UHBW signs up to Bristol Women in Business Charter
Last updated: 05/12/2023
Sandra Gordon, Charter Director, and Emma Wood, Chief People Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at UHBW
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), one of the region’s largest employers, is the latest organisation to become a signatory of Bristol Women in Business Charter (BWIBC).
As part of its commitment to the Charter, the Trust will work to develop three main Charter goals: improving a flexible and agile workforce to support retention, ensuring we are an employer of choice in the city; continuous improvement in talent and educationally support career pathways through the organisation; and continuing the positive work to close the gender pay gap at all levels.
The Charter, which is a product of Bristol City Council’s Women’s Commission and unique to the city, now represents a fifth (circa 48,000) of Bristol’s circa 250,000-strong workforce through 42 organisations.
Signatories, which include Hargreaves Lansdown, TLT, University of the West of England and University of University and Avon & Somerset Police, work through seven specific goals geared at creating more equitable workplaces for women, supporting them at different stages of life.
Key benefits for signatories to BWIBC, which is a not-for-profit CIC, include opening up talent pools and retaining employees who are often hard to reach or who leave their employers due to caring duties or lack of opportunity.
Emma Wood, UHBW Chief People Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: “More than 75% of our Trust’s 15,000 strong workforce are female. In signing up to the Bristol Women in Business Charter, we are committed to building on the work we already do in UHBW to make sure our Trust is a great place to work for everyone.
“Inclusion and belonging are at the heart of our commitment to offering the best employment experience possible to all our colleagues. I look forward to collaborating with other charter members to share experiences and learn from each other.”
The Charter helps organisations achieve their goals by delivering on-hand support from the Charter team of experts, as well as access to peer-to-peer learning, networking and problem solving with business leaders.
Sandra Gordon, BWIBC co-Founder and Director, said: “UHBW becoming a signatory marks a major milestone for us. Ensuring we enable large-scale organisations to engage and develop better more holistic working conditions for women who come from all backgrounds and walks of life is central to our reason for being.
“Every strata of the Trust – including the deputy CEO – involves women, so it’s fantastic to see them making a continued commitment to positive change and being willing to be held accountable.
“We are looking forward to other organisations following suit and making Bristol the UK’s first gender equal city.”