International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week 2023

As part of International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week 2023, we have been driving conversations within our toolbox talks and highlighting the women within our business in a sit-down discussion in our new employee spotlight series.

At Cairn Cross, we understand and believe that a diverse, equal, and empowered workforce creates fairness, opportunities, and growth for everyone. Therefore, we encourage our workforce to speak up and discuss how we can generate a more positive and inclusive working environment.

There is an undeniable shortage of females in the construction industry. As a main contractor, we are committed to ensuring that the sector continues to drive equality and gender fairness.

Women in Construction at Cairn Cross

To highlight and empower females within our business, we spoke with some employees about their careers with Cairn Cross and their outlook on International Women’s Day and National Women in Construction Week.

First, we caught up with Lisa, Design Director for Epsilon. Having been in the industry for over 30 years, Lisa frequently encountered first-hand sexism and misogyny when she entered the industry from site visits and meetings. Although the landscape has widely changed, it still echoes through the lack of female representation in the industry. However, Lisa notes that she is driven and therefore sees this as a challenge to show what she and her fellow female peers can achieve.

Since joining Epsilon in 2014 as a Design Coordinator, she quickly worked her way up the ranks to Design Manager and, by 2019, was Design Director. Her well-rounded wealth of knowledge and ‘mum-of-the-group’ strengths have allowed her team to grow and be supported.

On speaking about women in construction, Lisa adds,

“it means a lot; I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved and where I am, from the obstacles I have had to overcome to get to where I am. These biases and challenges have given me the confidence to believe in myself and be more passionate about my work.

Next, if you’ve called Head Office, you’ve likely spoken to Fiona, our Reception and Head Office Administrator. We call her the voice of Cairn Cross. Having been at the company for more than four years, she is currently one of our Mental Health First Aiders and undertaking training on a Human Resources Assistant qualification organised by our in-house training and Development Manager, Jan. Fiona shares that “everyone here is so supportive and friendly, giving me the confidence to progress my career and knowledge in HR”.

Within our sales and tender department is Sam, our Tender Coordinator. Sam has been with the business for two years and has significantly positively impacted the company, securing projects and managing our partner contractors.

Sam believes that women are more than capable of doing any job they desire, even if that seems at the moment a male-dominated industry. If anything, this gives her more determination to take on the mission. “I have always been envious of the women in any male-dominated industry. I believe there is a point to be proven, but also because it shows that if you are interested in something, it doesn’t matter what gender you are; if it’s something you want to do, then go for it.

This week, throughout our daily on-site safety briefings and toolbox talks, we have discussed how collectively we can support and encourage more females into the industry. Breaking down stigmas and ensuring we create an inclusive environment.

Cairn Cross Values

Cairn Cross has three core values; people, planet and performance. As part of our people values, we highlight ‘mutual respect’ and ‘lead and develop others’ as crucial ways to ensure we generate a positive working environment.

We understand there is a long way to go across the industry. Still, we can continue to raise awareness and employ and train the next generation of civil engineers in our industry.

If you wish to learn more about our current vacancies and personal development training opportunities, visit cairncross.uk.com/careers