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Feb 29 2024

Constructing Rainbows - Job interviews that work, conference season, and menopause as a disability

Inclusion update for the built environment and renewables industries
Newsletter 45: Job interviews that work, conference season, and menopause as a disability
Constructing Rainbows advises built environment and renewables organisations across the globe who have an aim of making our industry inclusive for all. To find out more visit www.constructingrainbows.co.uk
This newsletter will provide you with some updates on what others are doing, within the built environment, renewables and in other industries.
Menopause in the workplace: are firms providing adequate support?
As construction companies seek to attract and retain more female employees, establishing robust menopause policies has never been more important
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"Most clients want their FM providers to present them with innovative solutions to their problems, diversity of thought will assist with this. Clients want their FM providers to fit seamlessly into their teams with comparable values. And of course, ongoing skills shortages result in increased costs to clients. All of these, true EDI can help with."
Construction industry has the largest median gender pay gap in Australia
The Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency have just released publicly the employer gender pay gaps, so you can see for the first time how your employer is doing compared to your competitors.

The largest median gender pay gap was found in the construction industry - 31.8%

Hopefully this transparency will get employers to act quicker on closing the gap.
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Mitie have worked with the Sikh community in Glasgow to host a careers event in the Gurdwara. There were lots of companies from the FM and construction industries, and hopefully encouraged more Sikhs to join the built environment sector
Research on women in the construction industry
Building Commission NSW conducted a large piece of research to investigate the culture of the construction industry and the barriers women face in entering, working, and staying in the industry. 

Nationally, in Australia, the percentage of women in construction has declined from 17% in 2006 to 12.9% in 2020, and this report looks at the barriers and biases that they are faced with, and produces some recommendations for addressing them.
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RICS Rule of Conduct No 4 states "Members and firms must treat others with respect and encourage diversity and inclusion"

To support individuals and firms in maintaining that, they have launched some guidance documents.
Conferences that break boundaries and why it’s time for the industry to embrace change | BE News
"We know our industry is built on relationships. It’s the connections we make, the people we speak to and the community we make, that help us to find out about and win our next investment or project. Networking is therefore a really important opportunity to meet new people and strengthen current relationships. It’s human nature to connect with people who are like yourself. But who are you missing out on speaking to by sending the same people to these events?"
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Labour pressures and a failure to attract female builders, carpenters and electricians is hampering Australia’s ability to build enough homes, as the country grapples with the soaring cost of renting and housing.
Autistic people held back by job interview questions
The CV and interview process for recruitment is outdated, and creates a barrier for some people to succeed, whilst also elevating some people into roles that they can’t actually do.

Some small adjustments to your recruitment process can make sure you get the best person for the job.
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The latest report from FTSE Women Leaders shows a continued increase in the percentage of women on FTSE 350 boards. There is clearly still some work to do with specific roles within the executive committees - Finance Directors and Chief Information Officers particularly, but tracking in the right direction.
Really amazing to see the growth from 2011 levels - that’s real progress.
Four-day week made permanent for most UK firms in world’s biggest trial
Most of the UK companies that took part in the world’s biggest ever four-day working week trial have made the policy permanent, research shows.
Of the 61 organisations that took part in a six-month UK pilot in 2022, 54 (89%) are still operating the policy a year later, and 31 (51%) have made the change permanent.

More than half (55%) of project managers and CEOs said a four-day week – in which staff worked 100% of their output in 80% of their time – had a positive impact on their organisation, the report found.
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Why diversity matters even more | McKinsey
McKinsey & Company have been reporting on the business case for diversity since 2015. Their latest report "Diversity matters even more" highlights the gap between top and bottom performers in gender and ethnic diversity is increasing.
"Our 2015 report found top-quartile companies had a 15 percent greater likelihood of financial outperformance versus their bottom-quartile peers; this year, that figure hits 39 percent"
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Firms must help menopausal workers, or face being sued
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued guidance to employers that menopause symptoms could be considered a disability and therefore could be sued if reasonable adjustments aren't made.

I know a number of organisations have stepped up their education programmes on menopause and the impact it can have on people's work, but worth highlighting the legal implications of not supporting people properly.
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Gender pension gap 2024: women need to work 19 more years than men
We often talk about the gender pay gap, but that has a knock on affect to pensions which isn't talked about enough.
This latest research shows that women would need to work 19 years more to close the pension gap.
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New Disability Action Plan to make UK most accessible place in the world - GOV.UK

The Government has launched its new Disability Action Plan – 32 steps it is taking to make the UK the most accessible place in the world for disabled people to live, work and thrive.
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Return-to-office mandates don’t help companies make more money, study says
There seems to be a push to get people in our industry back in the office. This will not help productivity, in fact the complete opposite when mandated - as unhappy staff are less productive.
Women, carers and disabled people will be most affected, and I hope they talk with their feet and go find new places to work that are more inclusive and flexible.
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