We have signed up to the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) Diversity and Inclusion Charter.
The Charter for “enhanced employee belonging” requires signatories to show leadership, to have a plan, to be transparent and to ensure working for us is a welcoming experience for those who want to join the industry.
It has been developed by the CIOB, the world's largest and “most influential” professional body for construction management and leadership, to “drive positive change” and make construction “fairer and more open to others”.
Explaining the rationale behind our decision, Hollie Cregan, GRAHAM Head of Equality, Diversity and FIR (Fairness, Inclusion & Respect), said:
“We recognise the enormous potential for our business, and the industry as a whole, in becoming more diverse, inclusive and open to everyone. Diverse and inclusive organisations have been shown to be more creative, productive and more responsive to diverse customer needs. We are an ambitious employer, and we understand the need to attract and retain a diverse and talented pool of employees for the best chance of sustainable and responsible growth.
“At GRAHAM, we continue to implement a range of initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion across our organisation. Signing this Charter is a further important step in our journey of continuous improvement.”
Strategic importance
Diversity and inclusion are of vital strategic importance for contractors.
Construction remains a male-dominated industry. In the UK, women make up around 15% of the workforce, with 2% of those working on-site. This figure is even less for those from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background who only make up 6% of the workforce.
Undoubtedly, this obvious under-representation points to a clear solution to the current and on-going skills shortage in the sector.
For GRAHAM, we appreciate that positive change takes time. Our ambition is to continue to be recognised as a leader in diversity and inclusion, and we remain committed to cultivating a diverse workforce.
Demonstrating our progress to date, key achievements include:
- The development of policies and processes that drive a consistent and fair approach
- The implementation of fair recruitment practices where the right person always gets the job through the creation of an equal playing field for all types of applicant
- A focus on treating each other in the right way – The GRAHAM Way
- Investment in CONNECT, a whole person development tool, to create equality of opportunity
- Measuring success and championing diversity of people and thought
- Creating a dedicated team focused on making FIR work
We have also committed to achieving external recognition for our plans in 2022, working in partnership with the National Centre for Diversity.
For more information on GRAHAM and our commitment to making GRAHAM “a great place to work” for everyone, please visit: https://www.graham.co.uk/about-us/fir