SheConstructs

18/07/2023

I read this quote recently and thought how true this is...

Everyone has been a culprit of taking the work laptop out at night to finish a piece of work off, or to keep on top of a demanding work load or perhaps it is an unwritten expectation of your boss but whatever the reason, who is it that will remember those late nights you put in…. certainly not your employer.

There may be times when you will need to work at night to make sure you meet a deadline and that’s ok but when it becomes the norm, and is expected, that’s when it becomes a problem.

We all know and talk about how important it is to get that work life balance, not only for your own well being but also for your partners, kids, friends and/or family. If you are working late, the reality is, you are neglecting something else.

As an employer do you see your staff working at night? What are you going to do to change this? Will you review the workloads of those personnel? Employees who are constantly working at night will burn out, have low morale, get sick and most likely will resign. Take action before it becomes too late.

As an employee do you work late at night? What is your reason for doing so? It may be time to have a chat with your boss about your current work load or perhaps you should have a chat with on how to reprioritise things to stop you working at night.

Unfortunately we are all just a number, who can be and will be replaced in the morning.

If you would like to have a chat with SheConstructs contact [email protected]

29/06/2023

Setting yourself boundaries is one of the key pieces of advise I give to my clients, friends, family, work colleagues, any one who will listen.

Setting boundaries is a form of self care and self respect. It lets others know what is and what is not acceptable. People will continue to do what you allow but by setting boundaries, you get to decide what is and what isn’t allowed in your life

Key benefits of setting boundaries:
- Reduces Stress
- Helps avoid burnout
- Enhances your mental health and emotional well being
- Enables you to get clear on your values and belief system
- Gain respect

If you would like to have a chat about how to set boundaries or would like to discuss the topic more, contact me at [email protected]

18/06/2023

What a fantastic day we had at . Thanks to my fellow panel members from and for a great conversation on diversity and inclusion.

A lot of great work has been done within the industry to date, however there is still a lot more to do. We are all duty bound to ensure that the construction industry becomes as diverse as possible.

Thanks to Origin7limited for the invite.

If you would like to discuss how SheConstructs can help your business or support you as an employee, please contact [email protected]

29/05/2023

19/05/2023

This week is mental health awareness week. If something isn’t right, walk away, leave - protect you and your mental health. It may be scary at the time, but it wont be something that you will regret.

25/04/2023

Very privileged that SheConstructs has been featured in RSVP Magazine April addition.

I hope that the article gives you an insight into the motivation behind the creation of SheConstructs

If any of the information within the article resonates with you, reach out to me at [email protected]

I hope you enjoy the read.

17/04/2023

When conversations become intense or heated in the workplace someone will always say the one liner ‘lets take the emotion of out this’, but how can we? Human beings are emotional creatures and due to the makeup of our brains its actually not possible to ‘take the emotion out of it’. We just need to be able to control it.

Growing up it was portrayed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness - if you wanted to succeed in the world of work and climb the ladder, especially in the construction industry, you needed to be emotionless; an ice queen. Unfortunately this perception still exists in a number of organisations today. This belief could not be further from the truth. Showing emotion shows you care, you have empathy and emotional intelligence.

Research has shown that when a person resists, suppresses, or ignores their emotions it can lead to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, and physical illness such as heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and gastrointestinal issues. Releasing negative emotion will help to lower your stress levels, overcome fears, and even increase your awareness of all the emotions you’re feeling.

We are not saying that you should start crying in the board room when someone rudely interrupts you, but instead tell them how you feel and what they have done is wrong.

Some people are more emotional than others. We need to learn how to control it and use it more effectively, not remove it.

Lets normalise expressing emotions.

If you would like to discuss this subject further please contact [email protected].

17/04/2023

A lot of people will say to be a leader you need to be bullish, hard hitting and have that domineering personality that provokes fear onto people to gain their respect. Jacinda Ardern (ex New Zealand PM) has shown to the world that you can be a charismatic leader and still be successful. Jacinda's leadership style most definitely contributed to her success. We should all take note of her success story.

What type of manger are you?

21/03/2023

A great panel discussion today at the National Construction Summit.

20/03/2023

It was great to be back at Ulster University and talking to students undertaking a Masters in Construction and Project Management.

We discussed the ethos of SheConstructs, the challenges and the benefits of working within the Construction Industry, not only for females but for everybody. The class was a mixture of male and female students who were all extremely engaged, a very interactive session.

A big thanks to Sharon McClements for the invitation, enabling to continue to spread the message on gender diversity and overcoming bias within the construction industry.

If you would like SheConstructs to present and talk to the students at your University/College/School, please message [email protected]

08/03/2023

Happy International Women’s day to all the wonderful ladies out there. Keep holding your heads high and paving the way to make your industry a better place to work.

28/02/2023

You would think in this day and age that the boy’s club would be a thing of the past, particularly because of all the talk on gender diversity and equality, but unfortunately not, they are still a very real problem.

Research carried out by Harvard Business School advises that the boy’s club are still very real and contributes significantly to the gender pay gap as well as unfair promotions, excessive workloads, burnout and destroying workplace culture.

In my own experience, the ‘boy’s club’ still exists within the large corporate organisations. Not surprising, they will have all the EDI policies in place, preach about diversity and inclusion and will no doubt be flying the flag on International Women’s day.

Why do these people get away with being part of a boy’s club? The simple reason is because their boss allows them to.

I could highlight a number of individuals within my network that this post relates to. Why would I continue to have these individuals as part of my network? Because I hope that SheConstructs posts will strike a cord with them and will influence a change in their behaviour.

As an employer, do you let the boy's club exist within your organisations and let it ruin your workplace culture? As an employee are the boy's club affecting you?

If you would like to discuss further, message [email protected] and we can plan how to break up the boy’s club within your organisation.