Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and the theme for 2019 is #balanceforbetter. We are a Company that benefits from a gender balanced workforce which is considered rare within the engineering profession. We think this is the way forward.

Our organisation chart:
Two Directors: Kevin Brown and Juliet Hyatt-Brown
The Technical Leadership Group is made up of two men and three women.
The overall make-up of Lautrec is a female to male split of 13:15. Hopefully within 10 years this will be a common sight within the engineering profession.

A gender-balanced technical team means we have a combination of masculine and feminine approaches (and solutions) to projects. This provides us with more depth and the ability to be more effective. It also means we are able to relate strongly to a range of clients.

When asked about their idea of a gender-balanced workforce, the general consensus of Lautrec staff was that ‘we have one’. However, when questioned further, they expressed that this really meant developing a culture of inclusivity and support. An inclusive and safe environment is a breeding ground for open collaboration and fresh and innovative ideas.

International Women’s Day first emerged in the early 1900s to try and gain equal rights for women. We have come a long way in gaining equality but there is more that can be done. They may have equality in the office but it seems like the roles within the home are often still gender based with many taking on the domestic duties at home. Our female staff also still seem more prone to challenges about their expertise while on site and 29% of women architects and engineers leave their professions in the first five years. So far, at Lautrec, all staff who have had children have returned to work after parental leave.

A balanced workforce should be part of any organisation’s strategic goals. A diverse workforce provides different strengths and ways of thinking which, ultimately, are a reflection of society, thus making the organisation more approachable and adaptable to change.