International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. According to the official website for International Women’s Day, increasing the visibility of…
Kennett Builders – Building Opportunities for Women in the Workforce:
International Women’s Day Article
“International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.”
This International Women’s Day, the theme is #breakthebias. We are bringing light to some of our brilliant employees, who contribute significantly to the overall success of our organisation. Increasing the visibility of the day-to-day achievements of women in the workplace, particularly in construction, a male-dominated industry, can help to accelerate gender parity.
“Construction has long been a male-dominated industry. Over the last 12 months, Kennett has nearly doubled its employment of women – which has been paying back in spades” says Executive Director of Corporate & Strategy.
“The diversity, unrivalled knowledge, skills, innovation and leadership that the women of our organisation bring to the table has contributed to significant growth – financially and culturally”
“We are in the process of significantly increasing women in the workplace through initiatives including our Graduate Program, where we hope to employ a range of construction graduates and continue to encourage women to pursue a career in construction by paving pathways to employment”
Meet some of our employees who #breakthebias on a regular basis:
Tracey Jones, Business Development Manager
“There’s nothing better than working with clients and consultants, discussing what’s possible with their project and how our team can bring that to life. I love working with our estimating team (who I think are absolute champions) to provide a quality submission and ultimately, win the project. My role is diverse, challenging and allows me to work across the entire business in a senior leadership role.
I’ve worked in a number of senior leadership roles, in organisations where I’m often the only female manager at the table. I’m proud to support women in the workplace and mentor them into leadership roles and career advancement opportunities, providing them with the insight and learnings from my own career. I’ve encouraged and promoted many women into leadership roles within my teams and get a real kick out of seeing them achieve amazing things.
Women in leadership, especially in this sector, help break the bias of a long-standing culture of construction being a male-driven career. As more women join leadership roles, this industry is changing and we see improved culture and greater equality. I think it’s vitally important to encourage change in the workplace, especially in the construction industry, by galvanizing others to be inclusive and diverse.
Bias can be combatted through a variety of ways. From the way we use language, through to recruitment, selection and retention of women in the workforce. It starts with engaging the entire workforce and having open conversations and training so we can all understand how to identify bias and change the way we behave.”
Anita Hourigan, Graphic Design & Visual Identity
“My role at Kennett is creative, despite being in the construction industry which is a typically male-dominated sector. My professional background is in advertising and graphic design and I have run my own graphic design business for over 10 years. My title at Kennett is Visual Identity & Graphic Designer so I am responsible for the overall visual identity of the Kennett brand and its execution across print, digital, signage, submissions, internal documents & communications.
I am the only creative in this office, so I have a skillset that is unfamiliar to many in this office. I #breakthebias by upholding a high level of professionalism within this largely isolated position with my male co-workers. I respect their expertise and they respect mine. From a personal perspective, my husband and I both work full time and both share the caring duties of our children as well as share the household chores at home. This is enormously important in offering an equal divide of responsibilities and respect for one another at home, which is still difficult to achieve for women of my generation. Women should not be the prime carers of children while working full time and doing all the household chores as well. This is detrimental to women’s careers and is how we are burning out from exhaustion.
Women in leadership in the construction industry is an essential part of breaking the bias. Construction is one of the most male dominated industries and the only way to change this is with women in leadership positions. Important programmes encouraging young women into construction related university degrees is a great place to begin. I think younger people are already challenging the gender divide in all sectors, as well as supporting the close the gender pay-gap movement.
Combatting gender bias and discrimination has to come from the top level of Directors & Executives and it needs to be practiced. Brand advocates are also a great way to influence and guide staff about the company’s core values and ethics. Accountability is an important part of ensuring staff understand that they are responsible for their actions and should always be respectful with their team members.”
Tracy-Lee Wilton, Systems Administrator
My role at Kennett is the Systems Administrator where I work closely with the Systems Team Leader to ensure our systems are in accordance with Kennett guidelines and legislative requirements, for example Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC) audits and ISO compliance. I prepare internal audits and update all standard forms for compliance. I participate in meetings to work towards maintaining and improving our systems.
At work I have noticed that there are a few male colleagues that will empty the dishwasher whilst others do not. This is only a small thing but to me it means so much that they don’t just assume a female colleague should do it.
At home I live with my husband and three sons. Two of my sons are young adults and the youngest is a teenager. I #breakthebias by encouraging my sons to participate in cleaning and maintaining a clean home. They do their own laundry and clean/tidy there own rooms. It’s not unusual for me to be the one sitting and relaxing whilst the kitchen chores get done by my sons. I #breakthebias there! My husband and I both work full time and share the home duties.
Women are known to be good communicators and good team players. Women are often expected to juggle many facets of life and this prepares them for doing just that in the workplace.
Female employees should be given equal opportunities and equal pay. If the female employee has the experience, skill set and qualifications there should be no discrimination and this needs to come from the Directors and Execs. The gender bias and discrimination should be dealt with from beginning of a persons life. Society needs to change.
At work I believe treating both male and female colleagues with respect regardless of their role or position.
Tella Wise, Marketing & Public Relations
“Coming from an agency that specialises in property marketing, the transition was natural. The more I learn about the construction industry, and how the market operates, the more I envisage a long-term career in the field.
The gender disparity in the construction industry is not unrecognised by firms or the sector at large. The great thing about Kennett is their proactive approach to addressing the issue – tangible goals for employing women in construction, for both site and office-based roles.
Aside from direct employment, gender bias and discrimination in the workforce can be combatted by a female presence in senior leadership roles. I can comfortably say that the skills and knowledge that I have attained, from the women that I work with, keep me inspired on a daily basis.
The opportunity to work so closely with a female Senior Manager, who influences and impacts the workplace regularly, has accelerated my knowledge, motivation and instilled confidence in my own ability – allowing me to deliver better outcomes for the organisation. To work for a company that fosters diversity in the workplace, for its merit rather than tokenistic value, is so important.
Outside of the workplace, I #breakthebias by training most days for SANFL. A huge commitment that Kennett has been extremely supportive of since the beginning of my employment.”
Courtney Ninnes, Office Manager & Reception
“My role is Office Manager and Reception, ensuring smooth operations of the business. I provide extensive support to the General Manager of our Victoria office which has given me exposure to all aspects of a project – from conception to completion.
I never would have imagined developing such a passion for the industry that I would decide to specialise in Construction Management.
Coming into this industry as an undergraduate (Bachelor of Business, Management), I never would have imagined developing such a passion for the industry that I would decide to specialise in Construction Management.
Working closely with a female Senior Manager at Kennett gives me aspiration for career progression in construction, a pathway that didn’t occur to me before working at Kennett. The industry definitely lacks opportunity and education around career pathways for women, which could be addressed by seeing more female leadership in the industry, something that Kennett is building the foundations for.
I #breakthebias by promoting opportunities for women to progress their career in a male-dominated industry.”
Interested in learning more about International Women’s Day?
Check out some resources below:
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/about
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