This year has been a good year for women, but how do we go from good to great?
According to a recent analysis by
headhunters Korn/Ferry Whitehead Mann, 2012 was a good year for women at the top of Britain’s business. Of the newly appointed directors to FTSE 100 companies, nearly half were female. Political leaders are aiming to get 25% of board places apportioned to women by 2015, and various fi gures from Vince Cable to EU offi cials have
cited quotas as the next step if voluntary targets are not met.
Many reports have proven the business case for diversity at the top; research by Catalyst found that companies with women board directors achieved a higher return on equity, superior sales and higher ROI across the US Fortune 500. The Deloitte Gender Dividend report also makes the case that by being late to the diversity party and maintaining male, pale and stale boards, businesses are risking not future-proofi ng their businesses due to women’s rising buying power.
It’s quite hard to argue against the benefi ts given the extensive evidence. So, how does the UK cleaning market measure up? According to industry skills body, Asset Skills, 60% of all cleaning staff in the UK are women, though the majority of higher level managerial staff are men. The typical UK cleaner is aged over 34, female and working on a part time basis; the tendency towards fl exible hours may largely account for the lack of progression.
the cleaning industry rage diversity at the top, further the success of
directors?
Diversity in our industry should be praised, but it’s not enough.
Unlike other industries, I believe the
cleaning industry has developed its own natural form of diversity, based entirely on merit. We haven’t needed quotas to demonstrate our commitment to equal rights; diversity in the cleaning industry has happened of its own accord.
Put simply, entry-level cleaning roles are predominantly, but not always,
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fi lled by women. As they develop their skills and gain experience, opportunities arise to move up the ranks, which is why you can observe a good spread of men and women in senior positions. The prevalence of talented, bright women fi lling senior positions suits the dynamics of our industry too. Understanding the needs of the workforce is far easier if you’ve been there yourself.
Speaking personally, I’ve always found women in senior positions demonstrate a great level of practicality and effi ciency, as well as a great ability to prioritise work according to importance or urgency. However, I believe there are other major issues for the cleaning industry at the moment.
Recent calls for proper, recognised vocational qualifi cations for the cleaning industry have highlighted an area in which we lag behind
Cleaning and FM certainly has achievements to celebrate: Mitie, headed by CEO Ruby McGregor- Smith CBE, has been named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women for the third year running. BIFM, who run the successful inaugural Women in FM conference, is chaired by facilities expert Ismena Clout. But there is more work to do.
To avoid any government mandated quotas, the cleaning industry may need to make changes to its recruitment and talent management process as a whole. Attracting younger staff is a problem. The industry is affected by typically low wages and perceptions of a lack of progression. Embracing and promoting our support of policies such as the living wage, training and daytime cleaning are likely to go a long way to increasing our talent pool, and therefore increasing options when it comes to thinking about promotions.
Melissa Higgs, British Cleaning Council
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
other service industries. The next generation of talent is there, but without harnessing that and providing a foundation on which to grow, we risk losing the really good people. As well as raising overall standards of cleaning and professionalism, proper qualifi cations would offer anyone the chance to develop personally by providing a tangible incentive and a structured career path.
It’s a debate which needs to be held; as an industry, we should be praised for our natural diversity, but we must make more of an effort to support people, through offering qualifi cations and a recognised path for the future.
Brian Boll, Systems Director, Jigsaw Cleaning
www.jigsawcleaningsystems.co.uk
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