COMMENT AND OPINION | Sofia Charalambous
We need to create an environment
where women can thrive at work by developing job criteria that are no longer outdated and changing the culture of organisations
Room at the top SOFIA
in the upper echelons of the bathroom industry? Let’s be honest – we don’t have enough women working in the bathroom world, especially at senior levels. To move forward, we need to ask why we don’t have more women, how we are going to increase the numbers and why it would benefit our sector if we do. We can see women filtering through and, yes, it’s slowly
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improving, but we need to accelerate the speed with which they can move up the proverbial toilet chain. Some industry professionals may suggest that the reason why we haven’t got more women in top jobs is because they’re not interested or qualified for these roles. I would argue, the main reasons for a lack of women climbing up the bathroom ladder is the lack of flexibility, work/life balance and unconscious bias – in other words, those who make the hiring decisions have learnt stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional and deeply ingrained. We need to create an environment where women can thrive at work – this means developing job criteria that are no longer outdated and changing the culture of organisations to one that encourages females to push themselves forward without constantly worrying about family commitments. A 2016 Credit Suisse report showed a correlation between the number of women in management positions and the average annual return of the company. They found clear evidence that companies with a higher proportion of women in decision-making roles generate higher returns. What better way to encourage businesses to focus on equality and diversity. Forward-thinking bathroom design retailers know the
benefits of promoting women into top jobs. Sam Colwill, chairman of award-winning retailer, Bathrooms by Design, has, in his words, taken on “three female superstars, but the industry needs more of a woman’s touch”.
CHARALAMBOUS OPINION
The co-founder of boutique accessories specialist Bathroom Origins explains how she believes the bathroom industry would benefit from having more women in top jobs
hen billionaire founder of global fashion brand Uniqlo, Tadashi Yanai, recently announced he wants to be succeeded by a female, because “the job is more suitable for a woman, as they are persevering, detail-oriented and have an aesthetic sense”, my brain went ping, ping, why are there so few women
Where women excel in the industry is in running their own businesses. All female-led, The Tap End, Pontyclun, south Wales is just one example. In a few short years, co-founders Justine Bullock and Lynda Rees have harnessed their business and design skills and the power of social media to create an award-winning business that anyone could be proud of. One of the most powerful ways to encourage women to move through the ranks is for the women who already hold positions of power in our industry to mentor them. Ambition and confidence are things women are too often discouraged from when we’re young. I’ve been mentoring both women and men in and out of our industry for a number of years. I provide guidance and encouragement – I’m a sounding board for their ideas and I share my journey and insights with them.
For those women who would like to progress to the top, find female role models within your organisation and the industry whom you look up to. Approach them and ask them if they will help you. Some may not be willing to support you, so move on to those that will. This leads me on to why having more women in strategic
roles will benefit in our changing bathroom landscape. Speaking at a World Economic Forum event in Davos this year, Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba Group, said “If you want your company to be successful; if you want your company to operate with wisdom, with care, then women are the best. Thirty-seven per cent of senior management in Alibaba are women.” Half of the bathroom buying population are women, but you wouldn’t think that from some of the marketing produced. Even now, in 2019, I still see adverts, social media posts and brochures objectifying women. I did a quick count of a bathroom brochure from a well-
respected distributor – 43 images in total; two were of a mixed-sex couple, three were of male installers and 38 were of women who looked like they were under the age of 25. Does that mean that only beautiful young women use the bathroom? What about babies, children, teenagers, men and, dare I say, people over 50? With more women making the purchasing decisions
within businesses and for our own homes, who better to ensure the motivations and mind-sets of this market are met, than women. The bathroom industry is playing an increasingly significant role in the well-being of people. The products and services we provide are helping people create spaces in which they can retreat, relax and escape from the outside world. It’s whatever we want it to be. Let’s look forward to a time where the bathroom world is a place we can all thrive in, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and disabilities.
22 kbbreview · December 2019
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