Recently the Foreground team had the opportunity to host the Parlour instagram feed to share insight from our team into the challenges and opportunities our female identifying staff encounter as professionals.
Well, the question we are posed was a big one, and we don’t claim to have all of actions in place within our own walls. So, how can we in the industry / profession better support the people in our practices?
To start, it is only fair to share where Foreground is today. We design solutions that benefit the community in sectors such as education, residential, commercial and civic contexts. We acknowledge that the needs of our staff as individuals and as a collective are ever changing.
With a team ranging in age from mid-20’s to mid 70’s, the aspirations and needs of each individual varies greatly presenting challenges in creating a culture, systems and policies that address their broad needs in a manner that is equitable.
On gender representation, although 100% male owned throughout all 50 years in practice, today we are proudly as a collective team we have 55% male vs 45% female identifying staff, with no gender pay gap in equivalent roles.
Like many practices, COVID accelerated actions on how we operate, balancing the needs of our team with operational considerations such as efficiency and culture. Initiatives we have adopted include hybrid and flexible working models, engagement of external HR to provide support and develop clear policies, wage audit and confirmation of pay equity in equivalent roles, refinement of our approach to performance reviews, support for professional development opportunities for all staff, and adoption of an equity statement and planned actions to drive further improvement in gender representation in our team structures and leadership.
Developing the posts sparked honest conversations about our experiences which we hope will lead to further improvement in our practice and beyond.
Here we share some of the insights from the week. Thank you again to Parlour for the opportunity.
Leadership in modern practice takes many forms. From ownership to formal leadership roles and responsibilities, project leadership and individual actions and attitudes, the access to opportunities to formally and informally be a leader vary depending on the practice attitude, project opportunities and cultural structure.
For our team, we acknowledge the persistent and personal challenges of leadership opportunities for women at different points of our career development. Experiences of our diverse female identifying team throughout their careers finding opportunities to lead have varied from unclear pathways to formal leadership positions, unconscious biases, the impact of career gaps and decisions around having a family impact leadership and career progression, to how we find our voice in situations where women are a minority in the room/site/practice; and building the confidence to feel entitled to be a leader.
Equally in identifying the challenges, our discussions revealed there is a desire from within to drive change and recognise improvements we have seen. A shared commitment to create opportunities for all to thrive and reach their potential beyond traditional stereotypes that persist in the industry has led to small changes that have made a big impact such as Director commitment to equal promotion opportunities based on suitability not gender, formal opportunities to set goals for leadership aspiration, funded professional development for staff in all roles, open door access to the Directors for mentoring and expression of opportunities by staff at all levels for new initiatives they can take the lead on.
We asked our female leaders Principal Interior designer Ria Hatzoglou, Associate Director Jessica Hyde and Associate Kerri Pratt to share their perspective of what it means to be a leader, and the challenges and opportunities they face as women in leadership.
From being the minority in the room – be that by gender, age, or cultural background – the conscious and unconscious stigma and biases that impact our ability to feel respected on site, in the office, in the industry or with peers continue to present challenges for woman at all stages of their career.
Our team identified that the situation has improved thanks to more transparent conversations in practice and with peers, support in practice initiatives such the introduction of HR consultant to support staff in difficult situations and clear policies and guidance, and advocacy by organisations such as Parlour, ACA, and the Design Institute of Australia. But what further can we do to create a culture in practice that builds and demands respect for all?
Architectural practices often include staff beyond Architects to meet the operational needs of modern practice. Input from professionals in interior design, quality management, marketing and bids, BIM, finance, and operations, contribute immensely to practice, however, receive limited recognition or representation in industry conversations about support, advocacy and equity.
Within our practice these roles are primarily performed by women – representing just under half of our female staff, adding a layer of complexity to the conversation about representation. The opportunities and challenges of being in a non-architectural role in an architectural practice align with the challenges of entering a practice as a new career after pursuing a different path. Joining practice as a graduate at a mature age presents the challenge of playing catch up and being expected you hold more knowledge due to your age.
Linked closely to our previous post regarding respect – finding a voice, and recognition of the value added in these roles and pathways is an ongoing challenge that requires championship from practice leaders. Having staff with diverse career backgrounds and skillsets should be seen as a strength to practice and professionals.
Initiatives such as equal access to training and professional development relevant to your role, appointment to leadership roles, and engagement with organisations such as Parlour and DIA allow our team in these roles to have an equal opportunity for growth as the Architects.
To explore this topic, we went straight to the source, asking our team in non-architectural roles or who have taken an indirect path to practice, what are the challenges and opportunities they face working in an architectural practice?
COVID changed the practice operations and introduced conversations about the opportunities for flexibility in how and where we work. Moving overnight from a 100% office-based workforce to a 100% remote work force forced the practice and team to adapt and embrace the ‘new work order’.
While the challenges of how we collaborate, coordinate, and maintain a sense of connection and practice culture, and maintain accountability require constant review and adjustment, the benefits of this new flexibility found through hybrid work arrangements have been clear. Post COVID the practice formally adopted a Hybrid work policy accessible to all staff with individual arrangements developed with the Directors to balance practice and individual needs/preferences.
Recognising in modern practice that an office is sometimes more disruptive than productive, and that our tools and work support mobility is key. Post COVID, our attitude to work location and presenteeism reflects this with a commitment to support the team to regularly come together to build practice culture, and through Hybrid Work Policies identify flexible arrangements that support the needs of their role, and their most effective working style.
Supporting staff with flexibility has created new opportunities that add value to the practice and to the wellbeing and engagement of staff. All of this has led to a varied benefit to our team – from the ability to combine work and study, work in academia as tutors, to engaging staff living outside metro areas and to be active participants in their family lives while progressing their career. Today, our team share their perspectives on flexibility, its challenges, and opportunities.
The definition of balance in our career and lives is in constant flux, responding to changing and competing demands at different life and career stages. Through our conversations with our team, one thing is clear – the support needed to maintain balance, and the individual definitions of balance are as diverse as our team is.
The challenges in this space often stem from the fear or pressure to ‘do it all’ – from returning to work as a new parent at a high engagement, the impact of taking a break from the industry, delaying, or choosing not to start a family for fear of negative career outcomes or lack of affordability, and tackling the impacts of a break on career progression, pay and financial equity.
With 47% of our staff having parenting or caring responsibilities, the balance between family and career is top of mind. Despite over half of this group being male, 75% of our team who work part time are women despite equal access to flexibility and pay equity across comparable roles in our practice, leading to the question of why this persists when equal support is offered.
Another emerging factor for our team is the importance of personal health and wellbeing, particularly post COVID. Positive changes such as seeking support to work temporarily from alternative locations to allow connection with family or take engagements for skill development as tutors at university contribute to a more rounded life and experiences to bring to their work. Today we asked our team to share, what they feel is the key to fostering career/life balance in our industry.
