Inclusion
We know that a diverse team means a stronger business, is better for our customers and makes us a more attractive employer, which is why we are committed to diversity and inclusion.
We value everyone for who they are and the unique contribution they bring to customers, colleagues and the communities we create. Everyone at Barratt is treated with dignity and respect and we actively ensure our opportunities are available to the widest possible pool of people to reflect our diverse society.
We are committed to the principle of equal opportunity for everyone and to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment where everyone can feel comfortable and be themselves. All employment decisions here – for example, candidate selection, reward, promotion, performance reviews and access to benefits and training – are made without regard to race, colour, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, age, physical, mental or sensory disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, family or parental status.
It takes a community to build a community
Hear from our people
What led you into Housebuilding and made you join Barratt Developments?
I was always fascinated how buildings and cities impact the way people live. When I was an Architecture student and graduate I was making sure the design gives the right answer to the needs of the modern family. Later, I have followed the design to construction stage. Barratt offers me opportunity to manage the design of many homes that are built under Barratt brand.
What’s the best thing about your job?
My job is never monotonous, there are always many solutions discussed for very practical items on site. It is also very rewarding to see completed homes and people moving in.
What would you say to anyone else considering a career in housebuilding?
I would welcome them! It is very fulfilling industry and the one that will see major innovation over next 20 years, including BIM, 3D printing and modular solutions.
What led you into Housebuilding and made you join Barratt?
Having worked in property related roles for 10+ years previously, I wanted a new challenge and I thought that moving into the construction industry would be a great opportunity for a career change whilst also hoping it would make use of some transferable skills.
What is the best thing about your job?
The variety of the day to day role which includes being involved in all aspects of the housebuilding process from as early as planning and design stages all the way through to build completion, occupations and beyond.
What would you say to anyone else considering a career in housebuilding?
There is so much variety in the career roles that exist within `housebuilding` or and the wider construction industry that I truly believe there is a role in this industry suited to everyone, with genuine opportunities to progress, make a difference and achieve great things in each housebuilding discipline.
What led you into Housebuilding and made you join Barratt?
Shaping environments and making a lasting impact for the benefit of the wider community has always been a big passion of mine. I wanted to get involved in construction ever since I was a little girl. I was fortunate enough to travel the world, and I became interested in the different architectural culture of our built environment; the different human habitat. In my opinion, architecture is one of the most influential professions in today’s society. Therefore, I went on to become a Chartered Architect. While practising as an architect and mostly working on Design and Build residential contracts for Housebuilders, I wanted to be more engaged with my projects; seeing my creation and design come to life.
Architects are the original ‘job runners’ and I firmly believe that my professional qualifications make me a stronger Project Manager, so I started searching for the opportunity to enter the housebuilding industry. In 2015, I made the leap into project management, becoming a Development Manager working for a Retirement Housebuilder. I had the opportunity to work closely alongside my colleagues from the different disciplines and as a result learnt a lot. The knowledge and understanding of how each role fits in with everyone else has been invaluable and has helped progress my own development. It gave me a great platform to build on.
No two days have ever been the same since, with daily new challenges and there is always something new to think about. I get to see works progress in the flesh from start to finish. I also get to work with every other departments in the business and have the chance to meet all different types of people.
Just being a woman at my level in construction is a challenge in itself, and a positive impact on the industry. Women make up only 33.9% of the construction workforce in the UK and just 13% of senior managers are female. I am part of that low percentage and feel extremely proud to add value in this way. I am the only woman Technical Project Manager dealing with a strategic site; helping delivery of over 1600 houses, within BDW Cambridgeshire.
Within that low percentage, I also add something very important and needed which is diversity, being part of the 6% BAME background in management. I am a professional born in a different country with French as my first language and with vast experience. I strongly believe the cross-cultural mix and exchange of experiences, lessons learnt, methodologies, procedures, and mindsets are powerful tools that help us to improve and continuously develop to the benefit of ourselves and the industry and move towards better results and goals. It does not matter if you are a woman or a man; you must love what you do in order to deliver the best. I am proud to say that I love my career and my job.
While surveys found that, over half of the women were treated worse at work simply because of their gender, here at Barratt it is not the case. When I applied for my role, I was judged on my skills and experience, and the ability to do the job. I was not judged on my age, my religion, or whether I was male or female, it is an inclusive workplace, where differences are respected, where everyone has the chance to learn and develop, whether you are a woman or a man, experienced or just starting out, been with the company for a long time or new to the company.
Barratt has great rewards and employee benefit packages, such as sharesave scheme, pension scheme, buy & sell holiday, Barratt staff shop, private medical cover and EAP, company car and many more, for all staff within the company, and not just Senior Management.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Every day is different when working in construction. Being site based is very exciting with the daily new challenges, being able to solve problems on site, which is very rewarding.
Every day is a school day! I never stop learning, with my skills constantly being developed.
I get to work with a great variety of people to create something that will benefit society and I get to say, “I built that!”
What would you say to anyone else considering a career in housebuilding?
Explore your chosen field with a degree or why not earn while you learn in a construction apprenticeship. There are so many opportunities these days.
Construction is an industry that goes out of its way to help you achieve your potential. Why not build your skills with relevant training and courses (qualifications) to help you on your journey.
Do not let the perception and image of the industry be barriers for you to join the construction industry. What was once traditionally a male-based industry has now been significantly streamlined and mechanised. This has widened the employability criteria for people keen to become involved. The industry offers opportunity for people with a wide range of skills and knowledge sets.
Let us break down the gender barrier in this male-dominated industry! We need more women to enter the industry and take on more ‘non-traditional’ roles, challenging the stereotypes that surround it. We can do it; it is not just for boys!
Young children should not only know about Bob the Builder, but Bobbi the Builder, his girlfriend/workmate too!
Steps taken
Laying foundations for future success
In the last few years we have undertaken a significant number of actions to ensure we are even more diverse and inclusive. We have started to see increases in the diversity of our colleagues in recent years but there is more for us to do and we are committed to ongoing activity to help achieve our aims. We recognise that high performing teams are made up of a broad range of people, from different backgrounds. We know there is more for us to do and we are committed to weaving inclusive practices throughout everything we do.
We’ve taken steps towards becoming a more inclusive business, and these include:
- Providing training and tools to lead the way. We offer inclusive leadership courses, where our leaders learn about building cultures, understanding their unconscious biases and how to get the best out of people. We went through an extensive roll out programme in 2017/2018 to ensure all Directors and middle managers attended this course and we were proud that this was recognised with a highly commended recognition in the 2019 Aspire awards. All of our employees have completed a diversity and inclusion e learning module and we have delivered toolbox talks on dignity and respect on our construction sites. We now deliver weekly inclusion bytes webinars that anyone can join on topics like inclusive language.
- Supporting our future female leaders. We launched Catalyst, our female leader career development programme in 2018 and since then over 100 colleagues have been through the programme. As part of the Catalyst programme, all delegates are invited to take part in a reciprocal mentoring programme.
- Reviewing our approach to flexible working. We have reviewed our policy and the way we work so many of the roles in our offices now offer more flexibility and we support home working for those who had previously worked in offices.
- Updating and improving our family friendly policies. We have made industry-leading reforms to our Maternity/Adoptive and Joint Parental Leave policies, following which we’ve already seen a significant increase in the number of people who have returned from leave. We have also increased our paternity pay and offer parenting and careers webinars to help support people with different responsibilities. After working with Stonewall, we have reviewed the wording of our family friendly policies to update them to ensure they are gender neutral. We now provide some paid support for those undergoing assisted fertility treatment and for carers. We also have guidance and support for transgender colleagues.
- Offering opportunites. We have worked with disability charities like Leonard Cheshire, the Shaw Trust and Whizz Kids to offer work experience placements over the last three years.
- Connecting and supporting colleagues with our employee led networks. We have networks for gender equality, LGBT+, parents and those who are missing the social of interaction of work whilst working from home. We are planning to set up additional networks in the near future.
Our goal
Building without barriers
Ultimately, attracting and retaining a workforce that is made up of different perspectives, different opinions and different backgrounds requires a culture where everyone feels welcomed. We want to build without barriers, so our people feel not just accepted but proud of what makes them different, because they know it helps our business. We want to feel like a true community of people committed to working towards the same goal: to lead the future of housebuilding.
