Two of the UK\u2019s biggest construction contractors have won plaudits for promoting gender equality within their businesses.<\/p>\n
Costain<\/a> and Willmott Dixon<\/a>, which placed 12th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> respectively in the most recent CN100 list<\/a>, were both named in The Times<\/em>\u2019 annual Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality list.<\/p>\n The list recognises the most diverse and inclusive companies in the UK, specifically those that are making gender equality a central part of their business strategy. The Times<\/em> produces the list jointly with Business in the Community (BITC), a network of businesses promoting progressive social change.<\/p>\n Costain was recognised for its diverse board and executive team. The contractor has also made its job grades, rewards and benefits systems more transparent. BITC also highlighted Costain\u2019s new career-path framework, which gives people \u201cmore visibility about how to grow their careers\u201d.<\/p>\n Willmott Dixon, meanwhile, was praised for its Women\u2019s Leadership Programme, which was developed to generate a new group of women leaders. The contractor said more than half of the women who have completed the programme since it was launched in 2021 have been promoted or progressed their careers in a different role.<\/p>\n Willmott Dixon also focuses on inclusive work environments on site, including changing rooms, workwear designed for women and \u201cperiod dignity facilities\u201d. The contractor was also noted for its homeworking allowance, which is not pro-rata for part-time staff, most of whom are women.<\/p>\n Costain chief people and sustainability officer Catherine Warbrick said: \u201cWe know that by having a diverse workforce that\u2019s representative of wider society, we\u2019ll be able to deliver infrastructure solutions that improve people\u2019s lives in a more impactful way.<\/p>\n \u201cBy appreciating and celebrating our differences, we\u2019re creating a more dynamic, progressive and inclusive workplace for our people,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to drive the equality agenda forward, identifying and implementing ways to attract and retain diverse talent while ensuring we\u2019re helping our people achieve their career aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n Willmott Dixon chief executive Graham Dundas said: \u201cEnhancing diversity at Willmott Dixon is a long-held company value. Our future growth and success depend on recruiting the very best people from a wide pool of talent across all sections of society.<\/p>\n \u201cOur drive towards achieving gender parity by 2030 across all management levels is an important element of this.\u201d<\/p>\n BITC gender equality director Charlotte Wordsworth applauded both contractors for being named in the top 50, but warned \u201cthere is still more work to do\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom addressing pay disparities to better supporting those with caring responsibilities, many employees, women among them, still face barriers to finding employment and progressing in their careers,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is every employer\u2019s responsibility to play their part in reducing and removing gender inequalities from the workplace, and research shows this isn\u2019t just the right thing to do, it also makes business sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the accolades, data released last month showed the percentage of women in construction hit a new post-Covid low<\/a>.<\/p>\n Women also make up only one in nine top positions at major construction firms<\/a>, as revealed in April.<\/p>\n But Costain successfully narrowed its gender pay, to 24.4 per cent from 26.6 per cent last year.<\/p>\n Information on this year\u2019s Inspiring Women in Construction & Engineering Conference & Awards \u2013 hosted by Construction News and sister titles New Civil Engineer and Ground Engineering \u2013 can be found\u00a0here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two of the UK\u2019s biggest construction contractors have won plaudits for promoting gender equality within their businesses. Costain and Willmott Dixon, which placed 12th and 19th respectively in the most recent CN100 list, were both named in The Times\u2019 annual Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality list. The list recognises the most diverse and inclusive …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90643,"featured_media":495564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[532,586,575,546],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n