Transportation mentoring team at the WISE Covid unsung heroes awards

Well done to the Transportation Mentoring Team, Highly Commended in January for their ongoing work in the WISE Covid Unsung Heroes Awards. This Award Scheme celebrates women in STEM, recognizing how they have delivered diversity and inclusion in innovative ways during the pandemic.

The dazzling reception and ceremony at Windsor Castle were hosted by HRH Princess Royal and attended by several high-profile scientists, including Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE (Chief Scientific Officer for England) and Sir Patrick Vallance (Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government).

"A big thank you to the mentoring team for all the hard work and organization that goes into them."
—2021 Group Mentoring participant

Tamsin, tell us about the AtkinsRéalis Transportation Mentoring Team.

We are a core group of women from the Transportation Team, Marsha Wright and myself from our operations team, practice transformation people-lead Sarah Lewis, and HR business partner Ilana Hillel.

We combine a broad range of roles and experiences. But, we're also diverse when it comes to our ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds. We're united by a passion for helping shape the organization into a place where diversity is celebrated and barriers to inclusion are proactively identified and removed.

"The supporting information provided by the Transportation ED&I Mentoring Team was very useful, particularly the ideas for things to focus on. The joint sessions have been very welcoming and interesting." 
—Senior mentor, 2020 Two-Way Mentoring Programme

What did the team achieve for ED&I during the pandemic?

I'm so proud of our talented team. Motivated by a desire to do something "practical," we created and established a pair of inclusive mentoring programmes launched at the pandemic's onset.

It was when the world suddenly and indefinitely moved to home working. We wanted to provide an antidote to the rapid loss of spontaneous career conversation and the high sense of isolation and invisibility.

The Two-Way Mentoring Programme, led by Marsha, is delivered in pairs of individuals, combining traditional and reverse mentoring. The Group Mentoring Programme, led by Tamsin, allows some of the division's most senior leaders to support eight mentees at a time.

"I believe the networking aspect of the group has been invaluable and will continue to deliver value amongst us all as we each grow in our careers."
—2021 Group Mentoring participant

Marsha, please tell us which groups were focused on for the programmes?

The Transportation Mentoring Team puts inclusion at the centre of everything we do. So we made additional efforts to boost applications from colleagues who face greater barriers within the engineering fields. We aim to encourage maximum participation by all underrepresented groups. Especially women who are significantly underrepresented within the organization and industry, particularly in senior positions.

"The whole selection process and the sessions themselves were inclusive, and we were all given the opportunity to participate."
—2021 Group Mentoring participant

How was this different from mentoring that existed pre-pandemic?

Ad-hoc individual mentoring arrangements existed within the division before 2020. However, it often took the form of opportunist conversation in the office, at lunch or at after-work social engagements. The Covid-19 pandemic and requirement for most staff to work from home created significant barriers to accessing career support, networking, and opportunities to connect with new people within the organization.

Research shows that women are more likely than men to rely on 'being noticed' to progress their careers rather than pro-actively showcasing achievements or seeking new opportunities. The impact of Covid-19 further exacerbated career barriers faced by women, reducing the visibility of individuals' efforts and achievements.

Recent industry reports such as the Institute for Employment Studies' Career Deflection Report and the Department for Transport's Enhancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Transport Infrastructure Skills Report reinforce these gender differences and specifically recommend mentoring as an important way to promote inclusive cultures and aid retention of staff from underrepresented groups.

"You did a great job pairing me with my senior mentor as, at least for me, she was exactly the kind of mentor I was thinking of when I first signed up." 
—Junior mentor, 2021 Two-Way Programme

arah, how have you promoted ED&I through every aspect of the programmes?

Some of the things we did were to actively reduce the risk of unconscious bias during the application process in the team by actively reviewing and keeping each other accountable for this. We kept in close contact with participants throughout the programmes, ensuring they always felt supported and able to reach out to someone.

We also shared details of the mentoring programmes and outcomes with other divisions across AtkinsRéalis and other companies within the industry through case studies and supply chain communities.

“You've all done a brilliant job, very motivational and enthusiastic and always willing to help!" 
—Junior mentor, 2020 Two-Way Programme

What were some of your tangible achievements?

According to feedback, 61% of women reported feeling better connected within the organization after participating.

The programmes led to significant increases in how confident participants feel about their careers and the next steps they need to take to progress. They have helped remove perceived, potential and actual ED&I barriers and have further embedded ED&I into our culture.

We've enabled a higher percentage of women participating in the programme than are represented in the division. This has really pushed up the proportion of women in our current mentoring cohort to 50%.

It's been exciting to see excellent end-of programme feedback from participants. What's more, 15% of Two-Way Mentoring partners have also chosen to continue their mentoring relationship after their formal programme has ended.

We're extremely proud to have received peer endorsement of the scale of impact of these mentoring programmes from National Highways. They gave a top score of 10/10 for a case study submitted under the ED&I category of their own assessment system!

"The group mentoring programme gave me the space to step back and look at my career so far and think about where I want it to go."
—2020 Group Mentoring participant

Ilana, in your view as an HR professional, what made the programmes so successful?

Inclusive mentoring programmes require significant effort to set up and organize. The programmes' success has definitely been driven by the passion and dedication of the programme participants and the Transportation Mentoring Team members. Our strong commitment and desire to bring the benefits of the programmes have been integral to our success. 

The team also works extremely well together, and we challenge each other to continually improve the programme. The team doesn't sit back and say that's a job done, and there are always things being looked at to do better or differently.

It has also been essential to have senior sponsorship for the programmes. The backing of Practice Director Jo Moffatt and HR Director Sandra Burch gave the programmes credibility. It made it easier to gain support from the division's wider leadership. And because the Transportation Mentoring Team is empowered by the organization, it gave us the freedom to 'get on' and lead the initiatives without facing unnecessary bureaucracy or management resistance. 

The 'virtual' delivery of the programmes. In a pandemic context, developing an online application process and video call format for briefings, calls, and the mentoring sessions themselves was hugely important. Geographical locations, which may have once been a barrier to people participating, were also no longer a blocker. Using online collaborative tools to share experiences enabled cohorts to remain connected and supported.

What was it like to attend the finalists’ reception at Windsor Castle?

It was amazing to meet such a huge number of inspirational and extraordinary women who have made a real difference in their workplaces and their communities during the pandemic. The atmosphere was buzzing, a real celebration of the role of women in delivering excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and it was a privilege to be a part of the event.

"Overall, it's made me more confident and led me to think about my own career more and to take opportunities when they arise."
—2021 Group Mentoring participant

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