It’s been some time RailStaff reported on the work of Women in Rail, the charity which strives to improve diversity in the industry by providing networking opportunities and support for all women within the sector. We caught up with the organisation at the end of on incredibly busy 12 months, which have seen it celebrate success, hit milestones, and welcome new leadership.
At the end of May, the charity published it’s end of year report 2023, charting its progress in improving gender balance, equality, diversity and inclusion across the rail industry. Last month also saw the charity’s seventh Women in Rail Awards which was held at the Roundhouse in Camden, London. With over 780 attendees, the event was, as ever, a huge success and saw a record number of nominations.
In the past year, Women in Rail’s cross-industry mentoring programme has yielded impressive results seeing 41% of mentees promoted during or after taking part, and 43% of mentors become advocates for EDI in their workplaces. Meanwhile, SWiFT, its networking platform for executive members, staged its first executive coaching session and delivered a busy schedule of events and insightful talks from inspirational leaders.
It’s also been a year in which Women in Rail has strengthened its board with the appointment of six new trustees and, in September, welcomed Marie Daly, chief customer & culture officer at Transport for Wales, as its new chair.
Marie took time out of her hectic schedule to remind us of Women in Rail’s operations, objectives, and the critical importance of connecting with the next generation.
Hi Marie, thanks for joining us. For those who aren’t already aware, would you mind telling us a little more about the work of Women in Rail?
Women in Rail is the leading voice for women across the rail industry and we’re passionate about partnering with organisations and businesses to help them in their pursuit of gender equality and diversity. We’re a really exciting organisation and anyone who isn’t currently engaged with us should get involved.
Funded by corporate sponsors, we’re a charity that’s inclusive of all genders within the sector, working alongside major stakeholders to support the development, promotion and attraction of women in the UK railway sector and, more broadly, improve gender balance, equality, diversity, and inclusion in rail.
Our regional leads work directly with colleagues across all different aspects of the industry, providing a hub for people to connect with us. We do everything from running group sessions to discuss the issues that people are facing, to organising walks and addressing wellbeing. Our work tends to be member led and one of our unique selling points is that membership is free, making it inclusive for all.
Our mission is to be unapologetic in our pursuit of gender equity and being a gender-diverse organisation is so important to us as we can’t deliver the change that is necessary without our allies being on board.
Can you talk a little about the challenges that women face in the rail industry today?
The rail industry has come a long way in terms of board level discussions around equality and diversity, and we have some really enlightened leaders who understand that diversity in the boardroom is really good for business.
However, according to our most recent gender equality survey, the proportion of women and those identifying as women working in rail stands at just 16.3%. The challenge of the rail industry is to see that increase significantly.
omen are not going to face a better working environment unless we get that gender balance fixed in our current environments. We also need to see more women represented in senior roles who can shape the debate and strategy that will affect rail’s future employees.
I’m currently working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) focusing on frontline roles. We do a lot of good work in EDI but, as humans, we sometimes only consider issues through our own lens. Considering policies around menopause, for instance, Women in Rail does a lot of work around this important Women’s health issue, but can sometimes fail to consider the experiences and different needs of women throughout the industry doing a wide range of roles. The experience of employees working in frontline roles is completely different from those in office-based roles, and we need to be able to say that we’re representing women in all areas, and at all levels, of the industry.
So how can the industry attract women to its ranks and create an environment where they can progress?
We’ve got some work to do as an industry. We need to think about how we influence senior leadership, including at government level, and how we shape the way that the industry is viewed. Perception of the industry is a significant part of this and that’s been made clear in a number of surveys we’ve carried out.
For some time, there’s been talk of a drive to shift rail from being a transport business to a customer services business, and this presents an opportunity for us to change the dialogue. If a greater focus is placed on the customer experience, then by default the experiences of women travelling on the network will be taken into greater consideration. And if that is the case, then the industry will become more attractive to women as a career option.
Recent data shows that we are seeing a greater number of young, skilled women entering the industry and that’s very positive, but as an industry we need to better understand the generational difference of this group of employees and if the industry doesn’t adapt, we risk pushing away young talent. I really think rail is missing a trick at the moment. The industry is all about customers, communities, and providing a service, but we don’t play on those aspects enough to interest the younger generation. We need to connect better with young people, understand their needs, and tap that reservoir of potential employees. Women in Rail sees apprenticeships as the industry’s biggest opportunity to bring the next generation into rail.
In terms of progression, getting involved with networking groups such as Women in Rail, is so important. We have a great mentoring scheme, and 54% of mentees have said that in the last year they’ve either moved roles, been promoted, or moved to company for a role at a higher level. One consequence of the gender imbalance within the industry is that there are fewer female role models and potential mentors. Joining a networking group provides opportunities to meet women working at a senior level and learn from their experience.
How can Women in Rail help the industry achieve this over the next few years?
We’re about to launch our new three-year business plan, which sets our vision of evolution rather than revolution focussed around the four pillars of supporting, engaging, attracting, and retaining women from all backgrounds in the industry. We must make sure that women are thriving, not just surviving, in rail.
The new business plan has been co-created with the input of trustees, regional leads, and members. One of the biggest things to come out, which is linked to our work on the EDI Charter, is to develop a gender equity tick list. This brings together all the voices of women, and those who identify as women, to discuss the simple things that businesses can do today to make a difference.
It’s about quick wins – addressing common issues and providing a list of good practices which can be achieved with minimum funding. This may be something like ensuring that women are represented on recruitment panels. If we don’t have diverse recruit panels, how can we expect to address the gender imbalance?
There is still a long way to go, and our recent Women in Rail and NSAR survey has shown that. However, we are at a moment of change for the industry and Women in Rail wants to work with whichever government it will be on 4 July to ensure that the collective voice of women from all backgrounds in the industry is heard and understood by government and senior railway leaders.
Lead image: TfW
