Vanessa Vallely OBE initiated the event with a discussion on International Women’s Day and the theme of #Inspire Inclusion, followed by a speed networking exercise to connect those in room. Will Torrie and Ama Ofori, chairs of the Barclays WIN network, then elaborated on their initiatives aimed at advancing women in the workplace through various activities at Barclays.
The highlight of the evening was Anna Whitehouse, a distinguished journalist, editor, Heart radio presenter, and a staunch advocate for working parents and flexible work arrangements. Anna’s ground-breaking podcast, Dirty Mother Pukka, offers candid insights into her journey as a mother and activist for parents, women, and equality. Notably, Anna spearheaded the Flex Appeal campaign, prompting the government to introduce new legislation on flexible working effective April 1st. These laws grant employees the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of employment, encompassing options like part-time, term-time, flexitime, compressed hours, and varied work locations. See here for full law changes.
Anna also shared findings from her report, Flexonomics, revealing that flexible working currently contributes £37bn to the UK economy. Increasing flexible working by 50% could unlock an additional £55bn in economic benefits. Following Anna’s presentation, Harriet Minter, a resident journalist, offered insights into recent reports and news stories that affect women over the past quarter.
The event concluded with Julietta Dexter highlighting the impactful work of the Smartworks charity. You can watch their video below and if you are interested in supporting their incredible work, please contact them via their website.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Barclays WIN for hosting this event and to our speakers, Will Torie, Ama Ofori, Anna Whitehouse, Harriet Minter and Julietta Dexter.
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