As the UK’s leading ESG company in real estate, our work impacts millions of people on a daily basis.
We’re helping our customers to decarbonise their real estate in one in twenty large, non-residential buildings across the UK. We are also committed to delivering building outcomes for everyone, and as such it is vital that we reflect the diverse communities we serve.
As we mark International Women’s Day, I’ve been taking time out to reflect on the need to continually address underrepresented groups. Women make up just 15% of the workforce in the property and construction sector, and at less than 10% of engineering professionals, the UK has the lowest proportion of female engineers in Europe.
In order to achieve a vision as bold as ours, we need a diverse team and an inclusive culture that helps women’s careers to thrive and celebrates their achievements. Breaking the bias, whether that’s personal biases or systemic, is important in every industry, but especially in ours.
We can only start to build an equitable workforce and attract women and underrepresented groups to the sector, by leading by example. I’m pleased to say that women are choosing to work for learnd at every level in our business. It’s not just our bold vision and ambitious growth trajectory that attracts people, it’s the way we treat each other, with respect.
We work hard to create a safe environment for people to confidently voice their opinions. We understand and appreciate that gender, and other differences in experience and background, shape a person’s perspective and we value this. Having this array of perspectives allows us to challenge our own mindset, and also, challenge mindsets across the industry.
Creating a space to thrive
We work hard to create the space for everyone to be themselves, share, learn, develop and succeed at learnd. This means a culture of belonging from the start. Whether that’s an Apprentice in their first few weeks of work or an Engineer who has joined us with years of experience, we help them access opportunities, including pivoting in their careers.
For example, Jodie Barker who is our Head of BT Operations and is an absolute rockstar at her job! Jodie initially joined Aimteq as a Project Coordinator, and through hard work, dedication and commitment, she has gone from strength to strength in her career.
Supporting a hybrid workforce
We have a connected and supportive culture both in person and virtually, which is important as most of our employees are remote or hybrid workers. Our internal communications platform plays a big role in this. It’s a democratic place where employees can find out the latest news, build their professional network, celebrate successes and find the latest vacancies from across the business.
We set expectations for our managers from the very beginning and offer virtual and in-person learning opportunities for everyone. We celebrate the contribution of our employees and teams informally every day, and formally with our ‘Employee of the Month’ rewards programme, and work hard to provide the very best apprenticeship programme, mentoring and career development.
For example, our enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave polices support new and growing families. We also offer an employee assistance programme that everyone can tap into when they need it most.
One team
Last year we hosted the first learndfest, an opportunity for people from across learnd to come together, meet their friends and colleagues, eat, drink, talk, dance, and celebrate our successes. From live acts to a chance to enjoy each other’s company, it’s something we’ll be repeating again this year.
Our industry impacts everyone – we all use buildings to live, work and spend our free time every single day. It’s an exciting time for our industry as we all work towards a low carbon future. So, let’s shape the world, the learnd way.
