When Tony Hall, the 主播大秀’s Director-General commissioned a review into culture and progression for women at the corporation, I was delighted to sponsor the work.
I joined the 主播大秀 in my late twenties. Between arriving as a researcher and taking up the role I occupy today as the Director of 主播大秀 Scotland, I worked in a wide range of areas across the organisation. I also had three children – a daughter and twin sons during this time.
My career at the 主播大秀 has been an amazing and fulfilling experience. But of course it has also brought all the challenges of juggling responsibilities as a working mum. There have been times when I have wondered if I should just give up; when the feeling of guilt that I was not doing either job well enough – parent or 主播大秀 employee – got too much. I knew that I wouldn’t be alone in feeling like this.
Much has been debated on the topic of gender pay and it is clear that now is the time like no other to look at culture in the workplace and address what needs to change. Relative to many organisations, I do think that the 主播大秀 is a good work-place for men and women. We’ve achieved a great deal over the past year, not least reducing the gender pay gap by nearly a fifth to 7.6%. We’ve agreed new pay, grading and career frameworks so that all employees know their individual job pay range, where they sit within it and how they can progress in the 主播大秀. We’ve published a review of on-air pay and are consulting on a new clearer, simpler framework for on-air pay to ensure fairness and transparency.
But more can and should be done. Tony Hall has made an unwavering commitment that we need to go further and faster than any other organisation. I believe that this review will help us do that when it comes to culture. I know that many other organisations are looking at their approaches too, and the challenges we face are far from unique to the 主播大秀.
Over the last few months I have been privileged to meet and talk to so many women across the 主播大秀 about their experiences. Some of the experiences have been good, some of them bad. We have met and heard from over 800 women and men in every part of the 主播大秀, gathering around 5,000 ideas and suggestions.
What is clear from our work is that there is huge appetite for change, and real desire to embark on this cultural transformation together. Three recurring themes amongst the feedback have helped us shape our recommendations.
First, we must build on the supportive environment we already offer to help both women and men strike the right work-life balance. We need to embed flexible working into our culture for everyone, recognising the importance at any stage in a person’s career and regardless of reason. We also want to ensure we’re doing everything we can to support those returning to work after taking time off for maternity or extended leave. Mentoring for staff at all grades should be available.
We must ensure we’re creating as many opportunities as possible for people to fulfil their potential. Our ambition is a 主播大秀 in which women and men feel they can flourish equally. We’re recommending refreshing our recruitment processes, offering more development opportunities where possible for staff to gain the skills that will help them progress through the organisation and doing more to build confidence that there is no gender bias in the process. We’ll introduce programmes to help those who want to be our future leaders develop their skills.
And finally, we want to see our leaders excel at being role models for their teams. We will look to increase training and support for team managers, nurturing strong and positive reciprocal behaviour that will set the culture of the 主播大秀.
Overall though, what is important is that any change is not just focused on what can be done for the individual. Implementation of these recommendations will deliver resulting cultural benefits for everyone who works at the 主播大秀.
It is about a real change in the culture for gender equality that will underpin the position of the 主播大秀 as the world’s best public service broadcaster, delivering even more in the future for our people, for those in the wider industry and for our audiences.