“An equal world is an enabled world”
Sunday, March 8th, is dedicated to the celebration and acknowledgement of the achievements of women around the world.
The theme of International Women’s Day this year is #eachforequal. We believe everyone deserves a seat at the table, and we place great importance on our people being provided equal opportunities and advancements for growth regardless of ethnicity, gender, disability or beliefs. We recognize that diverse thought and life experience adds to the variety of perspectives at Williams Engineering. We understand that specific jobs and industries have traditionally been gendered, but we strive to move away from any preconceived biases. Our Human Resources team spares no effort in working towards a bias-free hiring process and are working on ensuring our job descriptions are written with a gender-neutral tone to appeal to all qualified individuals.
Overall, Williams Engineering Canada currently has a 28 percent female representation within the entire organization and is continuing to push to grow and diversify our female representation – with a focus on women in technical and management roles. As of December 2017, a national Canadian average of 18% of women are represented as newly licensed engineers. The “30 by 30” initiative is being supported and pushed forward by Engineers Canada, which targets the goal to increase the representation of women engineers by 30 percent by the year 2030.
Developing and supporting women in the workplace is a part of our action plan for empowerment. Proactively prioritizing a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment stimulates diversity of thought and perspectives.
Williams Engineering Canada continues to work with Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC) to learn, share and facilitate dialogue about developing better practices for the private sector, with the goal of reaching gender equality. As well, Colbourne Institute, at Norquest College, is helping our organization look at internal processes to work towards our goal of gender equality. Both of which, focus on creating awareness of gender equality and provide tools and practices that continue to educate and equip the public and our people to continue to make a positive impact.
Real change takes time, but it is propelled through determined advocacy and continued awareness of gender inequalities inside and outside of the office. Our commitment to diversity and equality goes beyond just words; it’s part of the core values that enable us to create an equal and inclusive environment that endeavours to discover our people’s full potential. Williams Engineering is dedicated to continuing to work towards removing barriers faced by women in the workplace, empowering them with opportunities to grow and succeed.
