.”

She also highlighted that in the Army it was always about “us” and not about “me”, that the ethos was one that welcomed challenge, where leadership required judgement and humility, knowing when to give people their head and when to give help, supervision and training.

Warrior Women image — Panellists Philippa Lorimer MBE, Claire Bowler and Annette Andrews

In response to a question about whether the corporate world could learn from the Army’s values (Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty and Selfless Commitment) Panellist, Commandant Philippa Lorimer MBE, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (PRVC) reflected that one of the big differences between her experience in the Army and her work in private sector defence sales was the lack of “honest” communication. She said that it had taken her time to adjustment to a world where what you said didn’t necessarily happen and you knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Annette Andrews, HR Director, Lloyd’s spoke of her experience having moved from country to country as a child and how that helped her when she worked overseas and managed teams in other countries. It had enabled her to quickly adjust to new situations, to “read” people and understand other cultures.

Claire Bowler, Partner, DWF who has three young children, aged 2, 4, and 6 spoke about how flexible and agile working had helped her to progress within her career. “Within a 40-45 year career, it’s OK to take your foot off the pedal now and again,” she advised. She also encouraged women to be strategic about how they used their time when managing a high level career and family and to be selective about when to be present at work.

During the Q&A session that followed, there was much discussion about flexible working – its importance and how to ask for it (base on facts, on outputs rather than emotion) and the need for mentors, sponsors and role models.

Gwen Rhys, CEO Women in the City reminded everyone that sometimes they needed to be their own role model, citing Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State who said:

Search for role models you can look up to and people who take an interest in your career. But here’s an important warning: you don’t have to have mentors or role models who look like you. Had I been waiting for a Black, female, Soviet specialist mentor, I would still be waiting. Most of my mentors have been old white men, because they were the ones who dominated my field.

Gwen added that many women felt there weren’t role models in their business that they could look up to an emulate and suggested that rather than trying to find “the one”, women should make a composite role model of the “best” traits, characteristics, behaviours of several women and men.

The post-event networking was lively, with lots of ideas and suggestions being exchanged. One idea was to set up Mentoring Groups, rather like Tutorial Groups, to encourage male mentors, who may be reluctant to mentor women 1-2-1, to participate.

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