Author: ripleywk

Empowering Change Across Borders: The HR, Work and Employment (HRWE) Group’s  International Women’s Day Celebrations 

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By Chathushka Kiriella, Tinkuma Edafioghor, Vanda Papafilippou and Susan Durbin 

The last couple of weeks have been an incredibly busy and productive time for for HRWE group members as we celebrated International Women’s Day with a series of inspiring events. We wanted to share what we have been doing to Inspire Inclusion and Accelerate Action, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day and one that resonates with us all as we continue to address gender inequalities and to celebrate women’s achievements and actions.  

The celebrations began within the University with a ‘pledge campaign’ where we asked staff and students to commit to how they would promote gender equality and to reaffirm their commitment to fostering gender inclusivity. Midweek, we hosted an international women’s day celebration event featuring powerful speeches from influential leaders, highlighting the importance of diversity in the workplace. Our activities then turned externally  to an event in London, hosted by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Women in Aviation, Aerospace and Space Committee, highlighted and honouring the achievements of women in the industry; and a further event in Paris, France, hosted by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Paris Branch, where we engaged with more incredible women from the aviation sector, sharing experiences and discussing ways to drive inclusive change. These events provided an excellent platform for networking, learning, and celebrating progress toward gender equality. In this blog, we will take a closer look at each event, sharing key moments and takeaways from this inspiring celebration. 

Vanda standing with Andrew Simpson ''Together we can forge Woman's Equality''

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Dr. Vanda Papafilippou and Ms. Chathushka Kiriella organised an interactive event aimed at promoting gender equality and inclusivity within the College of Business and Law (CBL) and wider University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) community. Staff and students participated by adding their personal pledges for gender equality to notice boards in the Atrium area. Organising such an event was crucial for several reasons: it made International Women’s Day more relevant by actively engaging staff and students, prompting them to reflect on their own experiences and the importance of gender equality in their personal and professional lives, and creating a space for open discussions about gender equality. By gathering pledges, the event provided tangible evidence of our community’s commitment to gender equality, which will inform future actions and initiatives, including our Athena SWAN application. 

Many pledges emphasised the importance of supporting gender equality in all areas: workplace, home, and community, highlighting that “the future is dependent on the continued development of gender equality” and that “women should not feel their gender is a barrier to work or education”. Staff and students expressed their commitment to empowering and supporting women and trans women in their personal and professional lives, saying “I pledge to support all women in work and home life,” “I pledge to continue to promote gender equality in my life and my teaching”.  Recognising and celebrating women’s achievements was also a key theme, highlighted by pledges such as “I pledge to make time to celebrate all women’s achievements”. Many pledges also called for active advocacy and taking action to promote gender equality with commitments like “I pledge to raise my voice,” “speak more about it encourage more open talks” and “I pledge to support our amazing UWE female students advocating for themselves and stand up when facing any sort of injustice or devaluing behaviour”. Finally, a great number of participants focused on the need for “equal pay, promotion, career opportunities for everyone” pledging to mentor colleagues and enabling them to reach their full potential. 

Midweek on March 5th, HRWE group members gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) in their own unique style at Bristol Business School, UWE. A ‘grand potluck’ was organized, featuring a themed cake. The event began with a welcome speech by Chathushka Kiriella, who emphasized the importance of accelerating action—both in the workplace and in personal life. Whether big or small, committing to action was a key takeaway from her speech. The group lead, Professor Susan Durbin, then addressed the gathering, highlighting the significance of celebrating women and their contributions. 

The event featured three inspiring talks by Dr. Vanda Papafilippou, Dr. Tinkuma Edafioghor, and Dr. Stefano Gasparri. Dr. Papafilippou discussed UWE Bristol Business School’s application for the Athena Swan award and shared key insights into gender equality initiatives at UWE Bristol. Dr. Edafioghor shared her personal experience with the 100 Black Professors Scheme, highlighting the invaluable support she had received as a mentee. Her speech was deeply inspiring and underscored the importance of strong support networks for women. Dr. Gasparri spoke about the crucial role men must play in shifting from bystanders to “man-allies” in protecting women from sexual harassment, sharing key findings from his recent research. The event was filled with inspiration, empowerment, and a strong sense of community. 

The IWD celebrations then expanded to London, where Professor. Susan Durbin, Dr. Tinkuma Edafioghor, and Ms Chathushka Kiriella attended the International Women’s Day event organized by the women in Aviation, Aerospace and Space Committee, Royal Aeronautical Society, London. The event featured inspiring talks by women leaders, panel discussions, and networking sessions. The event was opened by Christine Matthews, WAASC Chair, with a welcome speech from Sameer Savani, GKN, who sponsored the event. Speakers included, Celia Pelaz, COO and Theresa Condor, CEO At Spire Global. There was also a panel event on ‘Voices of the Future” with Maleha Khan, UK Space Agency, Alice Goodwin, Virgin Atlantic and Janine Hornsby, CEO – Air League. The keynote speech was delivered by Former Boeing VP Pam Valdez, who shared the incredible journey of Hedy Lamarr as an inventor—an inspiring story to hear on International Women’s Day. The day rounded off with Professor Susan Durbin presenting on  ‘women’s safety at work’ with Kathleen Lowe, COO, Force Air Defence and Judith Milne, Little Blue Private Jets Limited. The importance of mentoring in this highly male-dominated sector was a theme throughout the day, the alta mentoring platform  being highlited and promoted by the UWE team.  

The final event, sponsored by the University of the West of England and run in parallel with the London event, was the Royal Aeronauticial Society’s Paris Branch IWD event, on 11th March, 2025. The event was base upon an expert panel of six women leaders from the aviation industry, with a focus on actions to improve gender diversity and inclusion and advice from panel members’ experiences of what does and does not work to achieve this. The panel, moderated by Carine Petitdemange, Logix Aero, comprised Yannick Assouad, Thales, Judith Milne, Eastwinds Resort, Anne-Segolene Abscheidt, IPSA, Ann-Marie Matheus Ochoa, Eutelsat and Space women Alliance, Claire Barcham, UK Space Agency and Professor Susan Durbin, UWE. The event was opened by the Branch Chair (David Cooke) and an introduction by Dr Susanne Svensdotter.  

The panel discussed key challenges, including the decline in STEM participation due to educational reforms in France and the importance of fostering interest in STEM from an early age, with parents playing a key role. Panellists emphasised the importance of creating supportive communities, promoting mentorship, and addressing barriers such as visa restrictions and language challenges for international female talents. They critiqued superficial diversity policies, advocating for meaningful cultural change, inclusive language, and environments where women succeed on merit, not quotas. Reverse mentorship was suggested to challenge traditional perspectives, and the importance of diverse career paths beyond engineering — such as HR and data analysis — was highlighted. Intersectionality and microaggressions were acknowledged as significant hurdles for women from diverse backgrounds, with advice to leverage networks and speak out against inappropriate behaviours. David Cooke closed the event with a powerful statement: “The future of humanity is in the hands of women,” leaving attendees inspired to drive lasting change in the industry. 

UWE Comets Cheerleading team posing ''Together we can forge Woman's equality''

The past few weeks of International Women’s Day celebrations have been a testament to the power of collective action in promoting gender equality and inclusivity. From pledge campaigns and interactive discussions to thought-provoking speeches and global networking events, the HRWE group has played a pivotal role in fostering dialogue and inspiring change. The celebrations in Bristol, London, and Paris have provided valuable platforms for sharing experiences, advocating for systemic progress, and emphasizing the importance of mentorship and community support. As we reflect on these impactful events, it is clear that the journey toward gender equality requires continuous effort, collaboration, and commitment. By championing these conversations and supporting one another, we can continue to break barriers and create a more inclusive future for all. 

Formidable Females in Future Flight: Inspiring women through my podcast series 

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Jo Moses, Founder of Berello

Jo is the founder of Berello, with over 20 years of experience in recruitment and executive search specialising in Aviation, and aerospace, life sciences and pharma, B2B Tech and service, retail and consumer and the public sector.

Known for her dedication to exceptional service, she believes in going above and beyond to serve both clients and candidates throughout the recruitment process. Her approach centres on deep understanding and clear communication, helping both parties connect more effectively

Berello work with companies making a positive impact in the world. They begin every search holistically as to find the best possible talent . They are meticulous in their research to uncover the person that will make the difference for the organisations they work with. 

Jo’s Story

Hiring within the space and aerospace sector, I have found a fabulous and sincere community of individuals. Professionals in this sector are often driven by curiosity and a desire to advance technology, pushing at the boundaries of what is possible, while maintaining an absolute “safety first” culture. They are often very loyal to the projects and companies they are working within and it is usual for individuals to work for the same company for many years. This is one of the reasons, I believe, that organisational cultures can seem to evolve quite slowly, particularly in larger companies.   

This sector boasts some of the largest corporations in the world, their incredible histories and technologies drawing many enquiring minds to join them. The size of these companies, their histories and lengthy individual tenures, seem to combine to create almost indelible organisational cultures. In my view this brings many great advantages, together with some limitations.

One limitation I have noticed is the very low level of gender diversity, particularly in technical leadership roles. It is still relatively uncommon to find a female Chief Engineer or Chief Technology Officer. This is changing and there are many spectacular examples of female leaders, just a lot fewer than men. 

Woman figure in recording studio. On air sign lit to signify recording.

I was inspired to launch my podcast series “Formidable Females in Future Flight” while delivering a search for a role where the talent pool was almost exclusively male. This was not at all to discredit any of these wonderful men, just to highlight more female role models. As we often say within the Royal Aeronautical Society Women in Aviation, Aerospace and Space Committee, “you can’t be what you can’t see”. 

Through my podcast series, I have been privileged to meet inspiring women from all around the world and from many different companies. I always like to ask the guest speaker about what drew them to this sector and their career choice. Interestingly, anyone who consciously chose engineering or other technical roles as their path, seems to have one thing in common, and that is the importance of early inspiration.

It is well documented that girls often self-select away from STEM subjects as soon as they have the chance. By the same token, many of the women I have met, through my podcast series, were inspired by a what they felt was a profound experience as a much younger child (primary/elementary or even pre-school age.) This has included visiting an airshow, living on a flight path or close to an air base, going in a flight simulator with Granddad, sitting with their uncle to watch aircraft, following in the footsteps of family members, etc. They can be relatively simple experiences, but they have changed the whole course of someone’s life. I was keen to capture some of these stories in order to further encourage and empower women to pursue and build their careers in these fabulous sectors. 

Please enjoy this snippet video that captures some of the exciting stories shared with me.

For more information on the work Jo Moses does you can find her Podcast, Formidable Females in Flight here or information on her work in Belrello here.

The 100 Black Women Professor Now Programme: the power of community and rediscovering my career path!

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Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management and a member of HRWE. She holds a PhD from the University of York, their research focuses on the intersection of HRM and organizational resilience, particularly in SMEs. Tinkuma brings valuable insights from both academia and industry to her teaching and her research. Her work explores critical areas such as talent management, employee engagement, and strategic HRM alignment, aimed at helping organizations thrive in today’s dynamic business environment.

Tinkuma has joined the WHEN 100 Black Women Professors Now (BWPN) programme and reflects on the importance of the support this programme has given her when navigating the world of academia.

The 100 Black Women Professor Now (100 BWPN) programme is an initiative committed to increasing the representation of Black women in academic leadership positions, particularly in professional roles. Its primary purpose is to address the systemic barriers that hinder the career advancement of Black female academics, creating pathways for professional growth and visibility within higher education. By providing mentorship, networking opportunities, and resources, the programme aims to empower participants to navigate the challenges they face and cultivate a supportive community that champions their success.

As I pause to reflect on my journey in academia, I can’t help but acknowledge the transformative role the 100 BWPN programme has played in shaping my experience. When I found myself at a crossroads, seriously contemplating a departure from academia, this programme became a lifeline that reignited my passion and provided the vital support I so desperately needed.

The Crossroads of Doubt

Upon entering the world of academia, my heart brimmed with enthusiasm and hope. I envisioned myself making a significant impact, contributing to the tapestry of knowledge, and nurturing the minds of future generations. Yet, as time passed, the reality of academia began to take a toll on my spirit. The demands of navigating institutional politics and the subtle challenges of belonging created an overwhelming sense of doubt. I often found myself wondering if I truly belonged in this space. I questioned whether I could carve out a fulfilling career in a field that sometimes felt unwelcoming, particularly for someone like me.

This internal struggle came to a head during moments of introspection when I contemplated leaving academia altogether. The idea of abandoning a path I had invested so much in was daunting. But just when I felt most adrift, the 100 BWPN programme emerged as a beacon of hope.

The Arrival of a Supportive Community

Upon joining the 100 BWPN programme, I was welcomed into a vibrant community that warmly embraced me. It was a stark contrast to the feelings of isolation I had experienced before. Here, I encountered a diverse cohort of Black women scholars, each with unique stories, aspirations, and challenges. Engaging with this community ignited a transformative shift in my perspective; I was no longer alone in my struggles. Instead, I found myself surrounded by sisters in spirit, all navigating similar pathways.

Through shared experiences and heartfelt conversations, I discovered that many of my peers had faced similar doubts and obstacles. Hearing their stories illuminated my own journey and made me to realise that I was part of a larger narrative – one that celebrated resilience, strength, and unity among Black women in academia. This newfound sense of belonging was both comforting and empowering.

The Transformative Workshop Experience

Among the moments that stood out for me in my journey with the programme was the two-day career planning workshop. This event was meticulously designed to provide participants with practical tools and strategies for navigating the academic landscape. From identifying career goals to planning actionable steps for achieving them, the workshop offered invaluable insights.

As I engaged in the various sessions, I was struck by the collective energy of the group. Women from different disciplines came together to share their aspirations and challenges in an atmosphere of collaboration and support. It was refreshing to witness such openness, where vulnerabilities were met with encouragement rather than judgement.

One particular exercise that resonated with me involved creating an empowerment network map. We were encouraged to identify the key individuals and connections that could support our career trajectories. This activity prompted me to reflect on my current relationships and consider how to expand my network with people who could help me achieve my goals. It pushed me to confront my aspirations and recognise the support systems I need to thrive.

As I left the workshop, I took with me not just a sense of direction but also a newfound clarity and purpose – an invigorating realisation that I no longer walk this path alone.

The Power of Affirmation

The encouragement I received from my colleagues, line manager, mentor, coach, and sponsor has been absolutely remarkable. Their unwavering support has helped me recognise my potential in an often-challenging environment. I remember instances where their words of affirmation lifted my spirit when I was doubting my capabilities.

One particularly impactful moment was when my mentor took the time to review my career action plan. His insights not only enhanced the clarity and direction of my goals but also instilled a sense of confidence that I had been lacking. Also, the feedback from my sponsor, line manager, and coach reinforced my sense of purpose and direction. This mentorship type is invaluable, underscoring the importance of cultivating supportive relationships within academia.

The Importance of Representation and Community

As we celebrate Black History Month, I am reminded of the critical importance of representation and support systems for Black women in academia. The 100 BWPN programme exemplifies how mentorship and community can transform individual lives and foster collective progress, especially for those of us navigating a landscape where most mentors and sponsors may not share our racial or cultural background.

Through this experience, I have come to appreciate the vital role of representation in shaping the academic landscape. When Black women occupy positions of influence and leadership, they open doors for future generations. The visibility of successful Black women in academia is a powerful reminder that we belong in these spaces. It challenges the prevailing narratives that often marginalise our contributions and inspires others to pursue their dreams fearlessly.

A Call to Action

Reflecting on my journey, I am motivated to act beyond my ambitions. The 100 BWPN programme has encouraged me to actively seek opportunities to support emerging scholars within our community. I recognise that the struggles we face are interconnected, and by lifting each other, we can create a more equitable academic environment.

In this spirit, I am excited to be launching the upcoming Safe Space Initiative alongside my colleague, Dr Ifeoma Dan-Ogosi, with the support of the EDI team. This initiative is designed to foster an environment where Black women academics can openly share their experiences, challenges, and aspirations without fear of judgement. It is a platform for open dialogue and collaboration, allowing us to strengthen our community ties and amplify our voices. By creating a safe space for Black women academics, we can empower one another to navigate the complexities of academia, share best practices, and celebrate our successes together. For more details, please read our blog post here.

Looking Ahead: A Renewed Sense of Purpose

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in the 100 BWPN programme. It has revitalised my passion for academia and endowed me with a renewed sense of purpose. I have gained the currency to navigate my career and a profound understanding of the collective strength we possess as Black women scholars.

As I look to the future, I am excited about the possibilities. I envision a path where I can establish myself and contribute meaningfully to my field while fostering an inclusive environment for others. I am determined to carry the lessons learned from the 100 BWPN programme with me, embracing the potential for growth that lies ahead, ready to walk boldly into my rising!

You can find out more about the 100 BWPN Programme here.

Preventing violence against women: The need to engage men in the workplace

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Dr Stephen Burrell, 16/08/2024

This article discusses themes of violence and sexual harassment in the work place.

In the UK in recent years, after one horrific femicide after another, there have been increasingly widespread conversations about the need to prevent violence against women and girls from happening in the first place. The new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has spoken of his goal to halve it in a decade. When it comes to prevention, the focus understandably tends to be on schools and young people. Yet young people possess relatively little social power, and for things to change among them, society around them must change, too. We therefore need to see prevention efforts scaled up at every level and in every corner of society. The workplace is a particularly important setting in this regard, and has the potential to play a significant role in instigating change.

There is thus an onus on employers to embrace violence prevention efforts. This is not least because violence against women affects the workplace directly; such as sexual harassment by colleagues or customers stopping women from being able to do their jobs, and domestic abuse significantly reducing victim-survivors’ ability to achieve their potential at work. I have conducted twenty interviews with educators and advocates spearheading preventative efforts in England, specifically within the business sector, to learn more about the key issues facing the development of this work. The research participants emphasised that preventing violence against women has positive effects on businesses themselves, by helping to create a culture in which everyone can thrive. The same masculinised dynamics which can enable sexist and misogynistic behaviour to proliferate also foster unsupportive, exclusionary environments in which hierarchies, callousness, and bullying are rife.

So what can businesses do to prevent violence against women? Firstly, my interviewees underscored that supporting victim-survivors and taking cases within their own organisation seriously sends powerful messages about what behaviours are (not) tolerated. More broadly, prevention is built upon dismantling patriarchy across the workplace, so that women are treated as equal members of the organisation. Engaging with men is crucial to this. Participants discussed how, too often, the onus is placed on women, as if simply by being more confident and assertive, gendered inequities will fade away. It was highlighted that men continue to hold most positions of power in businesses, and can therefore be key instigators of (or obstacles to) change. Men also have unique opportunities to influence other men, and to bring into question oppressive behaviours in the workplace. In turn, they have much to gain from being involved in creating more equitable organisations, in which the wellbeing of all staff is taken seriously, and work/life balance and caregiving are prioritised. Indeed, the workplace represents a crucial space to engage with men ‘where they are’, and make the connections between how different aspects of gender equality connect to their own lives.

A still shot from the Gillette’s ‘The Best Men Can Be’ advert. a close up of a young boy looking straight into the camera with the text: the best a Man can Get centrally overlayed on the image

We have seen some businesses get involved in external campaigns to prevent violence against women, such as through advertising. These can send powerful messages, and businesses have significant reach in the community. Gillette’s ‘The Best Men Can Be’ advert in the wake of the #MeToo movement is one example. However, several participants felt that even more important is the business’s own conduct and culture – with the risk of being seen as inauthentic if they cannot ‘walk the talk’. Ongoing education, training, and dialogue with staff across the organisation (especially men) which seeks to transform gender norms is therefore vital. Recruiting individual men to lead the way in speaking out about violence against women can support this, as can initiating allyship groups and networks, so that those men who already recognise gender equality as being their business can positively influence others.

There are also a number of challenges facing violence prevention in the workplace. Participants felt businesses often don’t treat social issues like men’s violence against women with the priority it warrants, especially in the face of the profit motive, and consider it ‘somebody else’s’ problem. They may be reluctant to get involved in work seen as politically ‘contentious’, and may thus opt for watered down, unthreatening initiatives. There is thus a risk that even when businesses do support efforts to prevent violence and engage men, they do so in ways which are tokenistic or superficial, or motivated by reputation-sanitising. Interviewees therefore underlined the need for this work to be deep-rooted and multifaceted – across the whole organisation – whilst recognising this to be a gradual process for businesses to come on board with.

We should also be wary of the potential for masculinised corporate cultures to ‘rub off’ on violence prevention work, for example by encouraging competition among under-resourced NGOs, or individualising what is a structural problem. Some participants debated the ethics of working with businesses altogether, especially those actively engaged in practices contributing towards violence, such as the destruction of the environment or the selling of alcohol. Of course, these organisations may also be where culture-change is most needed – but practitioners must balance this with the risk of giving them legitimacy. This demonstrates the need for change to come from outside as well as within businesses, such as through government regulation.

A relay baton being passed from one hand to another

Finally, participants stressed the challenges of recruiting men to the cause. Many men have been taught little about how gender inequality and violence against women relate to their lives. Some may express defensiveness in response to the discomfort felt when they encounter these issues. However, participants felt it important not to be put off by backlash, which is likely to represent only a small (if vocal) minority of men. There are many more who remain unsure of what to think, who have much to gain from learning about the harmful impacts of masculine norms, and from the creation of more caring workplaces. It is therefore vital that businesses do not shy away from the responsibility that we all have to contribute to the prevention of violence against women.

As with work with men itself however, given the tensions of involving businesses, it must be undertaken with sensitivity and critical self-reflection, if we are serious about getting to the roots of the problem and not just ‘looking good’. Ending men’s violence against women forces us to ask difficult questions about ways in which we might be part of the problem – but these are questions which we all win from finding answers to.

Dr Stephen Burrell, is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow researching the connections between the climate crisis, masculinity, and violence. As Deputy Director of CRiVA, he co-hosts the podcast “Now and Men.” His work focuses on engaging men in gender equality, preventing violence, and exploring men’s responses to feminism. Follow him on Twitter: @the_daily_panda.

If you have been affected by topics discussed in this article there are support networks available. Here are a few places that may be able to offer you advice and support.

Victim support: Victimsupport.org

Support for workplace harassment and abuse: ACAS Sexual harassment specialist team

Mental Health support: Mind.org

Announcement: New Series in collaboration with BLCC

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HRWE are proud to announce that for academic year 2024/2025 we will be collaborating with the Bristol Leadership and Change Centre to give a year long series of seminars, talks and workshops open to all and completely free.

More information and registration links to the events are coming soon but in the mean time we’d love to hear what you’d like to see.

Get in touch with any suggestions or requests, and of course if you would like to present as a guest speaker we would love to hear from you!

Exploring Neurodiversity in Engineering: A Video Series by Vanda Papafilippou and Lucy Downes

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Vanda Papafilippou and Lucy Downes, have recently published a series of videos exploring their findings around their research on neurodiversity in engineering. They have made these videos so that the information from their research is free and accessible, publishing the information on YouTube for all to access. More information on each video can be found below as well as a brief bio of each author.

Introducing the study.

The first video in the series,  Introducing the study neurodiversity in engineering, introduces a study conducted by Dr. Vanda Papafilippou (Principal Investigator) and Miss Lucy Downes (co-Investigator). The study, carried out in 2023, focused on the experience of neurodivergent engineers in the workplace.

Getting in.

91% of survey respondents found that there were barriers in the recruitment process for neurodivergent people. The second video, Neurodiversity in Engineering: Getting in, addresses the topic of recruitment and selection. What parts of the recruitment process pose the biggest barriers – what works well? The video looks at what organisations can do to remove barriers from the selection process, and what Neurodivergent people look for when applying for a new role.

Moving on.

The third video, Neurodiversity in Engineering: Moving on, presents the main findings of the research on neurodiversity in engineering, focusing on the experience of neurodivergent engineers once in the workplace. What are challenges both physical and social that  they face and how HR processes and the questions of ‘’disclosure’’ can have an impact.

Moving up.

Part four of the series, Neurodiversity in Engineering: Moving up, explores the findings related to career development and progression, and how this interacts with neurodiversity in engineering. How lack or role models and certain role requirements not inline with the skill set such as people management created barriers to progression in the workplace.

Implications for practice.

Finally, the last video in the series, Neurodiversity in engineering: Implications for practice, discusses the implications of the research findings for smaller teams, line managers, senior managers, HR policies and practices, and organizational culture more broadly.

About the Authors

Dr. Vanda Papafilippou is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resources Management at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), specializing in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. Her research focuses on addressing gender inequality, improving diversity management practices, and promoting inclusive recruitment, as evidenced by her leadership on projects exploring women’s networks, the experiences of European expatriates, and neurodiversity in engineering. Combining her academic expertise in qualitative research methods with her active engagement with industry, Vanda has developed and delivered inclusive recruitment and selection training for organizations, created EDI training materials for social enterprises, and served as a judge for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Applied Research Conference, making her a prolific researcher and practitioner dedicated to fostering more equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Lucy Downes, a Lecturer in Human Resource Management at UWE Bristol. She has achieved Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy and is close to completing the Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice. Lucy’s research interests centre on equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. As part of her dissertation, she explored the social factors that support or hinder the professional identities of senior female aerospace engineers. Since joining UWE Bristol, she has worked on a research project investigating the experiences of international students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has also collaborated with an interdisciplinary team on a Higher Education Innovation Fund-supported project to develop a framework to help engineering organizations recruit and retain neurodiverse employees.

Invisible Work on Maternity Leave: How the Covid Pandemic intensified and exposed the unpaid work of Mothers

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Dr Jenna Pandeli, Dr Chloe Tarrabain and Dr Mahwish Khan

In this blog, we draw upon our own research that explored the experiences of new mothers on maternity leave during the pandemic. We unravel the immense layers of unpaid work that mothers undertake and define this as ‘Invisible Work’. Our work aids understanding of the complex layers of emotion work, physical work, and mental load that women are expected to undertake during maternity leave.

What is Invisible Work?

The term ‘Invisible Work’ was developed by feminist academic Arlene Kaplan Daniels (1987) to describe women’s unpaid labour, such as housework and volunteer work. The concept has since been expanded and used to describe lots of different types of work (not just ‘women’s work’); work that is not valued economically, legally, culturally and work that is socially marginalized, physically out of sight or some combination thereof (Hatton, 2017). Invisible Work is unseen, unacknowledged and neither defined nor recognized or compensated as labour (Kaplan, 2022). Examples of Invisible Work have included prison labour (Pandeli et al, 2019), ‘dirty work’ (Duffy, 2007; Simpson et al., 2012), sex work (Kotiswaran, 2011), student internships (Hatton, 2017), emotion work and so on. Essentially, Invisible Work is being undertaken everywhere, but because this type of work is hidden in some shape or form, this obscures the fact that work is being performed and therefore this contributes to its economic devaluation.

So, what does ‘Invisible Work’ have to do with maternity leave and the pandemic?

For families, the pandemic meant a collapse of the boundaries between public and private space, where work, childcare and personal time all happened within the home. Research on parenting during the pandemic shows how the lack of separation between these spaces impacted mothers in a more pronounced way than fathers. Findings suggest that mothers experienced far greater anxieties and a greater sense of responsibility for their child’s safety (Ben Yaakov and Ben-Ari, 2021) often assuming accountability for making decisions and warding off the virus (Dutta et al., 2020; Kelly and Senior, 2021), and had an increased mental load (Dean et al. 2021; Kelly and Senior, 2021) than their male counterparts. Maternity leave makes this collapse of boundaries more extreme. Women having babies and taking maternity are removed from the economic labour market and confined to the domestic space. Without respite through social interaction, family and professional support, these women sat at the sharp end of the Covid pandemic. They were completing vast layers of unpaid work – emotional, physical and mental.

Dr Jenna Pandeli, Dr Chloe Tarrabain and Dr Mahwish Khan, all researchers at the University of the West of England gave birth (each to their first child) during the lockdowns of the global pandemic in 2020. Their experiences were understandably distressing, emotional and painful. On returning to work, they joked that they felt like they were ‘on holiday’ – being back at work felt like a holiday, which really made them realise that they had undertaken real, sweated labour while on maternity leave…exhausting, stressful and all-consuming labour…If their (professional, stressful, busy) paid jobs felt like relief/a break, what the hell had they been doing on maternity leave!? As a result, they undertook research, using their own experiences as well as interviewing 13 women who had given birth in 2020 to gain a deeper understanding of the type of work they were undertaking whilst on maternity leave in a pandemic.

What type of work were mothers undertaking on maternity leave in the pandemic?

Their research found that new mothers were undertaking significant layers of work during their maternity leave in the pandemic that included such things as:

  • Managing the expectations of maternity leave versus the reality of their experiences
  • Struggling to be heard and advocate for themselves in the absence of support
  • Managing safety, fear, and risk to keep themselves and their babies safe during the pandemic
  • Managing boredom, monotony, and loneliness due to isolation, restrictions, lockdown, and the confinement of motherhood more generally
  • Managing the relentlessness of caring for a baby whilst never being able to ‘switch off’
  • Managing and worrying about societal expectations of being the ‘ideal mother’

The Covid-19 pandemic dramatically altered the expectations and experiences of mothers during their maternity leave; adjusting to these changes and managing their expectations took its toll. Initially anticipating a period of bonding and shared joy, many women found themselves isolated, with limited social interactions and a sense of stolen moments. The absence of crucial social support networks left mothers mourning the maternity leave they had envisioned. The emotional and mental work needed to manage these expectations was often overlooked.

Many mothers felt that their experiences were devalued, leading to feelings of abandonment and disempowerment. Without adequate professional and social support, they had to navigate complex healthcare decisions and the challenges of early motherhood largely on their own, often feeling dismissed. They encountered the usual trope of being considered overly emotional, irrational, and hysterical. Their struggles were not treated as legitimate, and they were forced to ‘just get on with it’ at every stage. Fielding-Singh and Dmowska (2022) have shown us that women experience gaslighting during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum; their realities are denied and thereby destabilized; mothers are rendered non-credible, and their experiences are not taken seriously. Even large organisations are now starting to acknowledge gender bias in healthcare and pain (See Nurofen’s recent ‘See My Pain’ Campaign here: See My Pain | Nurofen). Therefore, women were forced to undertake intense amounts of labour in order to advocate for themselves and their children during this time, and ensure their voices were heard.

Balancing the risks posed by the pandemic with their emotional wellbeing became a complex challenge for many mothers on maternity leave during this time. The lifting of restrictions introduced new fears and anxieties e.g. ‘Restrictions have eased but is it actually safe to go out?’ or ‘I had planned to meet a friend outside for coffee, but she has been in contact with someone who has covid – should I cancel plans?’ Constantly having to make these decisions with limited information, not only for themselves but also to protect their baby only added to their emotional burden and decision fatigue.

Additionally, loneliness and monotony became prominent features of maternity leave during covid as the absence of social support intensified feelings of isolation. Women had to form networks, reach out, socialise while physically and mentally exhausted in order to manage their mental health on maternity leave. Organising coffee meetups or play dates with the added pressure or masks, navigating lockdown rules and restrictions, lateral flow tests etc. was challenging and exhausting, albeit necessary for survival.

Mothers felt immense, relentless pressure to meet unrealistic expectations of being the ‘perfect’ mum, which was exacerbated by the lack of social support, resulting in feelings of exhaustion, guilt, shame, and a distorted sense of self-worth. Society tells us:

“You must feed your child healthy, home-cooked food, but you must still make time to play with them, you must not use screen time, but you must ensure your home is always clean. You must be a calm and gentle parent, but you must parent without support. You cannot use soothers, but your child must nap independently…. actually, don’t let your child nap independently enjoy this time together and have contact naps. You should breastfeed but not for too long. You should go back to work after your maternity leave, but if you do go back, you are neglecting your child. You must ensure you have some ‘me time’ but only after everyone else in your household is sorted and your chores are done. Motherhood is a blessing, and you must enjoy every minute so please don’t complain…. oh, and by the way, when are you going to have another child?’

These are the constant messages, often conflicting and confusing, that women are bombarded with on a daily basis. Mothers are expected to strike exactly the right balance in all areas of their child’s life and development and are considered failures if they can’t meet these impossible expectations, whilst isolated and doing it all alone. Inevitably, this pressure leads to burnout for many mothers.

These are just a handful of examples of the emotional, physical, and mental work taking place whilst on maternity leave and well into motherhood.

What does this tell us about maternity leave more generally? are these experiences only relevant to the pandemic?

Overall, the research argues that these experiences are not necessarily unique to the pandemic, instead what was discovered was the Invisible Work of maternity leave more generally. The pandemic allowed us to see more clearly the work that new mothers were forced to undertake whilst on maternity leave. Covid-19 exacerbated the difficult experiences of motherhood, isolating mothers, removing support, and pushing Invisible Work to an almost unbearable extreme. But we can learn from these experiences as we can now see more clearly the multiple layers of work being undertaken on maternity leave.

You can find out more about this research, read the full report and see the recommendations we make to organisations, policymakers and families going forward here. Please get in touch with Jenna Pandeli if you would like to know more.

References

Ben-Yaakov, O. and Ben-Ari, O.T (2022) Covid-19-Related anxieties and parenting stress among first-time mothers and fathers in their first year of parenthood. Psychology & Health, 37(11),1327-1341.

Dean, L., Churchill, B., & Ruppanner, L (2021) The mental load: building a deeper theoretical understanding of how cognitive and emotional labor overload women and mothers. Community, Work & Family, 25(1), 13-29.

Duffy M (2007) Doing the dirty work: gender, race, and reproductive labor in historical perspective. Gender & Society, 21(3): 313–36.

Dutta, M., Agarwal, D., & Sivakami, M. (2020 The “invisible” among the marginalised: Do gender and intersectionality matter in the Covid-19 response. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 5(4), 302-308.

Fielding-Singh, P. & Dmowska, A (2022) Obstetric gaslighting and the denial of mothers’ realities. Social Science & Medicine, 301: 1-8.

Hatton, Erin (2017). Mechanisms of invisibility: rethinking the concept of Invisible Work. Work, Employment and Society, 31(2): 336–351.

Kaplan Daniels, Arlene (1987). Invisible Work. Social Problems, 34(5): 403–415.

Kaplan, Amit (2022). ‘Just Let it Pass by and it Will Fall on Some Woman’: Invisible Work in the Labor Market. Gender & Society, 36(6): 838-868.

Kelly, S., & Senior, A (2021) Towards a feminist parental ethics. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(2): 807-825.

Kotiswaran P (2011) Dangerous Sex, Invisible Labor: Sex Work and the Law in India. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Pandeli, J., Marinetto, M. and Jenkins, J., 2019. Captive in cycles of invisibility? Prisoners’ work for the private sector. Work, Employment and Society, 33(4): 596-612.

Simpson R, Slutskaya N, Lewis P, Höpfl H (eds) (2012) Dirty Work: Concepts and Identities. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Handbook Launch: Gender and Employment in the Public Sector

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Hazel Conley and Paula Koskinen Sandberg have co-edited a new International Handbook on Gender and Employment in the Public Sector, published by Edward Elgar in their International Handbooks on Gender series.  This blog is based on the introductory chapter of the handbook.  

Professor Hazel Conley would like to introduce her latest publication, at the formal launch of this handbook in the 11.12.23. There will be light refreshments, and ample opportunity to discuss the work. You can register to attend here.

Public sector employment is characterized by its high levels of gender segregation and, in many countries of the world, it is feminized providing both high and low skilled work for women.  Public sector employment is inevitably politically charged because the State is often both employer and paymaster and because adequate public services rely on significant levels of taxation, making it a target for neo-liberal reforms fuelled; in recent times, by austerity.  Here, trade unions still have a significant representation and collective bargaining presence, which periodically results in industrial unrest.

Further, Public sector employment is emotionally charged because it often involves work with the most vulnerable members of society – the old, the young, the sick, the homeless, victims of crime and other emergencies, which has included being on the front line of a global pandemic.  Despite this, the rewards for public sector employment, particularly in relation to gender pay equality, are frequently called into question.  However, these issues also mean that public sector employment has often been the focus of developing gender equality policies, practices and legislation.  These debates provide fertile ground for feminist and academic research on equality, from which the contributions to the Handbook are drawn.  The volume explores theoretical, conceptual and empirical research from established and early career researchers.  It takes an international and intersectional perspective, which acknowledges that those who work in public sector employment have differences in demography that shape their experiences at work.

The 26 chapters of this book explore five main subject areas:

  • Gender and the Neo-Liberal State as Employer
  • Gender and Working Conditions in the Public Sector
  • Women’s Pay, Reward and Pensions in the Public Sector
  • Women’s Representation and Voice in the Public Sector
  • Gender, Pandemic and Public Sector Employment

The book produces a wide range of global evidence detailing the ways in which women’s employment in public services is inevitably impacted by the many political and economic tensions that surround public spending. Women are used as flexible resources to move into or out of the labour market, depending on prevailing political ideologies and economic conditions. Their pay and job quality are used as tools to keep public spending low where neo-liberal ideologies demand while; at the same time maintaining levels of public service that limit the damage to the electoral chances of incumbent governments.

”…Women are used as flexible resources to move into or out of the labour market, depending on prevailing political ideologies and economic conditions...”

During the global pandemic the commitment and dedication of public service workers to the care of others was lauded, but their own health and well-being were secondary concerns, with ethnic minority and migrant women faring particularly badly.  This book documents how years of underfunding combined with the effects of the pandemic have left public services, and the women who work in them, exhausted and demoralized.  Lastly, despite propping up underfunded public services around the globe, women’s progress into leadership positions in this sector remains tortuously slow and unequally rewarded.

Although the evidence in this volume is international and is shaped by quite different cultural and political contexts, the underpinning logic for the position of women identified in each chapter is consistent: women’s paid labour is universally valued less than men’s and their unpaid labour is generally disregarded.  Although one of the main roles of the state should be to uphold the human rights of its citizens not to be discriminated against, it is complicit in discrimination when it draws on gendered assumptions about women’s lives, skills and motivations to keep public spending low.  The book highlights that change is possible, but this would require rethinking how public services, particularly care work, are valued and funded in societies.  Importantly, change can only be achieved if women’s labour ceases to be thought of as secondary, low-skilled, cheap and dispensable.  For these conditions to be realized, the trade unions and organisations that give women working in public services a collective voice must take this up as their raison d’etre and make sure that the exploitation of women is not the go-to solution for limiting public spending.

The International Handbook on Gender and Employment in the Public Sector provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research and policy debates on gender equality and diversity in public sector workforces around the world. Co-edited by Hazel Conley and Paula Koskinen Sandberg, this insightful volume features contributions from leading scholars across various disciplines. If you are interested in learning more about the challenges and opportunities related to promoting gender equality in public sector organizations globally, be sure to get yourself a copy of this important new handbook published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Studying at Soft Play: Giving Student Parents in HE a Voice

Author ripleywk | Posted on

Stress in students is well-documented in the literature as having negative effects on cognitive, emotional and physical health.  We’re all aware of the great stress most of our students are under, juggling paid work with university work, the ever-rising cost of living, negotiating personal relationships and trying to carve out time for a social life.  But add into the mix, the challenges associated with being a parent, and the stress triggers are amplified.  This blog post by Dr Hilary Drew discusses a new research project, in collaboration with Cardiff Metropolitan and Aberystwyth universities, investigating how students, who are also parents, juggle the demands of family, university work and sometimes paid work and how their ability to complete their chosen programme of study is affected.

What do we know?

Student parents in Higher Education (HE) are not a new phenomenon. Widening participation strategies since the late 1990s have deliberately targeted mature students, a demographic more likely to have caring responsibilities for dependent children than the under-21s (Brooks, 2012).  We know that student parents typically come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds and may experience intersectional inequality due to class, gender, disability or ethnicity (Moreau, 2016; Arday, 2017).  Furthermore, in latter years, the number of international students, especially at postgraduate level, has increased. Many of these students are also likely to have dependents, as highlighted by changes to student visa requirements from January 2024, impacting students with dependents.

Whilst we can estimate that there has been an increase in the number of students who fall into the category of being most likely to have parental responsibilities, there are no exact figures available. This is not surprising, as there is no requirement to collect data about student parents, either at institutional or national level.  The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) does not require that universities collect data on caring responsibilities, and many universities do not systematically collect information on student parents.

Hidden Figures

In our provisional enquiries here; at UWE Bristol, we contacted a number of different services across the university to find out whether or not our institution collects any data on student parents, as well as to ascertain the extent to which students with dependents are visible at UWE Bristol.  However, in line with the literature, and in common with the findings of the two other institutions in our research project, we were unable to piece together a conclusive picture of student parents at our institution.  Nevertheless, many student-facing services admitted that more information about student parents would assist them greatly in designing and delivering more targeted support and other initiatives.

Our enquiries about student parents bounced around the university; for example, we were directed to the Student Advice Team, as they support students facing both personal and academic challenges. We were recommended to contact Halley Nursery, but obviously this did not give us a full picture, because students can use other childcare services.  We also spoke to Student Money Services as students may access the Enhanced Childcare Bursary, amongst other university service providers.  Evidently, a further obstacle in obtaining this information is GDPR issues, as services are not able to share sensitive data on individual students and there is no central system where all the different pieces of information about students are captured.

‘That’ Gap

The conflicting demands of being a student and a parent are already well-documented in the literature, as well as, in some cases, undertaking paid work. It is widely reported that balancing parenting and academic work requires careful planning, in contrast with the widespread assumption that students’ lifestyles are hedonistic (Hodge, 2002). Moreover, unequal gender responsibilities at home, which we see elsewhere in society, also play a role here (Connell 2013; Osborne et al., 2004). Student-mothers report needing to develop coping strategies to manage their academic workload.  These include studying when children are at school or nursery, or in bed and restricting any non-university or non-child-related activities (Moreau and Kerner, 2015).  We’ve met parents of younger children who have even admitted to taking study notes along to soft play! Student-mothers admitted feeling guilty about trying to juggle motherhood and their studies; whereas Brooks (2015; 2012) found that student-fathers did not report feelings of guilt about being a student and a parent.

Since most universities are not set up to support students with dependents (Moreau, 2016), once on campus, we see student parents facing a myriad of challenges due to  HE structural and policy barriers (poor on-site childcare facilities; restrictive ‘no child on campus’ policies; late availability of timetables; lectures scheduled too early or too late (Osborne et al., 2004; Alsop et al. 2008; Brooks, 2012; Brooks, 2015; Moreau and Kerner, 2015; Moreau 2016).

Where Next?

Building on the work of Claire Evans (Cardiff Metropolitan University) on student parents during the pandemic (Evans, 2023 Forthcoming),  Hilary Drew[1], Damian Whittard[2], Mahwish Khan[3] and Lucy Venables[4] from UWE, together with Dr Evans[5] and Megan Williams[6] (Aberystwyth University) have gained ethical approval to find out more about students with dependents and are seeking funding to begin work on a project, entitled A Cross-Institutional Analysis of Student Parents’ Experience of Studying in Higher Education.

The overarching aim of the research is to examine parental provision at the three institutions, with the aim of encouraging our institutions to make student parents visible and to use their voices and experiences to inform policy and practice. Across the three institutions (Cardiff Metropolitan University, UWE and Aberystwyth University), we will focus on two key research questions:

To determine how being a student-parent affects engagement with the programme of study;

To determine what kind of initiatives help or hinder student-parents to pursue their HE goals.

Given the exploratory nature of the research questions, a qualitative approach will be adopted. To that end, a series of semi-structured interviews, lasting approximately 60 minutes, will be undertaken. In order to ensure that we can be as flexible as possible, and can fit into the participants’ already busy lives, these interviews will be performed on-line via Teams, telephone or in-person, according to the availability of the participants.  For more information about the study and how to participate, please see our Sway presentation and/or get in contact with Dr Hilary Drew hilary.drew@uwe.ac.uk .

References

Alsop, R., Gonzalez‐Arnal, S. and Kilkey, M. (2008). The widening participation agenda: The marginal place of care. Gender and Education, 20(6), pp.623-637.

Arday, J. (2017). Exploring black and minority ethnic (BME) doctoral students’ perceptions of an academic career. University and College Union.

Brooks, R. (2012). Student-parents and higher education: a cross-national comparison. Journal of Education Policy, 27(3), pp.423-439.

Brooks, R. (2015). Social and spatial disparities in emotional responses to education: feelings of ‘guilt’ among student‐parents. British Educational Research Journal, 41(3), pp.505-519.

Connell, R. (2013). Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. John Wiley & Sons.

Evans, C. (2023) ‘Failing as a parent, failing as a student’: the challenges faced by student parents in the COVID-19 pandemic. Forthcoming.

Hodge, M. (2002) Examination of witness, question 263 (London, House of Commons Select Committee on Education & Skills).

Moreau, M. P., & Kerner, C. (2015). Care in academia: An exploration of student parents’ experiences. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36(2), 215-233.

Moreau, M.P. (2016). Regulating the student body/ies: University policies and student parents. British Educational Research Journal, 42(5), pp.906-925.

Osborne, M., Marks, A. and Turner, E. (2004). Becoming a mature student: How adult applicants weigh the advantages and disadvantages of higher education. Higher education, 48, pp.291-315.

[1]  Hilary Drew gained her PhD from Cardiff University. She joined UWE in 2011 and is currently the Director of Partnerships and International at CBL.  She is a member of the HRWE and DRAGoN groups and her research interests are in low pay and student working.

[2] Damian Whittard is an Associate Professor in Economics at UWE, Programme Manager of the Wage and Employment Dynamics Project, and an Academic Assessor for the Government Economic Service. Additionally, he is a Research Fellow funded by ADR UK, an ESRC investment.

[3] Mahwish Khan has a PhD from UWE and she is the Associate Director of Organisation Studies cluster and a member of the HRWE Group. Her research interests include gender and employment, equality and diversity management and comparison of public and private sector employment practices. 

[4] Lucy Venables is the School Manager for Bristol Business School, UWE. She has over seven years’ experience working in student service roles in universities and is interested in using research to better understand and support the student experience.

[5] Before turning to academia, Dr Claire Evans qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC (Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte at the time) and worked in industry. Since working at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Claire’s research interests have focused gender, inequality and low-pay.

[6] Megan Williams, Aberystwyth University, is a qualified accountant (CIMA). She has taught in Higher Education for over 20 years, teaching financial and management accounting to UG and PG students.

Exploring the experience of neurodivergent engineers in the workplace: Re-crafting engineering?

Author ripleywk | Posted on

Dr Vanda Papafilippou & Miss Lucy Downes

The neurodiversity paradigm views neurodiversity as natural variations in human cognition that should be equally valued and celebrated (Chapman, 2022) thus challenging earlier research (and practice) that tended to take a deficit perspective and referred to ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, etc. as disorders that needed to be ‘treated’ (Chapman and Bovell, 2022). Nevertheless, despite the increased awareness of the strengths of neurodivergent thinking and the value that diverse perspectives can bring to organizations (Kirby and Smith, 2021), neurodivergent people may experience discrimination and marginalization once disclosing to their employer (Baldridge and Swift, 2013; Johnson and Joshi, 2017). What is more, to date there is limited research that explores the perspectives of neurodivergent employees to gain an understanding of contextual factors that might create barriers in the workplace (Doyle and McDowall, 2021) but also about how neurodivergent people approach work in general. 

This blog entry looks at neurodiversity from both an academic/research and practitioner perspective, offering some practical future directions for employers. We are specifically focusing on an aspect of our findings: how neurodivergent engineers engage in job crafting. In order to do so, we draw upon Lazazzara et al.’s (2020) job crafting process model which considers the job crafting motives, the impact of context, the forms of job crafting, personal factors and the job crafting consequences.

Our exploratory study focused on how neurodivergent engineers (all sectors, including software) experience the entire employee lifecycle (i.e., recruitment, career development and progression). We chose to focus on engineering as, anecdotally, there are many neurodivergent individuals in the profession as neurominority thinking strengths align to engineering skills, such as creative thinking and attention to detail (Engineering Council, 2022; Loiacono and Ren, 2018). 

Background

Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) noted that the need for control over work, establishing a positive self-image and connections with others motivate to engage in job crafting, which, in its turn, is argued to enhance the person-career fit (De Vos et al., 2020) and stimulate employees’ career growth (Hall and Las Heras, 2010). Employees may be proactively and/or reactively motivated to craft their jobs and that the form of job crafting depends also on contextual factors, such as organisational climate and job design components (e.g., resources, workload, demands) (Lazazzara et al., 2020).

However, to date there are no studies on how neurodivergent employees might engage in job crafting. An important gap considering that neurodiverse employees are often excluded and marginalised in the workplace due to negative stereotyping (Den Houting, 2019; Patton, 2019; Priscott and Allen, 2021) and negative organisational cultures (Kapp et al., 2019; Saleh et al., 2022) and this might impact their self-confidence, relationships with colleagues and control over work (Booth, 2016; Sheppard et al., 2016). Taking into consideration that there is little research on neurodiversity and employment (Doyle and MacDowall, 2021) this gap becomes even more pertinent. Therefore, we asked:

What processes can be identified that illustrate when and how neurodiverse engineers engage in job crafting?

How do contextual factors (i.e., organisational climate and job design) influence neurodiverse engineers to engage in job crafting?

 This was a qualitative study drawing upon in-depth semi-structured interviews. We interviewed 35 engineers (i.e., chemical, mechanical, aerospace, civil, software, oil & gas), male (24) and female (11), mostly of White British, one White Australian and 2 from ethnic minority backgrounds (British Asian, British Black). Participants were mainly employed (i.e., in large and smaller organisation) apart from two who were self-employed/ contractors. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling and access was sought via personal contacts, social media (Facebook groups, Twitter, LinkedIn), support from large Engineering organisations (HR and Employee Resource Groups), the Engineering Council, and snowballing. The interview schedule was developed following guidance from Norris et al. (2020) to acknowledge the challenges that autistic participants in particular might encounter. Towards this end we have also included semantic prompting (i.e., a general prompt before asking for a specific instance) and visual prompting.

Findings

To analyse our findings, we drew upon Lazazzara et al.’s (2020) job crafting process model which considers the job crafting motives, the impact of context (supportive vs. constraining), the forms of job crafting (i.e., approach job crafting, avoidance crafting and crafting in other domains), personal factors (supportive vs. constraining) and the job crafting consequences.

The engineers in our sample seemed to engage in job crafting mostly reactively (e.g., because of pressure to behave as ‘engineers’ and work following a specific pattern) but also proactively (e.g., shape their careers/roles according to their strengths, use some strategies in order to improve their performance), depending on how supportive their organisational context was. However, most of them, and especially those in larger organisations, appeared to be experiencing constraints not only due to the organisational context (e.g., negative stereotyping, lack of support from HR and especially their line managers) but also professional standards (e.g., they struggled to ‘fit the box’ of being a chartered engineer). In some cases, line managers ruled out progression opportunities based on the stereotypical assumption that neurodiverse individuals lack the social skills needed to manage a team. The forms of job crafting that are emerging so far are: approach crafting (e.g., adding tasks they enjoyed doing more of, establishing different ways of managing their teams), avoidance crafting (e.g., avoiding networking or socialising, avoiding for going for certain promotions) but also crafting in other domains (e.g., adjusting their working hours when working remotely, changing their physical environment, etc.).

Practical Implications

Our findings can provide a set of practical implications for Engineering as a sector and organisations. Given the current skills shortage of engineers (Armitage et al., 2020), it is of crucial importance that the sector adapts its practices to ensure that it attracts, recruits, and retains neurodiverse engineers through building a genuinely inclusive professional culture which is also reflected on the criteria for chartership (i.e., being less prescriptive). The key learnings for HR are:

Commitment to an inclusive workplace culture

Organisations need to move away from deficit thinking around neurodiversity and work towards a more positive and inclusive culture which in its turn, will provide a supportive context for job crafting and most importantly enhance the sense of organisational and professional belonging.

Retention of talent: revisiting job descriptions career progression criteria

Organisations need to carefully reconsider job design (e.g., Do all engineers need to approach the problem in the same way? What skills and experience are essential?) and ensure that they offer autonomy in carrying out job activities (but also support when neurodiverse employees might struggle with their work-life balance).

Performance management

All line managers should be trained in how to manage, support, and review the progress of neurodiverse employees. HR could also evaluate performance management, using a neurodiversity lens, and identify which encouraged behaviours (e.g., being ‘diplomatic’) or practices (e.g.., networking) might impede career progression and/or influence what considered ‘good performance’.

References

Armitage, L., Bourne, M., Di Simone, J., Jones, A. and Neave, S. (2020). Engineering UK 2020: Educational pathways into engineering. EngineeringUK.

Baldridge, D.C. and Swift, M.L. (2013) Withholding requests for disability accommodation: The role of individual differences and disability attributes. Journal of Management. 39 (3), pp.743-762.

Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Stott, C., Bolton, P. and Goodyer, I. (1997) Is there a link between engineering and autism?. Autism. 1 (1), pp.101-109.

Booth, J. (2016) Autism equality in the workplace: Removing barriers and challenging discrimination. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Chapman, R. (2020) Defining neurodiversity for research and practice. In Chapman, R., ed. (2020) Neurodiversity Studies. London: Routledge, pp. 218-220. 

Chapman, R. and Bovell, V. (2022) Neurodiversity, advocacy, anti-therapy. In Matson, J. and Sturmey, P. (2022) Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Springer, Cham, pp. 1519-1536. 

Costello, E., Kilbride, S., Milne, Z., Clarke, P., Yilmaz, M. and MacMahon, S.T. (2021) September. A Professional Career with Autism: Findings from a Literature Review in the Software Engineering Domain. In European Conference on Software Process Improvement. Springer, Cham.

De Vos, A., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. and Akkermans, J. (2020). Sustainable careers: Towards a conceptual model. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 117: 103196, pp. 1-13.

Den Houting, J. (2019). Neurodiversity: An insider’s perspective. Autism. 23 (2), pp. 271-273.

Doyle, N. and McDowall, A. (2021) Diamond in the rough? An “empty review” of research into “neurodiversity” and a road map for developing the inclusion agenda. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. 41 (3), pp.352-382.

Engineering Council (2022) Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Available from: Engineering Council (engc.org.uk) [Accessed 4 January 2023]. 

Hall, D. T. and Las Heras, M. (2010) Reintegrating job design and career theory: Creating not just good jobs but smart jobs. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 31, pp. 448–462.

Johnson T, D. and Joshi, A. (2016) Dark clouds or silver linings? A stigma threat perspective on the implications of an autism diagnosis for workplace well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology. 101 (3), pp. 430–449.

Kapp, S.K., Steward, R., Crane, L., Elliott, D., Elphick, C., Pellicano, E. and Russell, G. (2019) People should be allowed to do what they like:  Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming. Autism. 23 (7), pp.1782-1792.

Kirby, A. and Smith, T. (2021) Neurodiversity at work: Drive innovation, performance and productivity with a neurodiverse workforce. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Lazazzara, A., Tims, M. and de Gennara, D. (2020) The process of reinventing a job: A meta–synthesis of qualitative job crafting research. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 116: 103267, pp.1-18.

Loiacono, E.T. and Ren, H. (2018) Building a Neurodiverse High-tech Workforce. MIS Quarterly Executive. 17 (4),  pp.263-279.

Norris, J. E., Crane, L. and Maras, K. (2020) Interviewing autistic adults: Adaptations to support recall in police, employment, and healthcare interviews. Autism. 24 (6), pp. 1506–1520.

Patton, E. (2019) Autism, attributions and accommodations: Overcoming barriers and integrating a neurodiverse workforce. Personnel Review. 48 (4), pp.915-934.

Priscott, T. and Allen, R.A. (2021) Human capital neurodiversity: an examination of stereotype threat anticipation. Employee Relations: The International Journal. 43 (5), pp. 1067-1082.

Saleh, M.C., Chang, H.Y., Bruyère, S.M. and Vogus, T.J. (2022) Employment Selection Methods and Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Bruyère, S.M. and Colella, A. eds., (2022) Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Interests, Issues, and Opportunities. New York: Routledge.

Sheppard, E., Pillai, D., Wong, G.T.L., Ropar, D. and Mitchell, P. (2016) How easy is it to read the minds of people with autism spectrum disorder?. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 46 (4), pp.1247-1254.

Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001) Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. The Academy of Management Review. 26 (2), pp. 179–201.

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