On 21st January 2026 the Job Share South West (JSSW) inaugural event brought together leaders, managers and researchers to explore the potential of job sharing. Organised by Clare Freshwater-Turner and Annabelle Richards from Lloyds Banking Group and Sarah Houghton and Louise Cuthberston from BT Group, the event, held at the Lloyds Banking Group Harbourside Office, offered a combination of academic insight, real-world experience and practical discussions culminating in a networking breakout session that fostered connections and community building.

Opening with a warm welcome from Annabelle Richards and Clare Freshwater-Turner who introduced the keynote speaker Professor Susan Durbin from the College of Business and Law, University of the West of England (UWE). Drawing upon her specialisms in gender, employment and women’s careers in male-dominated industries Professor Durbin presented her findings on part-time work, flexible working and job share partnerships (JSPs).

This research conducted by Professor Durbin and Stella Warren (UWE) and Professor Jennifer Tomlinson, Leeds Business School, focused upon senior level men and women who job share (although male participation in job sharing remains low). It demonstrated that the outcomes of JSPs are similar for men and women. It also highlighted the significant benefits for those who engage in JSPs including improved work-life balance with alternating work patterns enabling flexibility without sacrificing productivity; high levels of job satisfaction compared with part-time working and a strong sense of achievement amongst participants in the study. Importantly career progression was found not to be negatively impacted by JSPs. Key to the success of JSPs was trust, partnership, collaboration and friendship between job sharers.

Notable challenges to JSPs were that employers appear reluctant to embrace this way of working due to JSPs often operating on slightly over full-time contract hours. However Professor Durbin argued that rather than seeing this as a cost employers should recognise the ‘value for money’ when two highly skilled and experienced senior managers come together to work in a JSP. She also argued for the significant benefits when those in JSPs are able to maintain a work-life balance and thus give their ‘whole selves’ when they are at work. Professor Durbin also reflected upon the need to conduct a larger study to include more men in order to identify any potential gender differences in the experiences and perceptions of JSPs and to consider the potential pitfalls of JSPs from both the employer and employee perspectives.

Presentations at the Jobshare Network inaugural event

The presentation by Professor Durbin concluded with a thoughtful Q&A session where the audience explored the practical realities of job sharing in more depth. Questions focused on how job share partners navigate change together particularly during periods of job share partner promotions and how alignment and communication can be maintained as a pair. Attendees also asked about the benefits and challenges of job sharing from an employer’s perspective including productivity, continuity and management perceptions. Another area of interest was whether generational differences between job sharers create challenges with discussion around how differing experiences, working styles and expectations can be addressed through trust, openness and clear ways of working.

The subsequent panel discussion hosted by Louise and Sarah featuring leaders with direct experience of JSPs and managing JSPs included Justin Jennings, Head of Finance at Lloyds Banking Group; Racheal Nash a job-sharing Business Support Manager at Lloyds Banking Group; Zak Mensah Co-Chief Executive of Birmingham Museum Trust; and Katherine Carr, Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at the National Armaments Director Group (Job Share) and Ministry of Defence (Job share).

The discussion explored how JSPs work in senior roles and highlighted recurring themes of the importance of trust, establishing a shared way of working and complementary skills in the JSP. The hardest part was believed to be at the start of a JSP, one panel member expressing ‘Once you can say, “We’ve done it, it worked, we proved it, you can overcome many barriers.”’ The panel also spoke of the initial scepticism towards JSPs from colleagues or members of the board and that this is ‘normal’. One panellist recalled how the board had initially questioned the JSP she was in regarding who from the JSP would attend board meetings but after two or three sessions the attendance by one or other of the JSP was fully accepted.

A key takeaway from the panel was that visibility of JSPs matters. Panellists encouraged those in JSPs to role-model the arrangement at all levels. As one panellist commented:

“Whatever level you’re at, if you’re in a job share, tell people, be visible, role model it.”

It was emphasised that educating colleagues about JSPs is essential to building organisational acceptance.

Work-life balance was another recurring theme for panellists who described how managing non-working days required adaptation but ultimately provided freedom and focus. One participant explained how job sharing had changed the ways she had previously worked on a part-time basis as she was always playing ‘catch up’ on her two non-workdays. She said ‘My time and energy were spent managing, not leading; job sharing changed that completely.’ Maintaining a consistent rhythm, clear handovers and shared communication channels were cited as key strategies for making JSPs seamless.

Another important insight was the power of complementary skills. Panellists explained that successful JSPs often thrive when partners bring different strengths: “One of us is more analytical, the other more creative. Together it’s stronger than either of us alone.” These dynamics allowed job sharers to cover each other’s blind spots, celebrate successes together and reduce managerial oversight.

The panel also challenged the common stereotype that job sharing is primarily for those with childcare responsibilities. Job sharing was framed instead as a leadership strategy enabling senior talent to thrive sustainably while bringing fresh perspectives to their organisations.

“People always assume a job share is because of childcare. There’s no reason why more people can’t do job shares at any stage of life.”

The event concluded with a ‘Chat & Connect’ breakout session led by Louise, Sarah, Clare and Annabelle where participants shared experiences, discussed tools and tips and explored ways to expand job share opportunities. The importance of community, mentoring and peer support was emphasised as central to making job sharing a sustainable mainstream approach: “Once people see it working, the questions stop,” noted one participant.

Key takeaways from the event included the importance of trust, role modelling, complementary skills, consistent rhythms and visibility. Work-life balance, career progression and job satisfaction were all achievable through job sharing while the challenges such as handovers, continuity and organisational culture could be mitigated through careful planning and communication.

The Job Share SW inaugural event highlighted the growing momentum behind job sharing as a sustainable and effective way of working. Through academic research, lived experience and open discussion the event reinforced that job sharing thrives when built on trust, visibility and strong collaboration and that it can support career progression, wellbeing and organisational resilience at all levels. The event received an average feedback score of 4.9 out of 5 reflecting the strong engagement and positive response from attendees. In particular participants highlighted the value of community and the opportunity to connect with others navigating similar experiences.

The Job Share SW inaugural event demonstrated that job sharing is far more than a flexible working arrangement. It is a powerful strategy for sustainable, inclusive and resilient leadership

By embracing collaboration, trust and complementary strengths senior roles can become accessible and effective for a wider range of people helping organisations thrive in an evolving workplace.

Looking ahead the collaboration between the Job Share Network South West and the University of the West of England marks an exciting next phase. We are delighted to announce that Professor Susan Durbin and Chathushka Kiriella (UWE) have been awarded Higher Education Innovation Funding to work with industry partners to develop this network. The aim is to reach further into the South West of England to enhance the knowledge exchange and impact activities currently centred in Bristol. This will involve setting up a regional workshop bringing together employers, academics, practitioners and policymakers to explore how to mainstream JSPs and identify key enablers and challenges (e.g. recruitment, workload balance, governance, dual site roles). It will also enable us to explore the feasibility of a regional job share register to expand access, improve sustainability and support long term impact.

Breaking barriers: what HR professionals need to know about disabled students and placements

sarahcawthra | 3 February 202610 February 2026

By Dr Hilary Lowe

Placements are a key part of employability in higher education. They give students real world experience and help employers spot future talent. However, for disabled students, placements can involve barriers that are not always visible.

In a recent systematic literature review co-authored with Dr Laura William from the University of Greenwich and published in Studies in Higher Education¹, we explored these challenges in detail. In this blog post, we focus on what the findings mean for HR professionals and placement providers and why inclusive pathways into work matter.

Why building awareness of disability and placements matters for HR and workforce planning

Many employers use placements to build talent pipelines and assess potential recruits. Yet there remains a 27.9 percent employment gap between disabled and non disabled people, alongside widening pay gaps. These inequalities often begin long before formal recruitment.

Placements are frequently a student’s first interaction with an employer. This makes HR teams central to shaping experiences that can influence confidence, skills development and long term career outcomes. Inclusive placements are therefore not just beneficial for students, they are critical for fair workforce planning.

Four key barriers HR should address

Our review of the existing literature identified four connected themes that affect disabled students’ access to and experiences of placements.

1. Organisational processes and systems: The most significant barrier is the lack of timely and effective reasonable adjustments. While the Equality Act 2010 places a legal duty on employers to remove barriers, this duty is often reactive and poorly understood.

Students describe delays, inconsistent support and anxiety about disclosing a disability. For HR professionals, this points to the importance of proactive policies, clear communication and training for managers so adjustments are put in place quickly and confidently.

2. Low expectations: Disabled students often face assumptions about what they can or cannot do. These low expectations can damage confidence and limit opportunities to learn and progress.

Employers who underestimate students’ potential risk missing out on skilled and motivated talent. HR professionals can help by challenging bias, promoting inclusive recruitment practices and designing placements that focus on strengths rather than perceived limitations.

3. Bio-social factors: Many students manage health related needs alongside placement demands. Balancing work and impairment can be particularly difficult when placements are inflexible.

Rigid schedules and limited understanding from supervisors can make challenges worse. HR teams can reduce these pressures by supporting flexible working, enabling access to healthcare where possible and recognising that disability often intersects with factors such as gender, age or cultural background.

4. The nature of the placement: Some placements involve poorly defined tasks, pressure to over perform or feelings of isolation. These conditions can be especially challenging for disabled students.

Inclusive placement design can make a significant difference. This includes meaningful tasks, clear expectations and visible support networks. When placements are well structured, both students and employers benefit.

Implications for HR practice

These barriers reflect wider patterns of disablism in the labour market. For HR professionals, the message is clear. Inclusive placement practices are not only about legal compliance, they are a strategic priority.

By building accessibility and equity into early career programmes, organisations can reach a wider talent pool, improve diversity and strengthen their reputation as inclusive employers.

Our next steps: empirical research

Before starting the systematic review, we established an Advisory Group that brought together placement officers, academics and employer representatives. This helped ensure the research was grounded in practical experience and informed by different perspectives.

As we move into the next phase of our research, we will continue working with this group to gather lived experiences from disabled students and placement providers. This collaborative approach will allow future recommendations to reflect real world insights and support the development of HR policies, employer training and inclusive placement design.

^{Read the full article here:
William, L., & Lowe, H. (2025). Barriers and challenges for disabled students when engaging with non-compulsory placements: a systematic literature review. Studies in Higher Education, 1–16.} ↩︎

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

ripleywk | 19 November 20242 December 2024

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!

ripleywk | 29 October 202429 October 2024

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.

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

ripleywk | 23 April 202423 April 2024

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.

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

ripleywk | 17 April 20235 April 2023

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.

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Can industrial relations and trade unions be ‘smart’ in the digital world of work? Insights from three cases: Industry 4.0, e-commerce, and digital platforms in Italy

ripleywk | 28 February 202313 March 2023

Dr Stefano Gasparri

The effect of digitalization

Digitalization has become the ‘buzzword’ that captures all aspects of technological change associated with the increasing use of digital technology in organizational and productive processes, especially after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the diffusion of remote work that followed.

The business case seems straightforward: Digitalization drives productivity and, therefore, organisational growth and profitability (Forbes 2022; WEF 2023). However, we know that the digital transformation of workplaces is not a neutral process for the people involved and, in particular, it affects how workers and their managers interact. Indeed, digitalization is leading to standardization, work intensification, monitoring and surveillance of workers in an increasing number of workplaces. The spread of digital ‘labour platforms’ is also conducive to novel transformations of the ‘standard’ type of employment contract and presents trade unions with further difficulties in representing new groups of ‘atypical’ workers, such as ‘gig’ workers. Furthermore, the labour-replacing impact of digitalization may be considerable, especially for low skilled workers in low pay sectors and in countries with low levels of digital infrastructure and e-skills development.

To engage with these emerging issues, Arianna Tassinari and I investigated the capability of trade unions in Italy to actively govern and respond to the challenges of digitalization in the regulation and reordering of work and employment or, very simply put, to be tech-savvy and ‘smart’. The resulting research led to an article, published in the journal Relations Industrielles – Industrial Relations and now ( open access) exploring three illustrative issue areas that encapsulate the main challenges and opportunities of digitalization.

The research

We began by considering the role of trade unions in policy discussion surrounding the technological restructuring that digitalization imposes across the economy (e.g., Industry 4.0). We followed by examining trade union efforts to bargain with disruptive players, such as e-commerce platforms (e.g., Amazon). We then investigated trade union responses to the spread of ‘platform work’ as a novel model of work organization and contracting (e.g., food-delivery digital platforms). In general, upon a review of the literature and interviews with trade union officials and industrial relations experts; we note that union strategies and their effectiveness have been significantly shaped by the interplay between the political opportunity structure unions face at different levels and the power resources and capabilities they can mobilize.

First, the depth of trade union involvement in national policy initiatives such as Industry 4.0 remained limited, akin to ‘cosmetic’ consultation rather than substantive negotiation. Trade unions have thus sought to make use of their resilient power resources—especially network embeddedness and narrative resources—to develop their framing and learning capability. They have invested considerable resources, in both their production of knowledge to influence public debate about digitalization and their capability for intermediation and articulation. Simultaneously they work with employer organizations to extract concessions from the government on issues such as skill development.

Second, trade unions aiming to bring to the negotiating table key players in e-commerce such as Amazon took advantage of the degree of resilience that collective bargaining still enjoys in the country but, at the same time, faced difficulties due to the unilateral approach to industrial relations by management and the differences in the employment contract model between, first of all, warehouse workers and drivers. Results, as expected, were mixed: major agreements to regulate work and employment at Amazon were signed, but fragmentation between segments within sectors persisted, i.e., between those who are covered by protective institutions and those who are not.

Thirdly, given that digital platforms fall outside the scope of existing workplace representation and collective bargaining institutions, established trade unions have been limited in the channels of action available to them. Because of this, they have not yet managed to intervene effectively in the emerging platform economy through traditional, grassroots unionization. Instead, in the case of drivers, they have focused on strengthening their framing and intermediation capabilities by amplifying the demands of self-organized riders and pursuing novel collaborations and strategic alliances with the riders’ organizations. In this regard, they have shown themselves able to adapt their repertoires of action to compensate for their weaknesses.

Our conclusion

Overall, our findings suggest that unions have been able to respond to and manage digitalization. They have expanded already established institutions and utilised collective bargaining by investing considerable resources and by using their varied capabilities. The desirability of strengthening collective bargaining is unmistakable. It remains to be seen however, if such adaptive approaches are ‘smart’ enough to effectively govern the digital transformation of work for the whole supply chain or, if more radical institutional experimentation will become necessary. In particular, will this be enough for areas with weaker labour markets and areas with more hostility to organized labour? Either way, even if the goal of ‘smart’ industrial relations might be achieved in ways that are far from straightforward, trade unions still have an active role to play.

References

Gasparri, S. and Tassinari, A. (2020), ‘Smart’ Industrial Relations in the Making? Insights from Analysis of Union Responses to Digitalization in Italy, Relations industrielles / Industrial Relations, 75(4): 796-817.

WEF (2023), Why we need to prioritize digital transformation – even in a downturn

Forbes (2022), The Path To Digital Transformation For Businesses

Graduate Employability – Doing Enough?

ripleywk | 6 December 202212 January 2023

Dr John Neugebauer, Visiting Fellow, Bristol Business School

How often do we step back to think critically and analytically about the issue of graduate employability? Here are some personal thoughts, based on my own experience in senior management in human resources, as an academic who has also been involved in higher education (HE) Knowledge Exchange, and most recently as a co-editor of the forthcoming SAGE Handbook of Graduate Employability.

Much Achieved Already

Strenuous efforts have been made across the HE sector to improve employability and knowledge exchange. Many employers have sought to improve graduate prospects. And, of course, graduates themselves are better prepared within the UK.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that tertiary education averaged across 22 OECD countries is 45% and for the UK 56% (OECD, 2021 P43). According to the OECD, graduate status is also linked with the broader society benefits, such as positive development of employment, higher per capita income, and health and social outcomes (OECD, 2021).

For the UK, Higher Education (HE) statistics for 2021 seem suitably reassuring:

The employment rate for working-age graduates (aged 16 – 64) was 86.7%, for postgraduates 88.2%; and for non-graduates 70.2%;

The median salary premium for graduates over non-graduates was £10,000 and £16,000 for postgraduates;

65.2% of working-age graduates, and 77.4% of postgraduates were in high-skilled employment. For non-graduates the figure was 24.3% (ONS, 2022

Despite popularist nay-sayers, the value of Higher/Tertiary Education is valued, not only in the UK, but also globally.

But we don’t need to look very far to hear criticisms of graduate employability, and challenges for the future. Here are some personal views on issues which HE can still address.

Do we understand what future skills graduates need?

Across the overall global labour market (including non-graduates) the World Economic Forum (WEF) expects 85 million jobs to be displaced, but 97 million new roles to emerge, by 2025. (WEF, 2020). To respond to changing labour market requirements and the need for reskilling and retraining, the WEF places its emphasis on critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, self-management, active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility (WEF, 2020). These are skills which higher education should be well equipped to deliver.

Understanding employers’ needs, especially the needs of smaller organisations

UK employment markets for graduates depend on a combination of open market (advertising roles then hoping to fill them), and varying degrees of organisational-HE relationships to co-operate in understanding needs and seeking to achieve an appropriate level of supply. But one significant area where scoping employment demand and supply is especially difficult is with smaller employer destination organisations.

Within the UK, the Federation of Small Businesses, (2021) claims that small and medium sized organisations account for three fifths of total employment and around half of economic turnover in the UK private sector; 48% of employment is within small organisations, employing less than 50 people.

Employers themselves, HE institutions, Local Enterprise Partnerships may seek to understand graduate requirements. But it is difficult to bring together a comprehensive and cohesive strategy in such a fragmented employment market.

Inclusion

Graduates enter an employment market where challenges of inclusion are similar to those of the wider workforce; other barriers are specific to higher education.

Gender pay gaps remain evident across all UK sectors of graduate employment (ONS, 2022 ; CIPD, 2017). The WEF (2020) has also reported that without proactive efforts, inequality is likely to be exacerbated by the dual impact of technology and the pandemic recession. Chapter submissions for the Handbook also highlighted researched challenges based on ethnicity, and disabilities, where UK opportunities continued to favour white British graduates, and those who are non-disabled (ONS 2022).

Class and/or elitism continues at all levels of the employment market, including opportunities for graduates. ‘Elite universities’ produce the highest returns, and draw ‘top’ employers to their graduates (for example, see Rivera, 2015, Sullivan, et. al., 2018, Berghaus, 2020). In the UK, media and even Government ministers stoke the devaluation of some HE courses, for example by speaking about international students ‘…propping up, frankly, substandard courses at inadequate institutions’ (Smyth 2022).

This might be changing, but very slowly. For example, PwC, the accounting and consulting group which recruits 2,000 graduates a year, has recently announced its intention to extend its campus visiting programme from 75 to over 100, drop the requirement for a 2.1 degree or higher, and no longer insist that graduate recruits should have first undertaken an internship with PwC. Along with similar plans for employers in the sector, it will also extend their remote/virtual outreach to undergraduates (Saunders, 2022).

Despite these public pronouncements, my own experience discussing graduate opportunities with a range of high-profile employers suggests a continued preference for ‘top’ universities. We will need to see more actual evidence of the positive impact of these wider resourcing pools.

Macro-economic timing mismatches

The African Union Agenda 2063 sets goals to revitalise and expand tertiary education, research and innovation, so as to address continental challenges and promote global competitiveness across its member states. (African Unity, 2013). Even so, The Economist (2019a) reports that these worthy objectives are often frustrated – graduates are leaving universities in Africa, but a lack of inward investment and opportunity limits their ability to work at professional level within Africa. The Economist (2019b) similarly reported on difficulties which students China encountered finding graduate level roles

A more radical response from HE?

And in case we might feel at ease- even comfortable- about the state of graduate employability, what might we think of more radical measures?

In a comprehensive review of graduate readiness for employment in Australia, Pennington, and Stanford, (2019) set out the opportunities, but considerable challenges, facing Australian graduates (even before Covid 19 global disruption). They comment on the demands for universities to produce candidates who are ready for roles but challenge the ‘distortions’ caused by employers’ expectations of graduates “fully formed” from the day they start work (P 99). However, Pennington, and Stanford, (2019) noted that 78% of Australian employers regarded post placement/internship graduates as better prepared, but that such opportunities had reduced by 25% to 29%.

This observation appears to be replicated elsewhere. For example, in the UK, the Institute of Student Employers (2021) continued to criticise a perceived lack of graduate employability skills such as lack of self-career management, poor team skills, and poor upward management of the manager. (Ironically, human resource managers might observe that some of those perceived deficient skills, were not confined to graduates, recent or otherwise.)

Little wonder that apprenticeships, apprenticeship degrees, and simply entering the workplace without a degree are seen as legitimate other options to studying for a degree. How also will degree related apprenticeships develop? As we evaluate widening experience of these, is there really any reason why they should not be just as robust academically as more conventional degree courses? And if they are, how willingly and capably would all stakeholders (HE, employers, students) transition to this model? For example, how could an extension in workplace internships or placements, not necessarily linked with an extension in the time of a degree course, make more intensive use of the 20 weeks a year when most students are not in class?

Conclusion

Higher education is a big, international and global business, and not just for the Universities. Students invest life years, money and commitment to their futures. Employer organisations offer opportunities. Wider societies benefit.

But we cannot allow the progress achieved over the past few decades to be an ‘end’ position. The journey of learning, discovery, and improvement continues. You might not agree with some ideas in this blog – but I hope that it will continue to stimulate our appetite to develop research and practice in this important area of HE activity.

If you are interested in the above, please contact John at john.neugebauer@uwe.ac.uk

References

CIPD (2017) The graduate employment gap: expectations versus reality, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London

Federation of Small Businesses (2021) UK Small Business Statistics Take from https://www.fsb.org.uk/uk-small-business-statistics.html on 22 October 2022

Institute of Student Employers (2021) Graduates lack work-ready skills that businesses need during Covid era, reports ISE Student Development Survey, available at https://ise.org.uk/page/graduates-lack-work-ready-skills-that-businesses-need-during-covid-era?msclkid=6649341abb6811ec93011f03070489b1

ONS ( 2022) Calendar Year 2021, Graduate labour market statistics. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/graduate-labour-markets (taken from the web 22 October 2022)

Pennington, A. and Stanford, J. (2019), The Future of Work for Australian Graduates: The Changing Landscape of University Employment Transitions in Australia, The Australia Institute, Centre for Future Work, Canberra

Rivera, L. A. (2015) Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs, Princeton University Press, Princeton New Jersey

Saunders, T (2022) PwC expands university visits in the race for new recruits The Times 5 October 2022

Smyth, C (2022) Ministers may cap number of children foreign students can bring to UK’ Sunday Times, 9 October 2022

Sullivan, A., Parsons, S., Green, F., Wiggins, R.D., Ploubidis, G. (2018) Elite universities, fields of study and top salaries: Which degree will make you rich? Volume 44, Issue 4 P663-680

The Economist (2019a) Tertiary Education in Africa A Higher Challenge August 10, P38-39

The Economist (2019b) Idle Hands, August 3, P48-49

World Economic Forum (2020) The Future of Jobs Report 2020 Taken from WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2020.pdf (weforum.org) 22 October 2022

The networked self: exploring networks as a source of career development and identity for female engineers

jyotishaw | 20 January 202120 January 2021

This month’s guest post is written by Dr Vanda Papafilippou, Senior Lecturer in HRM, UWE Bristol.

Women comprise just 12% of the UK engineering workforce (EngineeringUK, 2018), and despite the efforts of both the state and the industry, it remains one of the most male-dominated occupations. One of the main barriers for women in all male-dominated sectors, including engineering, is the persistence of ‘old-boys’ networks’ (Durbin, 2011), that is, essentially closed male-dominated networks where strategic, tacit knowledge is exchanged. Women appear to be at a disadvantage in terms of visibility, the ability to form alliances and gaining critical organisational knowledge that can lead to career progression (Greguletz et al., 2018; Ibarra, 1993).

A very popular diversity management practice that has been used to address this issue is the formally organised women’s networks. Formal women’s networks, that can be either internal (i.e. intra-organisational) or external (i.e. inter-organisational), have been argued to provide instrumental, social and psychological support (Villesèche and Josserand, 2017). They are also argued to bolster women’s self-confidence thus contributing to retention. However, the effectiveness of women’s networks has also been repeatedly contested as they appear to lack power due to their formality (Durbin, 2015) and the fact that they might address only the symptoms of discrimination instead of the roots of the problem (Dennissen et al, 2018).

Nevertheless, despite their wide use and the critique received, the value of such networks, their ability to contribute to gender equality, and their capacity to challenge the gendered nature of both organisations and the profession itself remains a particularly under-researched area. The aim of the ‘Networked self’ study was to establish the contribution of formal internal and external women’s networks to gender equality in engineering and understand the role of human resources practitioners in their operation.

The project

The project was funded by the Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Development Awards, 2018/19. Dr. Papafilippou, adopting a qualitative approach, conducted 48 semi-structured interviews either face-to-face or via Skype/telephone. The participants were all active in external and internal networks (if their company had one) and were recruited mostly via LinkedIn and the researcher’s personal network. The majority of women worked in the UK (44), plus one in the U.S.A. and two in Australia. Most were in the construction sector (31) although other sectors were also represented, with four in gas and oil, two in the army, one in nuclear, three in aviation, three in electronic/software engineering etc. In terms of ethnicity, the majority of the participants were white (44) and only four were from BME background. There were 10 participants at an early stage in their career, 24 mid-career and 12 seniors (up to director level).

Findings

The main contribution of internal women’s networks was the invaluable social and psychological support that they provided to the women involved. The participants, and especially those on part-time contracts, felt “silo’d” within their organisation. Through their participation in these networks, these women felt free to interact and connect socially with their female colleagues, thus enhancing their feeling of belonging to the organisations and thus their job satisfaction. Also, through participating in the network, the women in the study gradually became closer. In other words, these networks contributed towards a sense of solidarity and empowerment of the women. Other important benefits of the participation in internal networks included: the development of skills through mentoring and tailored training but also help with career progression. It needs to be noted at this point, these benefits were not accessible to all women. Unfortunately though, internal networks still appeared not to have access to power resources which would eventually allow them to achieve organisational change. More specifically, all participants admitted that no matter how hard they tried, they failed to challenge the gendered nature of their organisations as these networks did not have effective support by senior leadership and the human resources department. Any change seemed to be blocked by their line managers and gender-biased performance management practices.

External women’s networks on the other hand, helped women to (re)build their confidence and (re)establish their sense of belonging to the profession. This was especially so for those returning from maternity leave where women felt overwhelmed. External networks seemed also to play an important role in individual career progression as they helped women to enhance crucial skills, such as networking and public speaking. Also, and perhaps most importantly, they enabled women to recognise the discrimination they experienced and reach out to other, more equal and inclusive organisations, or fight for a promotion within their own organisation. What seemed to be the most important contribution of external women’s networks though, was the fact that they enabled and encouraged women to actually challenge the status quo and start reshaping the professional culture. More specifically, the participation in these networks gave the opportunity to many women to ‘build bridges’ to other professional bodies (e.g. the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institution of Civil Engineers) and networks, and participate actively in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and not only policy-making. Last but not least, by sharing experiences and working together, the women started challenging the dominant gendered discourses and practices. Instead of adapting in order to fit in, they chose to reframe what an ‘engineer’, and especially a female engineer and a leader in engineering, can be.

Conclusions and implications for practice

Women’s networks, internal and external, seemed to contribute, each in its own way, to women’s wellbeing, career progression and gender equality. However, their efforts met three major obstacles: senior management, HR and line managers. The main implications for practice were:

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): EDI policies should become an integral part of a company’s strategy and HR and senior management should listen carefully to women’s stories and respond to their requests.
The entire employee lifecycle should be carefully evaluated using an EDI lens to identify where and why injustices may occur and work together with the groups affected to resolve them.
Companies should encourage and facilitate diversity networks as they have huge potential for empowerment, retention and organisational change and make sure that their activities and comments feed directly to organisational policies, practices and strategy
The women in the study talked about how their exposure to the external networks highlighted the need to change the way we view leadership in engineering and also the discriminatory practices experienced within their organisations. This finding has clear and serious implications for recruitment for senior roles and, above all, performance management and career progression.