CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT A FEMALE WHO INSPIRES YOU - IN EITHER YOUR PROFESSIONAL OR PERSONAL LIFE?
The female who inspires me in my personal life is my mum, who taught me a lot of different things that I get to apply at my job daily.
Values to show love, care, and kindness to those around me such as my colleagues. But having said that, I am earning respect as a yound woman and the team treat me like their sister or daughter.
Eliza Estoya - NDT Technician
CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUALITY THAT YOU HAVE SEEN DURING YOUR TIME WITH BERG?
When I first started at Berg (11 years ago) there was only a small number of us women & at that time we were all in “traditional” admin female roles.
During the past 11 years, Berg has definitely made a positive change for gender equality. We now have more than double the number of women working at Berg & we are now employed in various roles throughout the company. It’s such a positive thing to see so many women in roles that would have been held by men, to the point now it’s just become the normal thing.
It’s so great to be a part of a company that encourages all genders to be successful in each individual role & gives us opportunities for growth.
Amy Bramer - Production Coordinator
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT A FEMALE WHO INSPIRES YOU - IN EITHER YOUR PROFESSIONAL OR PERSONAL LIFE?
I would say that the women who inspire me the most is my mum. She is super smart and so dedicated and has always put her kids first and has given us such a privileged life while balancing her jobs as an AIN.
She always puts others first instead of herself, so growing up watching her dedication to her career and her family has made me value marking my own path and has shaped me into who I am today. She is a massive role model for me and as cliche as it sounds, I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.
Katelyn Wilson - Customer Service & Purchasing Officer
CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUALITY THAT YOU HAVE SEEN DURING YOUR TIME WITH BERG?
The hiring of female apprentices. Our most recent female apprentice even took out Apprentice of the Year for Brisbane is a awesome achievement.
Also, my promotion to the Technical Services Manager position which is the first time a female has been in the technical services manager role in either of the branches.
Renee Herbertson - Technical Services Manager
WHAT CAN BERG DO TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN?
A whole range of things include making equal pay a priority, championing women’s career progression, and Setting targets for women leadership positions.
Sponsorship programs (holistic version of mentoring) put sponsorship programs for women by pairing them with a senior manager who is well placed to vouche for them to recieve suitable promotions and opportunities. Address unconscious bias, training programs to help staff to recognise their own implicit bias so they can make fairer decisions and introduce better company policies.
Reward employees and providing workplace with more practical policies and opportunities, more flexibility, development training, job security and respect, school hour shifts etc.
Nilu Berg - Executive Advisor to CEO
WHAT'S A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING YOU OR YOUR COLLEAGUES CAN DO TO CHALLENGE GENDER BIAS AND SUPPORT GENDER EQUALITY?
One practical example of something my colleagues and I can do to challenge gender bias and support gender equality is to be mindful of the language and assumptions we use in our communications and interactions with others.
This means avoiding gender sterotypes and assumptions, using inclusive language, and actively listening to and amplifying the voices of under represented groups. We can also work to identify and address any biases we may hold and commit to ongoing education and awareness – building around gender equality.
Jeanetee Baynton - Onsite Coordiantor, WHS&E Coordinator
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR WOMNE IN OUR INDUSTRY MOVING FORWARD
I think that is it still a big challenge for women to manage parenting and career advancement. Things do seem to be getting a bit easier with childcare I believe becoming more affordable however, that is still one of the biggest killes.
The hours that are required to either study or advance in your role at work can make things stressful at home. Women that start out as an apprentice or have studied prior to having children definitely have a much less stressful transition into an industry working life I believe.
I know a lady recently who was trying to become a nurse and she couldn’t do the placement hours (night shift etc) as she has a young son, so she just had to give that dream away for the time being and find a day job. Berg is flexible with hours which is very helpful, so I am able to juggle my hours to be able to collect my daughter when required, however it still seems to be favoured to do long hours if you want to advance in industry roles (that I have had experience with) which is harder for mothers I think.
Anita Huxley - Production Support
As a company, we recognise that gender equality is not just a women’s issue, it’s a business issue. On International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate the incredible contributions that women make to our company and to society as a whole.
We are proud to have a diverse and inclusive workforce that values the unique perspective and talents of all our team members, regardless of gender.
Shannon Jansen - Chief Operating Officer
Unconscious bias is ‘absolutely’ prominent in our industry and exists in addition to conscious bias. But I also know that we all have unconscious biases, regardless of our gender. It is the responsibility of each of us, and especially those of us in leadership roles, to be aware and then to work to actively counter that in ourselves and in our teams and in our companies.
So many companies are actively seeking to engage more females in the industry and that is wonderful, but there is simply a shortage of females interested in entering the industry. We have to start thinking differently about the challenge and how we can massively increase the pipeline of females inspired to enter the industry.