This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) theme Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress. emphasises that gender equality and economic inclusion can only happen when women are given equal access to learn, earn and lead.
In the construction industry, which has one of the lowest proportions of women of any industry in Australia, how do we give equal opportunity to women to flourish in a way that creates lasting change?
SHAPE is tackling this through our promote-from-within strategy, which concentrates on hiring in entry-level roles and developing and promoting our people throughout the organisation. This strategy has been in place since 2016 and has resulted in females in production roles increasing from 17 per cent to 28 per cent.
From the ground up
Our entry level program, the SHAPE Cadet Program, allows new starters to gain real-world experience in the construction industry. It aims for a 50:50 gender split, with the assurance of a full-time role upon graduation.
Since we began aiming for an equal ratio of Building Cadets more than 7 years ago, our female participation rate has increased to 29 per cent – surpassing the industry by 11 per cent. We are starting to close the gender gap in roles such as Project Engineers, where women represent 39 per cent, and Project Managers, where women represent 34 per cent. In Victoria, for the first ever, females represent 50 per cent our Project Managers.
While the concentration of women is still in the non-management roles, we know that through support, mentoring, and career and personal development, we can support these women to reach senior roles throughout our organisation.
Personalised approach
As we strive towards a more inclusive culture, we aim to do so in a constructive manner, with personalised development plans that are unique to each SHAPIAN. We want our employees to know they have achieved their goals based on personal merit, with the guidance of leaders who support the progression of their careers. Ensuring that expectations align between employees and management is an important part of these plans, which is reinforced through feedback that aids the growth and performance of all employees.
To facilitate equal career opportunities for all SHAPIANS, we implemented a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan. Our DEI Plan plays a vital role in driving and maintaining female representation, through initiatives such as specialised training provided to hiring managers and new starters on unconscious bias and diversity. As well as flexible work, parental leave toolkits to identify clear pathways for returning mothers and primary carers, appropriate amenities on sites (sanitary bins, toilets for women, safe changerooms etc), and regular gender pay gap reviews to guarantee a zero-pay gap for like-for-like roles.
Since we began aiming for an equal ratio of Building Cadets more than 7 years ago, our female participation rate has increased to 29 per cent – surpassing the industry by 11 per cent.
Overcoming challenges
Whilst promote-from-within strategies have a huge positive correlation in boosting female representation at SHAPE, they come with a set of challenges which require constant refinement and feedback from our teams. We are still missing the necessary female role models to help navigate career pathways for those starting at the bottom. We aim to tackle this industry wide problem through mentorship programs, training and development, and industry memberships to organisations such as NAWIC.
Another challenge we face is that it takes longer to close our median pay gap, even though we eliminate an equal pay gap. While we give time for our entry level hires to develop and progress, the concentration of females remains in lower-paid roles. When we look at like-for-like roles, our gender pay gap ranges from -3.9% to 7.3% across our primary production roles. Equal remuneration is a key component of our DEI Plan and is analysed quarterly. We anticipate a continued reduction in the gender pay gap as we persist in our efforts to foster development, promotion, and retention of females into more senior roles throughout the organisation.
It can also be challenging to educate our people on the difference between equity and equality when it comes to supporting a diverse workforce. The question we often find ourselves asking is, ‘How do help our people to understand that we do not necessarily enter the workforce with the same opportunities?’. We are determined to remove these barriers through our people strategy that is centred around understanding our people at an individual level. Individual career and development plans and individual flexibility plans to understand and concentrate on the differences we have as individuals to overcome.
At SHAPE, we recognise that we all have a role to play in empowering and supporting our female peers. We have worked hard on building a culture of inclusivity and equal opportunity, where promote-from-within strategies are able to support our employees from the ground up. The talent pool that women represent is immense and underutilised in construction, and we will continue to ensure that women are recognised, nurtured and celebrated in the industry.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea, and skies. We’re grateful to those who have cared for, nurtured, and protected Country for future generations, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
