“Female SHEQ Advisors in the field remain a minority, but I think I’m proof that we can stand on our own, be appreciated by our colleagues on site and get things done.”
In telecoms, particular attention is being directed towards tackling low female representation. As it stands, women make up an average of 35% of the workforce across five leading telco organisations in the UK, There’s no denying it, we need more women in tech.
Fortunately, Giganet is one of the companies stepping up to the challenge, introducing impactful initiatives to recruit and nurture female talent.
For this week’s Women in Tech blog, Giganet’s Senior SHEQ Field Advisor Rowena Wintle, explains how she found herself on site, maintaining the safety of our network build operations.
Joining Giganet
“I joined Giganet almost 10 months ago, bringing to the business a wealth of experience from an eclectic career background. When it comes to talking about harnessing transferable skills – I’m your woman! My experience includes looking after children with support needs, managing health and safety in a food production factory and working in a mobile telecoms survey and design company – and this all paved the way for my role with Giganet today.”
Getting everyone home safely
“I work as a Senior SHEQ Field Advisor, and I love being part of the squad ‘on the ground’, supporting our build partners. My day-to-day responsibilities include managing Giganet’s SHEQ Field Team, onsite safety checks, facilitating meetings with our partners’ health and safety representatives, providing advice to build partners and direct labour engineers, writing risk assessments and method statements, liaising with our direct labour install and commissioning teams and, of course, managing any issues that arise on site. No two days are the same and it’s very busy! My passion is simple: make sure things are done right and that everyone can work and go home safely.”
‘In telecoms, there’s a role for everyone’
“It’s great to see more women enter the telecoms industry over recent years. The variety of job roles available within this thriving sector is so often overlooked, so the industry needs to work harder at demonstrating the career potential it offers to everyone. Speaking as a woman, we are encouraged to apply for jobs in every area at Giganet and I’m excited about adding my voice and sharing my experience so that others may follow in my footsteps – particularly in Health and Safety. Due to the traditionally male-oriented nature of the wider construction business, female SHEQ Advisors in the field remain a minority, but I think I am proof that we can stand on our own, be appreciated by our colleagues on site and get things done.”
“I feel that Giganet provides an inclusive environment, which empowers women, and all workers really, to pursue opportunities – whether that’s to climb the career ladder or use existing skills to try something completely new. I think this is the best way to truly harness people at their best. As an employee, I feel confident in my abilities and do not feel pressured to be better than others are perceived to be. At the end of the day, everyone should have the chance to be their best self.”
“I’m lucky to work for a company that understands the importance of achieving a better balance, and I’m honoured to be contributing to this blog series by shining a light on the importance of people in our organisation as we try to promote a more diverse telecoms workforce.”
Where to next?
If you’re ready for the next step in your career, visit the Giganet careers page to view all our latest vacancies and register your CV for upcoming roles: careers.giganet.uk
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