Kathryn Nawrockyi, Gender Equality Director at Business in the Community, presented 'Project 28-40: the lived experience' at the Talent Bites session 'Attracting & Retaining Women', October 2015, London.

2. Project 28-40: the lived experience
Kathryn Nawrockyi
Gender Equality Director, BITC
@kathryNawrockyi

3. • 24 years history of campaigning
• 190+ members across industry
• Chaired by Helena Morrissey CBE, CEO of Newton
Investment Management
• Project 28-40 was the largest ever study of women at
work in UK
Gender Equality Campaign

4. •3M UK
•AkzoNobel UK Ltd
•Army
•Barclays
•BNY Mellon
•British American Tobacco
•BT
•Bupa
•Credit Suisse
•Deloitte LLP
•Deutsche Bank AG
•Diageo
•Environment Agency
•Eversheds
•Friends Life
•GlaxoSmithKline
•Hitachi Europe
•HM Revenue & Customs
•Home Office
•Home Retail Group
•HSBC Bank
•Ministry of Defence
•Mitie
•Morgan Stanley
•National Grid
•Nationwide
•PwC
•Royal Air Force
•Royal Bank of Scotland
•Royal Mail Group
•Royal Navy
•Santander UK
•Scottish and Southern Energy
•Shell UK
•Societe Generale
•UK Power Networks
•Unilever
•Verizon UK Limited
•White & Case
•Yorkshire & the Humber
Leadership Academy
Champion members

5. Source: Congrats! You have an all-male panel
http://allmalepanels.tumblr.com/
All-male panels…

6. NAT Group advert
pulled within 24 hours
Source: Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-
news/cardiff-company-nat-group-shamed-for-
sexist-ad-on-back-of-bus-showing-topless-
woman-holding-ride-me-all-day-for-3-sign-
10241121.html
Corporate choices & consumer power

7. “Call me opportunistic; I thought I could get
better people with less competition because we
were willing to understand the skills and
capabilities that many of these woman had.”
Evan Thornley, LookSmart
September 2014
Source: Bloomberg Business
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-09-22/tech-start-up-founder-says-
women-are-like-men-only-cheaper
Gender pay gap

8. "Let me tell you about my
trouble with girls. Three things
happen when they are in the lab:
you fall in love with them, they
fall in love with you, and when
you criticise them they cry."
Sir Tim Hunt
June 2015
Occupational segregation… literally
Source: TelegraphScience
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11667002/Sexism-
row-scientist-Sir-Tim-Hunt-quits-over-trouble-with-girls-speech.html

9. Football Association
Source: BBC Trending
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-33411415
Woman first, professional last

10. • Why women?
• Why 28-40?
• Terminology
• Methodology
• Demographics
Project 28-40

11. Women don’t need to change
The good news – breaking the myths

12. 5
8
57
45
41
50
24
12
5
11
62
57
52
48
30
11
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Having time to focus on my spiritual or religious
beliefs
Having time to help society through charity work,
community or voluntary activities
Having free time to enjoy life outside work - including
sport/recreation/leisure activities, time with…
Having time to take the lead role in my children's
upbringing and/or caring for other family members
Working in a job that I enjoy
Working to earn money to support a lifestyle that I'm
satisfied with
Getting as far as I can in my career but not necessarily
the top
Getting to the top of my chosen career
Thinking about your life, what is important to you? (% saying very
important)
Female 28-40: very important
Male 28-40: very important
The good news – breaking the myths

13. Flexible and
conflicted
Has left
employment to
have children, but
wants to return
someday.
.
On maternity
leave, career
break or has left
employment to
have children, but
wants to return.
Flexible or full-time
worker, has
children, not
interested in
progression.
Main focus is life
outside work.
Career
fulfilled
Ambitious
but
apprehensive
Career on holdNo desire to
progress
Uneasy
returner
Flexible worker,
but has put career
on hold until
children are older.
May feel under
valued.
Works full time,
single or has no
children. Ambitious
and able but finds it
difficult to climb the
career ladder. Not
sure if she wants the
senior lifestyle.
Flexible worker,
has children, and
plays a main carer
role. She is keen to
progress but is
struggling . Feels
conflicted.
Views senior
lifestyle as
unattractive.
.
Full-time or flexible
worker, main wage
earner, may be single
or has a partner who
is the main carer for
their children. Very
career focussed.
Highly engaged and
usually content and
fulfilled at work
Women in the workplace: 6 key groups

14. • Work-life conflict
• Back to work
• Women returners
Work-life conflict and returners
“Women-friendly policies in the workplace
are centred around mothers – single women
also have outside interests which they want
to pursue (which does not include being
regularly asked to cover for colleagues
working part time or from home)”.
Survey respondent
“When I was off for maternity leave, I was
faced with terms like ‘show commitment’
and ‘re-evaluate your behaviour’. When I
was off work, and when I returned I was
supported, but career progression is not
something I am now expected to want”.
Survey respondent

15. Work-life conflict and returners
“I left my last company after I returned from maternity leave as
the hours they expected me to work made it impossible to
balance my home and work life. I would have never seen my
child. Employers need to learn that the job you do can be done
in 20 or 30 hours a week and you don’t have to work 50+ hours
a week to be a dedicated employee. Job-sharing etc makes this
possible and there is no reason they can’t have part time cover
roles”.
Survey respondent
“Literally it’s almost everything I think
about all the time… that I am likely
going to have to take a break at some
point so I’m conscious I need to reach
a particular level before that
happens”.
Focus group respondent
“I just keep telling myself I am on
pause, I haven’t stopped”.
Survey respondent

16. • Flexible working helps work-life balance but is it a career
hindrance?
• The good news - flexible working
helps work-life balance
Work-life conflict and returners
“Equality of opportunity for ALL and not just those who are either
able to work excessively long hours (there is a culture of
presenteeism) or those who have not had a career
break/family/alternative working arrangements for other reasons”.
Survey respondent
“(Flexible working) allows you to
work on your own terms, not feel
chained to the desk, and fit work
around other things that are
important to you, as long as you
can achieve the end goal and get
the work done”.
Survey respondent

17. • The bad news – the reality for flexible workers
Work-life conflict and returners
“Traditional organisation structures with
conventional management don’t understand
the complexity of modern female lives”.
Survey respondent
“I think the importance of supporting flexible
working has to be campaigned for. We
require a cultural shift that working flexibly
also equates to working effectively and
should not be any indication of lower interest
in career development”.
Survey respondent

18. • Senior leadership, real role models
• Senior life is off-putting
• False perception?
• Role models – superwomen vs. ‘real’ women
Role models
“The more senior you are the more you can manage
your time anyway, but there are things I can’t change – I
get enough flexibility to be with the kids but it’s not
always easy. You have to deal with it, I have less
flexibility than I want but I have some. There is no
perfect work life balance at this level”.
Ruby McGregor-Smith, CEO, Mitie

19. 18
8
14
5
8
15
7
41
34
28
22
23
28
22
15
27
32
31
37
34
43
8
15
10
28
13
8
9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
I have experienced overt barriers to career development at
work because I am a woman
It is hard for women at my level to network with the most
senior staff at my organisation
I believe men and women at the same level earn the same at
my organisation
The culture of my organisation is male dominate
There are good policies at work around harassment but
sometimes poor behaviour still occurs
Where I work, I believe the opportunities to advance are fair
and equal between men and women
I feel supported by my organisation in my desire to develop
my career
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
Reality check

20. 39
47
49
49
50
50
50
51
52
52
52
53
54
54
56
56
56
56
59
59
61
8
10
9
11
11
13
14
8
11
11
15
9
11
14
10
12
17
23
16
22
14
Accountancy/audit services
Scientific and technical services
Retail & wholesale
Legal services
Other professional services
Manufacturing
Oil, gas, electricity, water supply, waste management
Education
Other public sector
Financial and insurance services
Cross-sector support services eg facilities management, business and people services
Health
Management consultancy
Telecommunications
Charity or other third sector
Other services
Transportation and storage
Uniformed and armed services
Media
Construction
Arts, entertainment and recreation
sexual harassment
bullying & harassment excluding
sexual harassment
Bullying & harassment

21. We defined bullying & harassment as:
• Exclusion or victimisation
• Unfair treatment
• Overbearing supervision or other misuse of power
or position
• Someone deliberately undermining another person
by overloading them with work or constant criticism
• Being prevented from progressing by intentionally
blocking promotion or training opportunities
Bullying & harassment

22. We defined sexual harassment as:
• Unwelcome comments of a sexual nature
• Unwanted physical contact or leering
• Asking for sexual favours
• Displaying offensive material such as posters, or
sending offensive emails or texts of a sexual nature
Bullying & harassment

23. Speak up when they overhear the
inappropriate way someone has spoken
to someone (perhaps in a
demeaning/overbearing manner). There
can be lack of support amongst teams
for fear of it affecting their role by
speaking up, but this passive behaviour
allows power-hungry/aggressive types
to carry on with this behaviour.
Really address the
culture of bullying,
rather than
moving people
who are bullied to
other jobs.
Take action on the sexist
jokes and culture which I am
subjected to at every meeting
Have a clear desk
policy to stop naked
men/women images
from being displayed.
Ban soft porn from the
workplace.
Not consistently side with
senior staff if complaints are
made about their behaviour
I honestly don't think it will
change. I believe there are
lots of good intentions in my
immediate working
environment (although I've
been exposed to jaw
dropping examples of
sexism in other parts of the
organisation) but I think
there is a strong
unconscious bias against
women (exclusion from
networking opportunities,
reacting badly to behaviour
in women that would be
regarded as a positive in
men, assumptions made
about ambition and
commitment of women).
Bullying & harassment

24. Employee support programmes ranked by importance Women Men
Regular and transparent performance review, objective setting and appraisal processes 1 1
Clear definition of roles/levels to help you understand what is expected at the next level/for promotion 2 2
Home based working supported by technology 3 5
Core competency/skills assessment to help you understand your strengths and development areas 4 3
Mentoring, sponsorship and coaching programmes focussed on career progression 5 4
Flexible working programmes 6 7
Subsidised childcare 7 8
Access to enhances maternity programmes, beyond statutory minimum 8 10
Access to networking opportunities with more senior staff 9 6
Keeping in touch (KIT) programmes to keep you linked in during maternity leave 10 12
Job sharing opportunities 11 9
Return to work programmes to support you after a career break 12 11
Get the basics right

25. Business in the Community www.bitc.org.uk
To find out more go to:
www.opportunitynow.bitc.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @kathryNawrockyi and
@OpportunityNow1 and @BITC
Join the conversation #project2840

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