WOMEN IN NOVUS NETWORK SEPTEMBER 2022 UPDATE

  28 September, 2022      Company UpdatesCore Values
WOMEN IN NOVUS NETWORK SEPTEMBER 2022 UPDATE

Last week we held our sixth Women in Novus (WiN) network meeting. WiN is a company-wide initiative that brings together our female colleagues and male allies, from all levels of the business.

What is the WiN network for?

In 2021, we set ourselves the challenge of fully embodying our position as a ’21st century’ contractor: this included growth and development targets, but also placed a great emphasis on making us a forward-thinking, inclusive, and supportive company.

Our commitment to the cause is such that our Executive Director, Lee Hartley has taken on the role of Board Sponsor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and helped create the Women in Novus network. The network creates a discussion space for women across the business and fights to break the sigma of women being underrepresented within our industry.

September 2022 network meeting update

Our last meeting was very valuable and gave an insight into our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, ‘Without U there is No Us’ which focuses on key pillars and milestones to help increase colleague belonging. These all fall under three main commitments:

  • Everyone is included and will feel able to be themselves without compromise to achieve a greater sense of belonging.
  • We will enhance education and development opportunities that support everyone, building a legacy where people can live, work, and thrive.
  • We will actively champion Inclusion across our teams, partners and the industry.

Supporting our recently launched Inclusion Strategy, our CEO Steve Davies comments:

“I care passionately that colleagues, customers, and clients are always able to be their whole selves, and that no one must compromise who they are to fit in with our culture.”

 

The group was also joined by Nikunj Upadhyay, Inclusion & Diversity Director from Wates, who gave an interesting and beneficial talk on best practices, pitfalls and award-winning success from her ambitious Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda at Wates.

The open forum also addressed areas of improvement highlighting the need for network groups, new policies and boosting equal opportunities, all which are already being actioned.

Our WiN successes so far

Our WiN network has already had a significant impact in advocating for better conditions for women at Novus, from clarity around part time and flexible working to ensuring that every one of our live sites has adequate sanitary disposal bins, and that clothing and PPE are suitable for both men and women, including pregnant people. We have also signed up to Construction News’ Inspiring Women In Construction Pledge.

We have also enhanced our Family Friendly policy to offer longer paid maternity/paternity pay and have launched a Menopause Policy to raise awareness around menopause amongst management and to offer increased support to those with symptoms.

Lee Hartley Executive Director and Board Sponsor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion comments:

“WiN deals with the reality of women’s lives –making it significantly easier for women to progress and succeed in the workplace, regardless of role or ambition.”

“The WiN network is truly inclusive, extending its reach beyond office-based female colleagues, or those on leadership paths, to tackle common issues affecting women and other underrepresented groups. By taking on issues including menopause symptoms and flexible annual leave for carers, WiN deals with the reality of women’s lives –making it significantly easier for women to progress and succeed in the workplace, regardless of role or ambition.”
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