Marking International Women's Day 2023

We wanted to mark this year's IWD theme of #embraceequity by hearing from some of the women who are part of our talented workforce.

Construction is currently not an equal industry. In the UK, women make up around 14% of the workforce, and at McLaughlin & Harvey, our workforce split is similar to the UK average. Although we are an equal-pay employer, we recognise we have much more work to do to reduce our gender pay gap performance.

Pamela Wray-Slack - Assoc CIPD , has been with the company for a year and in her position as Recruitment Advisor has seen the male-to-female imbalance first-hand.

"Construction still remains a heavily male-orientated profession, however, there have been positive movements over the last few years to boost the exposure of females entering the profession. More and more females are choosing a career within the construction industry and the way we can improve on this further is by promotion at an early age of the opportunities the construction industry can offer."

This observed increase is reinforced by Go Construct , which reports that "37% of new entrants into the construction industry that came from higher education are women."  

Leanne Milligan, Finance Director and Company Secretary for our Scottish business has noticed a change in her time working for the company.

"I have worked for McLaughlin & Harvey for many years. Whilst the environment has naturally changed over time, I can genuinely say that I have not been held back or had a lack of opportunity because I am a female, nor have I been given any opportunities because I am a female. McLaughlin & Harvey seek bright, enthusiastic and hard-working individuals. If you are willing to commit and not shy away from hard work, then I believe doors will open as they did for me. The differentiator that can set you apart is your attitude.”

Kathy Patton, an Operations Director at WorkSpace - a division of McLaughlin & Harvey - has worked in the construction industry for 16 years, 10 of which have been with us. She has also noticed a change but encountered some barriers too.

"In order to achieve equity we need time. Over the last 20 years we have seen significant progression, not just in the construction industry on equality, but around general representation of women in the workplace. 

"As much as the understanding exists that equity is necessary to be fair and inclusive to all, we need to respect that change takes time and people need time to embrace change. I take comfort in hearing topics being discussed that were taboo 10 years ago in a boardroom.

"Personally, I have felt at times that I need to prove that I am stronger than a male in a similar role to achieve promotion."

At McLaughlin & Harvey, we recognise that we must give people the tools they need to do their job and succeed. By this we don't just don’t mean construction tools, plant and machinery, it relates to our managers' understanding that we are all different and we can’t take a single approach when it comes to managing and supporting our people. 

Kerri-Anne Downey started out as a site engineer 8 years ago and is now a SHEQ Advisor at McLaughlin & Harvey. She sees equity in action at our sites.

"I do think that the construction industry does a lot to encourage equity. There is a small portion of women in the industry, however, this seems to be growing and the facilities I see on-site are generally proportionate to the gender ratio. For example, most sites will have 1-2 female toilets and considerably more male toilets. Whilst this isn’t equal it is equitable if there are 5 females involved in the job and 100+ males."

But she also believes the loss of women from the industry when they choose to start a family shows how far we have to go.

"Having a child is often a roadblock for women in their careers in construction as most go into a more office-based role or leave the industry altogether. I spend 60% of my working week on-site and this is the part of my job that I really enjoy. I’m not sure what can be done, but I think that it’s something we need to consider as an industry, so we aren’t losing the experience of women at this stage of their careers."

Jane Elder , one of our Social Value Managers, has worked in the construction industry for 14 years. She also thinks we can do more.

"Although we are making positive changes in equality, we still have more work to do. Tackling equity and what that means can help break down barriers even further to help create a more inclusive and diverse workforce and can help us to outrank competitors by becoming an employer of choice. 

"We are actively encouraging more females into the construction industry (equality), which is good news, but think how many times a female engineer, female site manager or female client, has arrived on site to then be handed gloves which are too big for them. It would be better to just order a few different sizes and keep them on site for such times when they are needed (equity) - even the smallest of changes can make a difference."

Our Group HR Director, Alison Reilly , has been reflecting on her 20-year career journey with McLaughlin & Harvey and balancing equality and equity.

"Equality promotes fairness in the workplace but equity embraces inequalities and supports our staff to carry out their role effectively. Different people have different needs and creating flexibility in what we do and how we allow our people to work embraces diversity. I have been reflecting on the flexibility and support provided to allow me to become the leader I am today, and to inspire others to achieve their goals." 

Education - at an early age - and showcasing real-life individuals who have chosen a career path in construction are key ways to inspire the next generation of females.  We aim to do this through our social value work with schools, colleges and universities, along with our support of the STEM Ambassador Programme and our career programmes.

Imagine the impact we could have if we do more, as a company, and as an industry.

Natasha Brown has been a SHEQ Advisor with McLaughlin & Harvey for a year and in the construction industry for her entire career.

"When I walk onto the site I feel I get the same respect and time as the rest of my colleagues, although I feel there is still room for change in terms of equity in this industry for women. I think a focus should be on women and getting them excited about construction when they are young. We currently have a large skills shortage and I feel women could close that gap massively. Why as a society are we putting jobs in gender boxes? If we show young females that we have representation on-site and that it is a very fun and rewarding job, we could start to make changes.

"Throughout my career I have been very lucky to work with and around a number of women who have been at various levels in the industry. They have been key in my journey and have shown me that I can be successful and can aim high in my career progression."

We acknowledge that we are on a journey to equality and equity at McLaughlin & Harvey. We don't always get it right, but on #IWD2023 we reaffirm our commitment to continuous improvement in both gender equality and equity for each individual in our business.