Inclusion update for the built environment and renewables industries
Newsletter 46: Rainbow lanyards and mid-life crises
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.
The construction sector is falling behind in gender diversity, with slow progress in appointing women to key decision-making positions on company boards. The report also sheds light on the concerning trend that male-owned businesses faced a higher risk of insolvency in 2023 compared to those run by females, with a staggering thirty-nine percent of companies being more likely to become insolvent if their boards were predominantly male.
The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management have reiterated their commitment to improving equity, diversity and inclusion within the profession after the release of the Young Foundation report.
All recommendations have been accepted by the board, and an action plan is being put in place to achieve them.
There has been an increase in female and ethnic minority apprentices within the construction industry – 1 in 10 apprentices are female and 7.8% from an ethnic minority background.
The question is, are we doing enough to retain them?
“I addressed a room of operational HR people… and asked if the barrier is acoustics or visual stimulation, colour or lighting… Do you know how to address that? Because they are the wrong people to be addressing it. Designers, architects, real estate people, facilities managers – those folks are the ones who can deal with it. So we need to understand that better in the sector.”
(Potentially the worst) Minister for Women and Equalities commissioned a report into D&I practice in the workplace, the 3 recommendations can be found here.
Starting out in the world of work can be really scary, so imagine if when you joined the workforce you faced discrimination - well nearly half of people from an ethnic minority background will face that according to new research.
If progress towards gender equality at work continues at its historical rate, an 18-year old woman starting work today will not see pay equality in her working lifetime.
Wearing a rainbow lanyard is not a political statement. It’s about supporting the LGBT+ community’s right to be themselves, and providing a visual cue that it is a safe space for them to be so.
A new report finds that “the overwhelming majority of men (86%) say they are personally committed to interrupting sexist behaviors when they see them in the workplace, but only 31% feel confident they can do so. Men want to be part of the solution. In her research, Sandra Quince has found baseline inclusive-leadership skills of:
The data seems to suggest that if you’re in the throes of a mid-career crisis, maybe you should just wait it out until the U-curve’s upward slope is reached. But there is more we can do in the face of mid-career malaise at both an individual and firm level.
