Our challenge is to build a new sewer for London to prevent the frequent pollution of the river Thames Our vision is to not just clean up the Thames but to promote a change in the relationship between London and Londoners and their river

1. TIDEWAY
Women in Projects Embracing Equity
KELLY BRADLEY
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT MANAGER

2. Our challenge is to build a
new sewer for London to
prevent the frequent
pollution of the river Thames
Our vision is to not just
clean up the Thames but to
promote a change in the
relationship between
London and Londoners and
their river

3. TIDEWAY’S APPROACH – A CALL TO ACTION

4. ~
Commitment from the top
“… I want to achieve gender parity by
the time we finish construction of
London’s “super sewer” ”
Andy Mitchell CBE, CEO Thames
Tideway Tunnel
December 2014

5. Approaching the challenge
Engagement
Resourcing
Programmes
&
Partnerships
Policies &
Practices • Supportive family policies
• Flexible working charter
• Procurement –
Frameworks and suppliers
• Appraisals/ Rewarding
appropriate behaviours
• Carers Leave
• Menopause
• Welfare/PPE
• Encompass
• Surveys
• Employee involvement
• Networking events
• Exec Management
commitment
• Support Networks
Attraction strategy
• Language we use
• Where we advertise
• Social Media
• Internet
• Ban the Box/Disability
confident
• Measure & track
• Early careers
• Apprentices
• Graduates
• Returnships
• STEM ambassadors
• Links to external
organisations

6. Encompass structure
Encompass
Menopause
Gender
Parity
Carers
Action
Ability
Race
Equality
LGBT+
Encompass Steering Group meets at the start of
the quarter, although everyone is welcome
Individual groups meet to plan their activities

7. Gender parity initiatives
• Providing female and modest PPE
• Welfare
• Recruitment Strategy
• Blind recruitment
• Female interviewer on panel
• Job description / advert language checked
• Training
• Unconscious bias
• Conscious inclusion for hiring managers
• Menopause seminar
• Inclusivity champions & Pearn Kandola
• Listening circles and follow-up actions
• Discussions guides; non-promotable office
tasks and misogyny.
• Policies Introduced
• Returners’ Programme
• Informal flexible working arrangements
• Annual engagement with staff
• Utilising Lean In Circles, “Your Best Year
Yet”
• External Assessment
• Times Top 50 Employers for Women
• WISE Ten Steps
• Inclusive Employers & ENEI
Membership and relationships
• MWCs
• WISE
• Women into Construction
• Women’s Engineering Society

8. Engagement

9. • Active Row Programme
>70 schools, based on poverty profile
>7,000 young people active through rowing
>42% female
>68% from minority ethnic background
• Breaking Barriers Programme
>72% female
>73% from minority ethnic background
>Created over 700 volunteer hours
• 300+ women engaged and given training
information, advice and guidance
• 37 women into employment
• 41 women completing placements
• 9 Tideway mentors
• 30+contractors engaged
• 14 women into tailored training programme through
Tideway supply chain
Partnerships
“WIC secured me
two weeks work
experience on site
and offered a full
time position of
Environment Lead
and I am very
proud to be part of
this project”

10. Social value analysis showed an estimated £8 million of social value by supporting STEM careers,
translating the impact of our STEM activities into 1,400 future STEM careers
• Engaged almost 3,000 young people
Of those who attended workshops/work experience:
• 50% of those identified as female
• 32% received free school meals
• 82% were from ethically diverse backgrounds
• 68% improved their confidence
• Engaged more than 1,000 young people
• Mentored 55 young people
Of those mentored:
• 80% were from ethnically diverse backgrounds
• 15 identified as female
• 22 identified as disadvantaged
STEM Programme
“If it wasn’t for the
programme, then I feel
like the journey of
successfully finding the
right apprenticeship
would have had a lot
more uncertainty.”
“I learnt that
apprenticeships
are just as attractive as
university and civil
engineering
is an interesting career
choice.”

11. Asking, measuring, reporting, publishing

12. Asking, measuring, reporting, publishing

13. • Be genuine in desire to improve Diversity & Inclusion, if you aren’t then that will
come across and the initiatives won’t work.
• Have an executive sponsor to promote your work at board level
• Host events throughout the year, continue to raise awareness and educate as
this is continual
• You need to collect data to measure how you are doing as an organisation, but
also be transparent in communications with your employees
• A maturity matrix is good way to measure how the organisation is progressing.
Key take aways