Women in Construction events

We’ve been holding Women in Construction events across the country as an opportunity for us to better understand the challenges and opportunities our female team members are facing in our industry and to help us understand how we can work to build a more inclusive culture here at Higgins. These events have been organised in partnership with our wider Fletcher Construction and Brian Perry Civil teams and are being held across our regions.

One of the challenges that’s been highlighted is the need for female-specific PPE for better fit and comfort, as well as ensuring there is enough PPE for the work week. This was considered a quick win, as it is something we could address immediately. I am pleased to say that we have providers available and access to this workwear available now.

Other challenges for all of our employees which require more planning and resources included improving toilet facilities on-site for, offering flexible working arrangements to support childcare or other caring responsibilities, providing personal development and career progression opportunities, and increasing the number of female operational leaders who could mentor and support our female frontline staff.

The workshops have focused on understanding how our people can develop their careers and access development tools and opportunities.

We also asked our women what attracted them to the industry and particularly to Higgins. Their responses included the variety of work and locations, the people, and being respected. To attract more women to the industry, our women suggested being an inspiration to other women considering joining the industry by sharing our success stories with the community.

These events have been a great opportunity for a number of our team members to come together and explore some of the opportunities we have to build a more inclusive workplace for all our employees.