SHAPE Celebrates International Women’s Day 2021 #ChooseToChallenge

March 8, 2021

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #ChooseToChallenge, is a call-to-action to challenge the status quo by raising awareness against gender bias, celebrating women’s achievements, and taking action towards equality.

We love this year’s theme, as challenging the gender stereotypes and biases within the construction industry is at the heart of what we work towards at SHAPE. We firmly believe that creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of gender, is free to be themselves is the key to creating the best place to work.

The construction industry is the second lowest-ranked industry of female participation, making up only 18.3% of the total construction workforce, and has the lowest proportion of women in management roles of all industries surveyed at just 13.1%.

Since 2014, SHAPE has had an unrelenting focus on challenging these industry trends by improving leadership behaviours and capabilities across the business to build an organisational culture where people feel comfortable being themselves, sharing their ideas, and supporting each other.

We have invested heavily in leadership development programs and measurement tools to support this vision. The most recent organisational culture survey, conducted by global organisational development company Human Synergistics, placed SHAPE’s operating culture in the top 10 per cent of companies in its global database.

SHAPE’s leadership and culture transformation has led to a commitment to improving diversity and inclusion. A key feature of SHAPE’s strategy has been developing a Gender Action Plan, designed to build and maintain a compelling employment proposition for women. These initiatives include:

Development of a fair pay policy
Instilled a leadership team commitment
Formalised flexible working
Individual career plans
Generous parental leave entitlements
Compulsory discrimination, harassment and unconscious bias training are delivered company-wide and to all new starters.
SHAPE women have the opportunity to access tailored training on how to increase confidence and overcome the general barriers women may face at work.
Networking opportunities both within SHAPE and through organisations such as NAWIC & WIDAC
Recruitment targets set

These efforts have seen a significant change across the organisation. SHAPE’s female participation is currently at 26 per cent and is steadily increasing. The building cadet and project coordinator participation has increased to 40 per cent, and Project Manager participation from seven per cent in 2017 to 19 per cent.

With SHAPE’s organic promote-from-within approach, we have a strategy to increase female representation amongst senior leadership by investing in and developing the great talent within the organisation and expected more positive changes to be seen over the next 12 months.

We love this year’s theme, as challenging the gender stereotypes and biases within the construction industry is at the heart of what we work towards at SHAPE. We firmly believe that creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of gender, is free to be themselves is the key to creating the best place to work.

We would like to take this opportunity to shine a light on some of our amazing female SHAPIANS and their contributions towards the construction industry and making SHAPE a great place to work!

Over the past 12 months, we have doubled our female site roles and are welcoming Rachel Price, pioneering as the first Site Foreman in our Brisbane branch and welcomed Sema Isin, our very first female Site Cadet!
Michelle Germano, Office Manager in Perth, is one of many celebrating a successful 20-year long tenure at SHAPE. Contributing to our incredible low unplanned churn for FY20 of 4%.
Our Adelaide team received the NAWIC Crystal Vision Award For Excellence (2020-2021). This award recognises organisations that are advancing and furthering women’s interests in the construction industry.
Our Canberra team has partnered with the Australian Training Company and NAWIC to host the Women in Construction Pathways Program for college students, creating apprenticeship opportunities for young women in the construction industry.
SHAPE’s parental leave scheme supports parents through their career journeys whilst starting a family, allowing for flexibility and progression. Maryanne Akari and Dominque Flaherty were able to further their careers and were recognised for their efforts by being offered promotions before and whilst taking Parental leave.

Inspiring female SHAPIANS – Choosing to challenge!

With so many talented females working at SHAPE, it’s no surprise that in 2020 so many have been recognised for their incredible efforts and achievements both at SHAPE and externally:

Our very talented, Alexandra Nagy in Adelaide, took home the 2020 NAWIC Graduate of the Year Award for our outstanding contribution to the construction industry since graduating.
Keeta Welch in Darwin won the Master Builder’s Women in Construction Award for her positive impact on women in the construction industry.
Daniella Tesoriero in Sydney made the list of the Top 100 Women in the Construction industry for 2020 for her contributions to the construction industry and leading her team through numerous successful projects at SHAPE.
Whilst being busy on interstate secondments, Maddie Brown, from Canberra joined The Property Council of Australia’s Inclusion & Diversity Committee.
Kara Cursaro, has been promoted to become South Australia’s first female Senior Project Manager after delivering several complex projects in the Health Sector in Adelaide.

So today, and every day, let’s celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality!
#ChooseToChallenge

SHAPE Celebrates International Women’s Day 2021 #ChooseToChallenge

Inspiring female SHAPIANS – Choosing to challenge!

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