Where Women Work caught up with Spirax Sarco Engineering to hear about their Women’s Career & Personal Development Network.
Why was the Women's Network established?
The Spirax Sarco Engineering Women’s Career & Personal Development Network was established as part of a number of activities surrounding their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The Network seeks to provide a collective voice for women within the group and offer a platform for co-creation. It enables staff to share their experiences, build intra-company networks and gain peer-to-peer support.
Who champions the Women’s Network?
Spirax Sarco Engineering’s executive committee members all champion the Women’s Network and have provided their full support.
Jim Devine, Group HR Director, sponsored the launch and took part in the kick-off event which was done virtually and facilitated by an expert provider.
Over 300 people from all over the world participated in the launch event. The event introduced the network and provided participants with training on developing a growth mind-set and using strategies to overcome barriers to progression.
How was the Network received when it first started to operate?
Since its inception, there has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from members of the Women’s Network.
Some comments from Network members include:
- “I would recommend this as it is a fantastic introduction to women within the company and a great platform to get people talking.”
- “A safe place for women to share success, struggles and get advice for our personal and career development.”
- “This network has instigated powerful conversations about women in the workplace, ignited passion in participants and identified some ways we can improve our confidence.”
- “It is a powerful thing to come together and realise that many of us feel the same and have had similar experiences. It is important to remember that we all have a voice and to encourage one another. Women are there to support each other and to build each other up and this is exactly what this network represents. I feel empowered and motivated.”
- “An opportunity to engage with many different women in very different roles, to understand the possibility of the connection growth you could build is very empowering. If not to gain confidence, to reiterate confidence.”
What have been some of the Women’s Network key wins to date?
Just three months posts its launch, the Spirax Sarco Engineering Women’s Network has approximately 450 active members. There is also a Steering Group comprised of 12 women who act as Ambassadors for the group across the world to ensure content is relevant to all areas and role disciplines.
Spirax-Sarco Engineering also launched an extension of their existing “coffeetalks” initiative specifically for the Women’s Network. Group members are randomly paired for a “virtual coffee” every month to allow them to build relationships within the Network. The uptake has been fantastic with over 70 women meeting another member of the group every month.
Spirax Sarco Engineering CEO, Nick Anderson, conducted a video interview for the Women’s Network. He specifically spoke about his aspirations for the group and why diversity in all its forms is so important. His presentation was very inspiring and strongly resonated with the audience. It also created lots of further conversation within the group.
What are the priorities for the Women’s Network in the coming years?
The company seeks to continue to increase membership of the Women’s Network. We also hope that the Network may help influence the business by offering views from a cross-section of the company’s global employees. This is hugely powerful as many perspectives are captured through this single platform which encourages sharing and collaboration to drive innovation.
Spirax Sarco Engineering has an inclusive and collaborative working environment. The company’s core values are: Respect, Integrity, Safety, Collaboration, Customer Focus and Excellence – and these values provide the very foundation upon which the company makes its decisions, drives its innovation, and manages its global operations.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.