International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. However, given that at the current rate the World Economic Forum has calculated that it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity, it’s also an important time to reflect on the distance still to go, and the need for swift action and decisive steps to achieve gender equality.
At FirstGroup, we are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce so we can better understand and meet the needs of the diverse customers and communities we serve. We have set targets for our senior leadership population, where by 2028 and in line with the FTSE Women Leaders recommendations, we aim to have 40% of roles filled by women. Furthermore, First Bus have pledged to double the proportion of women in their workforce by 2028 to 20%. We run several personal leadership development programmes, aimed at women and ethnically diverse colleagues as well as a Senior Women’s Leadership programme designed to accelerate the readiness of women for senior leadership roles across the Group.
In addition to these commitments, one of our biggest strengths as an organisation in leading change is our 30,000 strong workforce across both our bus and rail businesses, giving us a huge network to harness and engage. Instrumental to this are the several networks that exist across FirstGroup who promote the interests of women at work and in wider society, while also playing an important role in connecting people within the organisation.
In First Bus we have six Inclusion Networks, covering Ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, Wellbeing, Age, Gender and Disability. Each network is sponsored and chaired by an executive board member and made up of colleagues with lived experience and / or allies of the community, covering every role and every level.
Balance, the Gender Inclusion Network, was created to elevate the voices of colleagues across the business and to make sure gender inclusivity is a priority in First Bus. Its mission is to listen, learn and act whilst helping the organisation to better understand the challenges and barriers facing diverse groups. Network members use their shared expertise, lived experience and active allyship to inform discussion, approaches and decision making on key issues relating to the First Bus diversity and inclusion strategy.
Lois Taylor, First Bus Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing Partner, said; “Balance creates a space where people can support each other, share experiences, and drive positive change. They help challenge outdated attitudes, provide mentorship, and make sure gender equality stays on the agenda rather than just being a one-day conversation.
“The network is key in supporting the organisation to foster a culture where everyone, regardless of gender, has the same opportunities to develop and succeed. Network members have been involved in a range of projects; with the most recent being our 10-point plan for improving gender diversity which we’re launching this month.”
Group-wide women’s network, Women@First, was started organically in September 2024 by a group of women from different parts of the business, who came together with the aim of raising awareness, sharing experience and connecting like-minded people.
Mary Leonard, Digital Workplace Director and Women@First committee member said; “I think it can be lonely being part of an under-represented group, more so if you belong to multiple under-represented groups. There have been times in my career when I felt miserable because I didn't fit neatly into a couple of the moulds. As a woman in tech, I was in a minority and as someone whose brain isn’t typical, I was made to feel like I didn’t fit in.
“Joining networks that offer identification, and support has always been a source of strength for me. Finding a tribe reminds me that it's okay to be different. Women@First, which is 100% volunteer led, is still new, it's still growing. The aim of our network is to bring people together, share knowledge, promote mentorship, and host events.
“I will forever be indebted to that small group of women who started the Women@First network last year. With no prior experience or support, they tried to create a space to share knowledge, share ideas, and most importantly, a space to belong.”