by Clair Mooney | Aug 15, 2024 | Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR)
The Inspiring Change Awards celebrates organisations and individuals within the built environment sector that have created inclusive cultures through activities to support workplaces, education of the current and future workforce, and the community. Nominations are invited from organisations and projects that have introduced innovative and creative initiatives within the last two years.
Entry is now open for the following catgeories, and will close on 13 September 2024.
Find out full details on the nomination process here. Please email completed nomination forms to InspiringChange@supplychainschool.co.uk
FIS Head of Skills, Beena Nana is a judge for the 2024 Awards and said:
FIS is delighted to be supporting the awards and working with colleagues from across the industry to challenge all of us to be better and spotlight positive stories that can inspire us all.
The winner of the Awards will be announced at the 2024 Conference which will bring together a range of inspirational speakers from diverse backgrounds and workplaces to share their expertise. For more information on the conference and to book your place click here.
by Oscar Venus | May 17, 2024 | Employment, Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR), Health and Safety
Prioritising mental health can be hard and is often forgot about, but it not only impacts your team, your business can also suffer. Your employees deserve a safe working environment and learning how to take care of your people will make a significant difference to your business’ productivity and absenteeism.
To learn more about managing mental health in your business join our Associate Service Provider Member Citation’s upcoming webinar ‘Mental health awareness- Building a healthier happier team’ taking place on Tuesday 21 May from 11-12pm.
What’s included?
- Everything you need to know about stress risk assessments
- How to engage your employees and boost productivity
- Practical tools to support wellbeing and manage stress in your business
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/jy2jw7b4
If you’d like to chat about how Citation can help with the HR and Health & Safety side of your business, just fill in their call-back form, and they’ll get right back to you. Remember to quote ‘The Finishes and Interiors Sector’ when enquiring to access preferential rates.
by Oscar Venus | Mar 15, 2024 | Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR), Skills
The ‘Fit-Out Futures’ group is a new network being launched by FIS to encourage and empower change by capturing and enhancing the thoughts, ideas and energy of the rising stars and those from diverse backgrounds within the sector. The Group will operate as a dynamic network that connects those from diverse backgrounds and younger people working in the community to share experience and add their insight into the work of FIS.
The group will be a platform for action; looking to harness ideas to help us evolve and ensure that we project a sector that is modern, responsive, inclusive and attractive to work in. Ultimately the programme will be determined by the group, but initially FIS Team will organise a number of meetings and events (physical and online) throughout the year. Anyone wishing to join the Fit-Out Futures group should contact Michelle Armstrong
How the network will work:
How will we get things going
To kick things off we will host an initial round table meeting, drawing together key individuals from across the supply chain. The aim of this meeting will be to introduce the concept of the Working Group and give those joining an opportunity to raise your ideas for shaping the future with like-minded people intent on making a difference.
Group Objectives:
- Create a network that connect those from diverse backgrounds and help individuals improve their networks
- To help promote and amplify positive initiatives and get the weight of FIS behind them
- Ensure all voices in our community are heard and FIS activity reflects their needs
- To be custodians of the FIS Respect Policy and ensure FIS events are designed to support all in the community
- Tap into new perspectives to confront challenges and drive change
- Harness ideas to support sector recruitment, school and college engagement etc
by Clair Mooney | Oct 4, 2023 | Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR)
New research on diversity underscores the challenges Black and Ethnic Minority candidates face in securing positions and advancing in the UK construction industry, as well as their higher attrition rates.
To help support this, FIS CEO Iain McIlwee will be joining other leading industry panellists at the upcoming Black & Ethnic Minority Experiences in the Built Environment virtual conference on 18 October 2023 to discuss how senior leaders can drive actionable change in the industry.
The event will take place between 9.30am – 12.30pm and is free to attend. It will combine best practice case studies with real-world insights in thought-provoking discussions aimed at driving positive change in this critical aspect of our industry.
By joining this virtual conference, you will:
- Dive further into the relevant data on Black and Ethnic minority workers arising from both the most recent Diversity Data Benchmarking Report and FIR Culture Impact Report.
- Address issues around recruitment and internal promotion of Black and Ethnic Minority candidates.
- Listen to facilitated discussion around Black and Ethnic minority employee experiences and what can be done to address these issues and support candidates from a more diverse talent pool entering and remaining in the built environment sector.
Alongside Iain will be other thought leaders in the industry, including speakers from Mace, CIOB, Network Rail, BPIC, Transport for London, HS2, the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion, HS2 and more.
Download the full conference programme and register your free place here.
Making our sector inclusive for Black and Ethnic minority candidates and workers is a critical topic to address in Black History Month and throughout the year. We hope you can join the event.
by Clair Mooney | Sep 28, 2022 | Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR)
The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has launched a National Equity and Inclusion Plan (NEIP) for the construction industry in Scotland to encourage the development of a more diverse and all-encompassing workforce.
Funded by Scottish Government, this latest initiative is part of a wider transformation plan for the industry giving the sector access to a wider talent pool to support growth and help to address labour shortages.
In the construction industry in Scotland 15.4% are women, and there is a gender pay gap of 23%. Some 1.6% of workers in the sector are from a minority ethnic background compared with 4.3% of minority ethnic workers in Scotland as a whole. Figures show 10.5% of the workforce are disabled, 33% of construction workforce are aged 50+ with only 2.7% of starts in Modern Apprentices female. (Figures from Annual Population Survey 2020).
The NEIP seeks to address these imbalances by mainstreaming equity and inclusion. The Plan sets out “Six by 2026” strategic aims which the CLF commits to work with industry to achieve. These aims include the sharing of best practices across industry, using data and industry feedback to benchmark progress, signposting to a range of resources for companies to access and development of industry-wide E&I accreditation.
The Plan was developed following an in-depth study by GenAnalytics which looked at the challenges and current state of play and what current best practice there is from inside and outside the sector. It was informed by a wide stakeholder group including E&I experts, industry and government and found that construction falls way short of equity and inclusion standards compared to other sectors and identified a number of sector-specific issues to be addressed by the Plan.
FIS CEO Iain McIlwee said:
With profound shortages in people and cultural challenges that we need to address as a sector, initiatives like this take on new meaning. A focus on inclusivity isn’t something we should do, it is something we have to. It starts with individual behaviour, but requires a collective effort to truly deliver change.
Business Minister and Construction Leadership Forum chair Ivan McKee said:
“I recognise that we face new economic and social challenges of an unprecedented scale. This plan aims to support wider efforts to address inequality and promote greater diversity within the Scottish construction sector to encourage inclusive growth and help address labour shortages.
Companies with better records of fair work, equity and inclusion do better, have a healthier and more engaged workforce and demonstrate greater diversity of thought. Fairness and inclusiveness encourages better relations with partners, shareholders, customers and employees.
It will help support the increased resilience of construction and reinforce wider efforts to create a more sustainable economy, in line with the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.”
Lesley Quinn, Divisional Director, Corporate Affairs at City Building, City Building, one of the case studies featured in the report and three-time Queen’s Award winner for commitment to E&I, said:
“We have worked hard to develop E&I across our business from our 200 apprentices to our leadership team, and the results have been outstanding. There is a growing depth of best practice in and outside of the sector, so it is encouraging to see that sharing this is part of the NEIP.”
Lynsey Brydson, NEIP project lead at Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) said:
“The NEIP sets out a clear path for the sector to follow and importantly this will be benchmarked to monitor the progress that has to be made. Quick progress can be made through signposting to initiatives like the DIveIN programme run by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) that gives free E&I training and support to construction companies.”
Emma Dickson, Technical Director at Arcadis and industry co-chair of CLF’s Skills and Workforce subgroup, says:
“It is critical that the industry takes action to be more diverse and inclusive. The plan sets out key areas that we should focus on to make that happen. Larger construction companies are making improvements, but many SMEs need tangible support to make the changes needed. The next steps will be critical to make sure this happens.”
The Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) programme is an industry-wide initiative that aims to make workplaces better for everyone. This National Inclusion Week, the Supply Chain Sustainability School has highlighted findings from its Annual Culture Report and free training and resources available to support the industry in attracting and retaining people from the full pool of talent.
by Clair Mooney | Mar 22, 2022 | Fairness, Inclusivity and Respect (FIR)
To encourage active collaboration, inclusivity and support the delivery of a more diverse workforce, FIS is delighted to announce its collaboration with Women into Construction (WiC).
With less than 15% of the UK construction workforce represented by women – a figure that reduces to 1% for trade roles – this collaboration seeks to address the industry’s appalling record of attracting and employing women. It will challenge the sector to overcome barriers and improve the experience and strengthen the support network for women joining the finishes and interiors sector workforce.
The partnership will see FIS and WiC work to maintain regular communication on a wide range of industry issues which affect their respective memberships and look for opportunities to work on collaborative activities that complement and support their organisations.
FIS President and Operations Director at Tapper Interiors, Helen Tapper stated:
“It is encouraging to see FIS working more openly on diversity in our workforce. It is critical that we increase our appeal and overcome behaviours that have caused people to look past construction. Beyond the moral imperative, the labour and skills shortage is, without doubt, the most acute we have known. It would be nonsensical not to look at what we do to adapt and improve our recruitment processes and behavours to appeal to the widest possible group of people.”
Kath Moore, MBE – Managing Director Women into Construction says:
“We are delighted to collaborate with FIS to support increased diversity in the finishing and interiors sector. By raising awareness and opening up opportunities for women to find out about the wide range of roles available, we aim to challenge perceptions and encourage companies to look beyond traditional sources of labour to meet their skills needs. We look forward to our partnership with FIS to change the face of construction.”
Supporting women wishing to work in the construction industry, Women into Construction works with housebuilders and contractors to recruit highly motivated, trained women, helping to reduce skills gaps and create a more gender-equal workforce.
To find out more about Women into Construction, visit its website
