Shufflebottom and International Women’s Day 2025

International Women’s Day (#IWD25) which falls on Saturday, 8th March this year, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for celebrating women’s equality, and this year, the theme is just that: #AccelerateAction.

At Shufflebottom we celebrated #IWD25 on Thursday, 6th March when our #womenofsteel (and men) came together in the colour purple in recognition of those women who came before us and were politically active in the fight to accelerate action to achieve gender parity. Our women also came together in purple as a symbol to continue in that cause and to celebrate their own achievements at Shufflebottom. When our staff arrived at work, they were greeted with a surprise at their workstation of a Dairy Milk bar for everyone, male or female. The women were also given a purple bubble bath!

We always mark this important day in the year’s calendar, though at Shufflebottom we work towards the aims and values of IWD 365 days a year. As a manufacturer of steel and steel-framed buildings, our construction business and the sector generally, has historically been seen as a place that demands physical strength, that the work is ‘heavy’ and therefore a place of ‘men’s jobs’. We endeavour to shift this perception and to create a workplace and inclusive culture where women thrive.

We currently have 10 #womenofsteel working with us at Shufflebottom in a variety of roles from managerial to structural engineering, and from health and safety to sales, accountancy and administration. With a total staff of 78, this is a ratio of 12.8%, so above the 10% average of women employed in the UK steel industry.

We’d like it to be more. To that end we strive to encourage women to consider construction as an aspirational career:

• Shufflebottom is a member of the 5% Club. The 5% is an industry-led initiative focused on driving momentum into the recruitment of apprentices, graduates, T-Level students, and sponsored students. Our membership illustrates the company’s ongoing social value commitments to attracting new and existing members of our team and upskilling talent within the steel industry.

• Shufflebottom regularly partners with schools and colleges and various other groups e.g. Young Farmers, to promote diverse candidates in engineering. Female and Male members of our #teamofsteel act as positive role models to encourage young people of both sexes to consider a career in steel and construction.

• Shufflebottom has policies and induction programmes in place that make it clear that there is zero tolerance for sex discrimination.

• We offer opportunity to learn and develop new skills, gain valuable CPD, and to progress into leadership and management roles.

We are proof that outdated perceptions are shifting and that the sector need not be male dominant now that updated technology and internet literacy make it easier to work on and off the field for women. Our work force is therefore striving to be equally competent and benefit from mutual skills.

But is it enough for parity? No. Shufflebottom would like to see more women coming to work with us in all areas of the business, especially in the factory in our steel production process so that we truly can show that we are accelerating action.

To further this acceleration at Shufflebottom, MD, Alex Shufflebottom, recently completed her MBA and presented a dissertation entitled ‘Menopause in the Workplace’. It is certainly a hot topic, and Alex is using her findings, and her own experience, to work towards how women of a certain age can be supported in the workplace. It makes sound economic sense that valuable experience and assets don’t go under-utilised through work-based policies and practices that are not agile. Watch this space!

To celebrate #IWD25 and embrace the theme #AccelerateAction, on 11th  March Shufflebottom MD, Alex Shufflebottom, will be sharing her valuable findings on this topic, and on working in a predominantly male-dominated steel industry, with working group members of the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ -EIG Corporate & Culture). As DESNZ stated recently: “Menopause in the Workplace is a very important, but all too often, forgotten-about subject.”

At Shufflebottom, we are determined to accelerate action that this will no longer be the case going forward and to work together to attract and retain women into our fantastic #teamofsteel.