Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance

I want to be there for my kids, go to parents’ evenings, go to their school shows or to take them to the doctors or be at their first days of school ( which I was a few weeks ago), but I also want to be committed to. My philosophy is family comes first and everything else works around that including work. That, however doesn’t mean that work has to suffer for it, to be honest I think my work improves because of it. People shouldn’t have to say sorry or make excuses to take a little bit of time from work to be there for their kids, companies should embrace the fact that the understanding of people’s individual circumstances and allowing flexibility pays dividends through staff engagement and staff loyalty. Another part of my passion is support from companies in the early part of parenthood, I believe Paternity and Maternity should be sufficient to allow new parents not to worry about finances or to take holiday to cover Paternity/Maternity Leave in the early stages.

I began running or walking every Monday-Friday during my lunchtime, which was something that, historically, I had never done before as I knew I always had football for exercise in the evenings. Since getting into the routine of doing this each day, not only have I felt a difference in terms of my general energy levels, my mental health has improved dramatically. I am looking forward to championing mental health and wellbeing and creating an energised team here at Outsource UK.

For me personally, for example, it was a long-held ambition to be asked to join the Outsource board of directors. I wanted to be invited to join the board because I deserved it – because my work and my experience warranted the invitation, and because I was the best person for the role. I definitely would NOT have wanted the invitation to be motivated purely by a desire for a woman to be part of the Board. And luckily I know that that wasn’t the case at Outsource, but I feel very strongly that no one wants success by way of special treatment, or by filling a quota - it’s about everyone having the opportunity to be the best person for the job. I am excited to be part of our Ambassador programme, and to hopefully use my own experiences to support other future female leaders within our business.

I was asked if I’d like to join Outsource UK's Ambassador team and I jumped at the chance. I now have my own wisdom to offer and I really want to support people that are thinking about or wanting to return to work, and to make this as accessible, seamless and stress-free wherever possible.

As a staffing firm, we are also in a unique position to be able to influence and advise customers on this important subject and help them also to make changes that will attract and retain female talent.

As Menopause Ambassador, I pledge to support colleagues going through peri-menopause and menopause, to raise awareness and help to remove any stigma around talking about this important subject. 

Being a peri-menopausal woman (a stage where hormone levels start to drop) I have felt embarrassed to talk about or admit that I have been dealing with, at times debilitating symptoms. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot… and in truth, there were a few reasons why I kept quiet; I was embarrassed to speak about female issues, I didn’t want to look weak or unable to cope or that I’m seen as “past it” and not as passionate or as ambitious as I was in my 20s, 30s and early 40s, all of which I know is not true. 

What changed my mind was the thought that I’m not alone in experiencing these issues and by talking about it, I may be able to help others; my colleagues and future generations. I have two daughters and three granddaughters and the thought that menopause may still be taboo and a barrier to their careers when they reach that stage of their lives is not something I want to accept. 

So, I’m adding my voice to the campaign to break the stigma and encourage discussion, learning and understanding so that anyone who does struggle, feels empowered to come forward and ask for help.

To support our pursuit of eliminating bias, privilege and inequality in talent engagement, Outsource UK has become a member of Neurodiversity in Business. We're continually looking to build our understanding of neurodiversity and how it impacts employment and the workplace. We hope to learn from others and share our experiences to make Outsource as an employer and the partners we represent, more accessible to the neurodiverse community.

Our Purpose is to eliminate bias, privilege and inequality within talent engagement. To me, this means ending the stigmas around mental health and supporting both our colleagues and candidates alike.

I’m excited to introduce some more environmentally friendly projects at Outsource. I’m looking forward to learning more about how we can make a change to make the world a better place. I truly believe that by working together and sharing ideas, we can make a real difference. So let's keep learning, growing, and taking action to create a safer, healthier planet for everyone.