Who am I?
My name is Zoe Watson, and I am the newest member of the BMA. I will be working as an intern for the BMA whilst I complete my placement year at university. I am a current student at Bath Spa University, studying Religions, Philosophy and Ethics. I am looking forward to starting my professional career with this team and learning the ropes of the industry. One of my main roles for my time with the BMA is to investigate the age and diversity issues in the bathroom industry as it can be seen as a barrier of growth. I will be conducting research across various different platforms to see what we can do to combat this. The CIC conference is the first platform that I have collected information from.
What is the CIC?
The CIC (Construction Inclusion Coalition) is a coalition that strives to tackle the issues across the whole construction industry related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This was their first conference and acted as a way of workshopping real life scenarios where there have been DEI issues and networking with other companies to see what we can do about it. The CIC highlights that the construction industry is made up of 15% women and only 6% are people from ethnic backgrounds. Throughout the day we heard from 3 talented speakers – Sam Grierson, Daksh Gupta, Melody Moore – who all have a lot of experience in the industry and how they have helped to change it for the better. We also had a Q&A where people got to ask for advice for their own companies and what we can do to increase DEI.
Five takeaways for bathroom manufacturers from the CIC conference
1. Focus on the culture we create
For your business to flourish, you need to focus on the culture of your workplace. Is it somewhere that people feel comfortable speaking up about issues that they are being affected by?
2. Make your ideas visual so you can make them real
If you have an idea on how to make your workplace more inclusive, visualise it. Write out a plan or speak to your manager about what you think could be made better.
3. Change only happens if the leaders model inclusive behaviours
If your manager or other people in higher positions aren’t modelling inclusive behaviours, talk to them about it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions so don’t negate their feelings but open a dialogue with them.
4. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable
Most often than not, by having difficult conversations about ‘taboo’ topics, you then create a space for change. People feel more comfortable about opening up about their issues if they know other people around them aren’t going to judge them for it.
5. Inclusion is for everyone; people should be allowed to be themselves at work
Don’t be discouraged for being the typical worker. Inclusion means that no matter who you are, you feel comfortable to be yourself at work and not have to fake who you are just to fit in.
If you would like to find out more about the CIC and what they stand for you can look at their website here.