roundtable: women in business 41


Dereza asked if the leadership of Antony Jenkins was the secret behind Barclays’ successful programme.


“Partly, but it’s never one person,“ said Clifford. “It’s a team of people creating the movement, allied to a focus on transparency. We have a Balanced Scorecard system, for example, which assesses not only what you achieve, but also how you achieve it. That in itself is a great leveller.“


Judith Daykin noted that diversity and equality was already evident at the recruitment phase. “The concern is supporting women moving up in the organisation – when taking career breaks to have families, and returning to work – so that they still have the capacity to reach their potential. Certainly, in my industry and firm there is a focus to do that.“


to achieve, as they were at the recent Women in Business Awards evening.“


Forrester: “There are still quite a few things to be changed or improved. It will take time and we need to keep banging the drum.“


*Adamson: “This debate will always be challenged within society, but many organisations are now embracing change with open minds and hearts, and that can only be positive.“


The need for business culture change


Shimmin accepted that different industries were at differing stages of their cultural evolution towards diversity and gender balance. “But, if women are willing to try for the top, then we have to look at work culture and how it can be made more open to women – who may do things differently, but achieve equally valid results.“


Changing industry cultures would take time, and women reaching the top needed to be ready to exercise their senior roles to help achieve it, Shimmin added.


Lisa Forrester


Stephanie Morris also saw gender equality at recruitment level. “But, why is it when you compare this to director level, that same gender equality is not mirrored? Companies actively employ women, I don’t understand what changes between entry level recruitment and director level placement – surely probability alone would see more women acting in director roles, yet that is not the case.“


Kath Shimmin said recruitment legislation had helped ’level the playing field’ but workplace culture hadn’t changed. “We work within a business community that for hundreds of years has been run by men for men. It’s very challenging to walk into ’a club’ that is designed to operate in a particular way and be faced with the choice of becoming one of the blokes (which doesn’t really help diversity) or not. For many women it’s not just about gaining acceptance from the men around them, but whether they want to battle business culture as well.“


Lisa Forrester: “Over the years, I have make a conscious effort to fit within a male dominated environment, but I don’t think that’s the way to tackle the issue.“


Shimmin: “Higher management levels are essentially combative, and faced with that culture women often rule themselves out.“


Clifford felt the real task was to build the ’bench- strength’ of women entering businesses so they can “understand and see the future trajectory of the great place they are heading“.


Heidi Drummond: “A lot of women don’t realise their potential or how far they can aim. We run an internship scheme and it is hugely rewarding to nurture young talent, and see them being inspired


*Adamson noted that a culture of long hours and the ’need to be seen doing the job’, provided serious work-life balance barriers for female employees with childcare responsibilities, and made it difficult for them to remain in the construction sector.


“I would suggest that it is the organisational work culture of the industry that impedes women in construction, and this needs to become more flexible.


“Lessons can be learnt from other industries, such as banking and information and communication technology where organisational changes have contributed to increased retention and returnees to work, saving millions on additional recruitment and increasing productivity.“


Katie Dallimore-Fox felt there was a gender culture shift occurring among her generation. “I don’t compare myself to men, but to my peers. There is no distinct difference between how I view my male or female peers, and I don’t believe my company has that either.“ However, as a prospective mother, she admitted being worried that society wasn’t doing more to enable women and men to fit work around their family commitments.


Part-time working . . . and full- time guilt?


*Adamson highlighted a University of Reading report published by The Chartered Institute of Building which suggests that lack of ’good’ part- time employment opportunities in construction leads women to seek employment in the ’5 Cs’ (caring, cashiering, catering, cleaning and clerical work), sometimes low paid and undervalued roles. Women also pay the penalty for part-time working by facing loss of earnings when taking maternity time.


Forrester: “I didn’t realise how difficult things are for women in business until after I had my twins and went back to work. Although my company was incredibly supportive, I just felt a constant pull


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – DECEMBER 14/JANUARY 15 Judith Daykin


Shimmin: “ I see people driven by guilt, and I’d like to say to every young woman coming into business that you do not have to feel guilty if you decide to leave your child in good quality childcare and go back to work full-time.


“We actually don’t spend enough time enabling women to stay in the workplace.“


Drummond agreed, revealing: “Although I saw other mothers quite content to stay at home, I was climbing the walls and wanted to go back to work, yet found I couldn’t deal with the guilt of doing


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of guilt between home and worklife.“ Flexible or part-time working was a great benefit, she added, but: “I ended up working longer hours, trying to fit five days of work in four, to prove my worth to the company.“


Drummond: “That’s not a personal or company thing, it’s a society culture of having to constantly prove your worth as a woman. “Until we can shift that culture, we are going to have to keep doing it just to keep up.“


Clifford suggested women needed to be realistic about suitable post-maternity job roles. Prior to becoming mothers, they should look at alternative options that may enable flexible working, and agree those future roles with their employers. “Sometimes there is an onus on us as individuals to make different choices at different points in our careers.“


While child-breaks could hamper work continuity and career progression they could also provide opportunity, said Drummond. She started a fresh career after maternity leave, setting up her own business that she designed to work around her child and home commitments – “but you still feel torn and guilty.“


Dallimore-Fox: With flexible working, women will be able to do their work plus their child’s drop-off and pick-up, yet having to work more to make up for lost time could lead to more stress.


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