Glenveagh calls on construction industry to do “much more” to encourage diversity and inclusion in the industry

Glenveagh calls on construction industry to do “much more” to encourage diversity and inclusion in the industry

• Company becomes first construction company in Ireland to receive Gold Accreditation for Diversity
• 33% of Glenveagh workforce are female – over 3 times the industry average (9%)
• 23 nationalities amongst the company’s workforce and strong policies to promote inclusivity across the company

The Chief Executive of Glenveagh Properties plc has called on the construction industry to do more to encourage diversity and inclusivity amongst its workforce.

Mr Garvey said achieving greater diversity and inclusion in the industry is an essential step in expanding the workforce to the level necessary to tackle Ireland’s housing crisis, and in creating the right culture across the industry to reflect the evolving needs of employees and to demonstrate the commitment of construction employers to acting responsibly in every aspect of their business

He was responding to the confirmation that Glenveagh has become the first company in the construction sector in Ireland to be awarded Gold Accreditation by the Irish Centre for Diversity.This is the highest accreditation the centre can provide.It is based on a detailed review of how the company manages the issue of diversity within its workforce and how it welcomes, encourages and promotes the position of all employees regardless of background.

Glenveagh’s Gold Accreditation is supported by a number of factors:

• 33% of the 430+ strong workforce at Glenveagh is female, compared to an industry average of just 9%.
• The company employs people from 23 different nationalities
• It has put in place extensive policies to promote inclusivity across the company.
• To promote equity and inclusion, the company has introduced a range of family-friendly policies covering areas such as maternity, flexible parental leave and fertility leave.
• Its overall business strategy, Building Better, incorporates a clear and comprehensive equity, diversity & inclusion (ED&I) strategy, supported by five Employee Network Groups tasked with enhancing ED&I initiatives at all levels throughout the organisation
• Enhanced staff engagement and inclusion initiatives such as a dedicated ‘ideas forum’ for promoting greater staff involvement in decision-making; facilitating greater interaction between staff and executive management (ExCo) through ongoing ‘breakfast with ExCo’ events; and the provision of a quiet room, a nursing room and a multi-faith room at Glenveagh’s headquarters in Maynooth.
• Building on the statutory requirement for reporting of the Gender Pay Gap by using the information generated from the reporting process to monitor and accelerate progress in reducing and ultimately eliminating the gap.

Mr Garvey said:

“We have a duty to our colleagues and to people who want to pursue their careers with us to be a responsible employer that makes everyone feel both welcome and valued.

The construction industry has not been seen in the past as one that promotes diversity and inclusion and collectively we must change that for the better.

The industry needs more women. It needs more people from outside Ireland who have made their home here. It needs more people from the LGBTQIA+ community and other backgrounds.

We in Glenveagh are delighted that our efforts to promote equity, diversity and inclusion have been recognised in this way but we know our work remains incomplete and we have to keep striving to do more.

This is a challenge that needs to be addressed across our industry and we will work closely with other construction employers to play our part in resolving it.”

Sinéad Tolan, Head of Human Resources at Glenveagh, said:

“Earning this accreditation shows how serious we are in Glenveagh about promoting greater equity, diversity and inclusion.

We have a lot more work to do on this front but we are making strong progress and showing our people that we have both the appetite and the commitment to make Glenveagh a best-in-class employer that looks out for them and supports them.

We will use the learnings from this process to drive even greater innovation in our culture and in our way of doing business in the future, embracing the changes that will make the organisation an even better place for people to pursue their careers and to develop their skills.”

Caroline Cummins, Managing Director, Irish Centre for Diversity, said:

"Glenveagh’s progress to Investors in Diversity Gold has been impressive and the assessment team highlighted many standout initiatives that lead the way. The company has demonstrated a good and solid approach to staff engagement. They are one of the first construction companies to introduce Employer Value Propositions (EVPs) and have four EVP Pillars to align progress with.

A number of innovative approaches to staff engagement includes an ‘ideas forum’ and the ‘breakfast with ExCo’ initiative. The business is a founding member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which focuses on their work in Sustainability supply chain engagement”