The charter aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, highlighting a growing body of evidence that suggests it is key to a construction business’s success.
It sets out five core actions, tailorable to any size of organisation and environment. They are:
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- Show leadership;
- Make a plan;
- Shape the culture;
- Be transparent;
- Be accountable.
Emma Shakespeare, head of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Laing O’Rourke said the company had taken the decision to sign the Charter as it wanted to join its peers in the industry to drive change. The company has set a target to achieve gender parity by 2033 as well as increasing the number of females in senior delivery roles and on projects.
She said: “Driving change not just within our own organisation but across the industry is something that we are committed to as a business.”
Earlier this year, Laing O’Rourke set up a cross-industry diversity and inclusion (D&I) forum. It brings together D&I leads from across the industry to share best practice. Companies involved include Balfour, Mace, Kier, Skanska, Costain. Shakespeare said: “We are really keen at Laing O’Rourke to drive some of the industry change that is needed. One of the things that we have implemented is our equal parenthood leave policy. Within that forum there has been a lot of interest in what we have done.”
And she encouraged more companies to sign up to the CIOB Diversity & Inclusion Charter. She said: “Together, we can make that change and we can start to make the industry a better place to be for everyone and attract that diverse talent that we are all looking for.”
Signatories have been growing steadily since the launch. Laing O'Rourke signed up in early October 2022.
‘Massive milestone’
Mark Harrison, head of EDI at CIOB, said: “Having 100 companies signed up to the charter is a massive milestone for us and our industry. It demonstrates positive progress towards a more inclusive, welcoming, and representative sector. Signing the Charter enables companies to show they want to help make the industry more representative of the wider population.
“And it sends a message to potential recruits that they want to attract the best talent from all walks of life, which its recognised improves employee belonging and enhances credibility with clients. The number of companies signed up to the charter continues to grow and we look forward to even more opting to join.”
Construction remains a male-dominated industry across the globe. In the UK, women make up around 15% of the construction 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. The CIOB said the "stark" under-representation points to "one obvious solution" to the current and on-going skills shortage in the construction sector.
EDI agenda
Harrison added: “It’s important we also consider how the EDI agenda can be of benefit to individual companies, the industry, and beyond. It also creates huge potential for addressing the people and skills gap in the industry. With only 2% of onsite operatives currently being women, for example, there are some obvious answers to this problem.
“We have such a broad range of existing and developing roles in the sector that offer excellent careers. We need to make sure we are attracting people with different, diverse life experiences, and skills into these roles. That will be for the benefit of everyone working in the sector and those making use of the buildings we produce.”
To sign CIOB’s Diversity & Inclusion Charter visit https://ciob.me/chartersign-up
