13 minute read
BUILDING A WAY FORWARD
BRIGITTE PETERSEN
When l isa s tevens began her music business career in n ew york c ity years ago, she started from scratch. Armed with an economics degree, she worked her way up from a clerical position to senior vice-president of marketing at s ony music and other executive positions.
n ow chief strategy officer at the Bc c onstruction Association (Bcc A), s tevens says her career in marketing and business development led her to construction.
“in every position, i’ve had to continue to learn to trust my instincts and the value of my contribution, to speak up not only with my ideas, but in asking for what i need to be successful,” she says. it’s a familiar story for many women who enter construction through human resources and marketing where – after proving their worth and gaining experience – they move up to higher-level positions, according to s tevens. But getting hired and advancing in the industry continues to be a challenge.
“in terms of diversity, construction lags behind most industries,” says s tevens.
There are many career opportunities, programs and supportive groups for women including the Builders c ode, the s killed Trades e mployment program and the Bc Tradeswomen society. s tevens says the barriers that persist are often employer-specific.
“you can quite easily find employers who are focused on positive work culture and prioritize diversity,” she says.
The Builders c ode is helping to move the needle in a positive direction, according to s tevens. s tarted as a pilot in 2018, the goal is to increase the total number of skilled tradeswomen – now at six per cent – to 10 per cent by 2030. The code encourages companies to sign acceptable worksite pledges and establish workplace policies to stop bullying and harassment. in 2019, the Bcc A and code partners launched a d on’t Be a Tool campaign to address bullying, hazing and harassment. more than 300 employers have signed up and are following the code.
“i do think that we’ll meet the target. We saw a 30 per cent increase in women in trades just before co Vid , and though we’ve had a bit of a hit from that, i think we’ll bounce back strong,”
Lisa Stevens, chief strategy o cer of the BC Construction Association, has had to learn to speak up – for her ideas and for herself – in order to be successful in business • SUBMITTED
“We’ve got lots of room for improvement and we have to remain vigilant,” says Donna Grant, president of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association • SUBMITTED
says s tevens.
To advance, women should look for opportunities to join boards and committees, according to s tevens. And through the Bcc A’s new mentorship program, Building Builders, women working in construction can support other women by becoming mentors.
“Women are the future of construction, and there’s never been a better time to be a woman pursuing a career in the industry,” says s tevens. d onna Grant, president of the Vancouver regional c onstruction Association (Vrc A), says women pursuing leadership roles need to be comfortable with not having every box checked.
“We may slow ourselves down because we tend to, as women, apply for those jobs where we need almost 100 per cent of the job description,” she explains.
Women are making progress overall in the industry, according to Grant.
“We’ve got lots of room for improvement and we have to remain vigilant,” she says. “it’s not just barriers to entry, it’s those hidden barriers to progress that are so critical.” impacting change can take place at the board level, according to Grant. The Vrc A’s 14-member board of directors currently has one woman, but she’s hoping this will change soon.
WHAT I LEARNED EARLY IS THAT IT WOULD TAKE ME, A WOMAN, MORE TIME TO PROVE THE VALUE OF MY CONTRIBUTIONS Kim Barbero CEO Mechanical Contractors Association of BC
WE REALLY NEED TO SEE WOMEN AT EVERY STAGE AND IN EVERY SECTION OF OUR INDUSTRY Brynn Bourke Executive director BC Building Trades
“it’s not until you have three women at the table that you start seeing the real benefits of diversity,” she says.
As the first woman to lead Bc Building Trades (BcBT) in more than 50 years, Brynn Bourke says she felt supported when the board approached her to take on the role of executive director.
“i felt that people were exploring, ‘h ow will a woman handle this job differently?’” she says. “But i also have been in this industry for over a decade.”
Bourke says having female leaders sends an important signal that they belong in construction, but more representation is needed.
“We really need to see women at every stage and in every section of our industry,” she says.
Bourke says job sites have become safer, and initiatives like Build Together, a women-in-trades group, are helping.
“We’re a different industry than we were 10 years ago,” says Bourke. “We’re also on our way towards that tipping point where i think women’s place in the various corners of our industry will be normalized.” o ne way to attract more women is to have more female trainers, according to Bourke, who says when new apprentices see a female instructor leading a class, it shapes their perception of the trades.
Be more Than a Bystander is another initiative that’s making a difference. r un by the Bc c entre for Women in the Trades, the program trains men on how to create more inclusive, safe and respectful workplaces.
“For tradeswomen, you’re never done proving yourself,” says Bourke. “That’s why change has to be systemic and it has to be cultural.”
Kim Barbero, ceo of the mechanical c ontractors Association of Bc (mc ABc ), says one challenge she’s faced has been having enough time to develop and expand her skillset as a leader, consultant and parent.
“What i learned early is that it would take me, a woman, more time to prove the value of my contributions,” she says.
Barbero says the culture on construction job sites is changing, but more is needed to help women advance. Women in mechanical c onstruction, a forum run by the mechanical c ontractors Association of c anada, gives women an opportunity to share experiences, find opportunities and learn new skills.
“i also think that schools have a powerful role to play. c ounsellors, teachers and the entire system needs to celebrate the trades as a great career,” says Barbero.
To improve female representation, worksites need to ensure women have access to daycare and appropriate hygiene facilities, according to Barbero. s he says women need to be comfortable claiming leadership positions and leading by example.
“i can’t think of anything more heartwarming than a young girl seeing her mom fulfilled by her work, her craft, her trade and then wanting to follow in her footsteps,” she says. ç
Brynn Bourke is the rst woman to lead the BC Building Trades in more than ve decades • SUBMITTED
A NEW METHOD TO DRIVE AND ENABLE CHANGE
We need to examine and address the barriers that hold women back
TINA STREHLKE
it will take 59 years to reach gender parity in n orth America. A third of board roles across c anada (34 per cent) are held by women, and women hold 20 per cent of senior executive positions in B.c. metrics give us a great snapshot of where we are with gender equality. And it’s not pretty. But while metrics of women at leadership tables are helpful, if we only measure whether women are at the top, how do we know what it takes to get there? h ow do we measure progress on women’s leadership journeys and dismantle the barriers that stand in their way? minerva Bc has been a driving force behind gender equity in leadership in our province for 24 years. in 2015, our Face of l eadership initiative started measuring executive and board leadership diversity progress. But while there has been some movement in the numbers, it is minimal and sometimes in the wrong direction. Judging by recent estimates, it will be decades until women and gender-diverse people enjoy the same economic opportunities and workforce outcomes as men.
We desperately need better methods to accelerate this trajectory, as well as ways to understand our collective progress along the way. r ight now, as a society, we are asking women to do most of the work, whether it is through books, mentorship or leadership programs. many of these are contributing positively to women’s lives. But the onus shouldn’t just be on women. We must be more thoughtful about setting our organizations and society up for success to ensure all talented leaders can thrive. minerva Bc is embarking on a different approach to drive and enable gender diversity in leadership. We are focusing on women’s leadership journeys, measuring, monitoring and tackling the visible and invisible barriers they experience at critical stages in their careers.
For women, these barriers include societal expectations, success stereotypes based on traditionally male attributes, the pressure to conform and widespread denial that barriers exist. in organizations with very low representation of women, such as in the construction industry, barriers can be as simple as a lack of gender-specific personal protective equipment to ensure their safety.
By mid-career, women face higher performance standards, being overlooked for positions due to their age and stage, penalties in pay and promotions related to motherhood and career progression penalties for needing flexible work schedules.
And hurdles persist when women reach leadership positions, such as a lack of executive sponsorship, typecasting, isolation, being tokenized and the recently well-publicized “grey tax.”
But do these barriers really exist in our organizations in B.c .? And can we measure and actively dismantle them? A resounding, “yes.” And we must. instead of relying on data that organizations provide voluntarily or obligatorily, we want to listen and learn directly from women and others in our provincial workforce.
We are going to be tracking barriers experienced in B.c .; in our workplaces and broader society. We want to track the presence of success stereotypes in our workplaces and progress towards valuing different types of leadership. We want to assess unwritten performance standards and work towards equalizing these across the workforce. We want to measure societal perceptions of leaders of different genders and challenge us all on our biases.
We need to accelerate the pace of change dramatically. And to do that, we need to take a closer look at what’s holding women back. l et us collectively ensure that our metrics offer us tangible solutions to change and are not just stagnant statistics that we repeat over and over again. ç
Tina Strehlke is president and CEO of Minerva BC.
A LACK OF INCLUSIVENESS IS HURTING AUTO SALES
It’s time for women to ‘shake the tree’ and demand better service – for everyone
MEHRSA RAEISZADEH
As the co-founder and coo of an Ai-powered platform, i’m often asked why i chose auto sales as the focus of my work. my reply takes many forms, but the one that is most meaningful to me on a personal level and is arguably the most important reason for disrupting an industry that’s ripe for change, comes from the woman in me.
The engineering phd in me knows that any car’s features can be explained in terms that range from simple and straightforward to highly technical and complex; other features can be more emotional. The tech developer in me has figured out how to build a patent-pending online process that determines a vehicle’s condition and automatically estimates its auction starting price. The operations manager in me sees the potential of artificial intelligence to replace many of the expensive and inefficient aspects of car retailing that frustrate dealers and consumers alike.
But the woman in me knows from experience that the enduring lack of trust women feel when buying or selling a car is a problem that must be solved in order for auto retailing to survive and thrive.
Women influence 85 per cent of car-buying decisions and represent 62 per cent of car buyers, and the industry must change to reflect that.
While working as a process engineer in h ouston, Texas, during the spring of 2012, i decided it was time to buy my first car. i knew exactly what i wanted, i walked into the dealership full of excitement, and the first thing the salesperson said to me was, “Where’s your dad?” n o matter how many times i emphasized, through gritted teeth, that i was buying my own car with my own money, i was not taken seriously. i was trying to buy what would then have been my most valuable asset, yet all i felt was talked down to. i ultimately resorted to bringing a male friend to the dealership with me, which was funny because as an engineer i knew much more about the technical aspects of the car i wanted than he did. But like many women, the car’s engine displacement, horsepower and torque weren’t my main concerns. i wanted to know that the car was safe. i wanted to find out how much luggage i could fit in the trunk. i wanted to feel the smoothness of the suspension and responsiveness of the handling for myself without being peppered with alienating auto jargon. i purchased the car i wanted in the end, but only after losing what little trust i had in a process that was, let’s just say, unpleasant, to put it mildly. There’s strength in numbers, i suppose, so it is somewhat comforting to learn that i was far from alone in feeling this way. According to a recent survey conducted by Auto
Trader, 94 per cent of female respondents said they don’t trust car dealerships, and 40 per cent said they “dread” the buying process. Another poll, this one by What c ar? magazine, found that 29 percent of female respondents said sexism still exists in auto retailing. The disappointing dealership experiences shared by millions of women for far too long are a big part of the reason i founded mintl ist, which is gender agnostic and gives everyone the same level of control over the car-buying process. i encourage women to start calling out poor service: “l ook at me,” “Talk to me,” “e xplain things without being dismissive or condescending,” “r emember my name” and “For the love of God stop calling me ‘honey.’” if there is even a hint of mansplaining or, worse, flirtation, i am gone. l et me be clear: in my work with mintl ist, our dealer partners value inclusiveness, diversity and gender equality, and treat all their customers with respect and dignity.
These are industry change-makers on a mission to make a difference. it’s a great place to start. We highlight the best of the best. These are dealers we know will deliver a first-class experience to every customer – man and woman alike. it’s encouraging to work with forward-thinking companies and make this change happen in the industry. Although i’m sure many female readers will relate to my story, it’s not only women who despise the car-buying experience. d eloitte recently reported that just 17 out of more than 4,000 car shoppers surveyed were happy with the status quo car-buying process – that’s 17 people, not 17 per cent. it is clearly time to start shaking the tree. ç
Mehrsa Raeiszadeh is co-founder and COO of MintList.
