WTW women discuss importance of diversity in construction industry

WTW sees many women build long-term careers in the area of construction risk management and insurance.

"As industry leaders we need to think proactively about how women within construction can feel supported and encouraged to build their long-term careers. Creating a more diverse and inclusive construction workforce takes time, but there are actions we can take now to inspire the next generation. The industry has a great number of career and educational pathways that lead to success," says WTW.

An episode in the Construction Blueprints Podcast Series, WTW Midwest Construction Broking Leader, Jennifer Cate, is joined by WTW Canadian Construction Broking Leader, Manuela Spyrka, and WTW Northeast Construction Practice Growth Leader, Jessica Rasulo, to discuss why representation and diversity in construction are so important, and they discuss actions organizations can take to help nurture an inclusive workplace culture.

WTW's Construction Blueprints Podcast Series is an informative podcast series that brings latest perspectives from the global construction industry. The podcast series which captures conversations from around the global construction industry. In the podcast, WTW discusses latest risk management and insurance trends as well as issues facing the construction industry. A wide range of WTW experts are featured, talking with industry colleagues and construction leaders as they debate global topics that can expand knowledge and provide engaging perspectives on the industry.

Inspirational career journeys in the construction insurance industry

In the Women in Construction episode, WTW explores the exciting career paths that women are leading in the world of construction and how their presence in this industry is driving positive cultural changes and opening doors for the next generation of women working in construction. The podcast starts with the WTW colleagues discussing their personal career journeys, how they got to where they are, and their goals for the future.

Manuela shares that she has worked with WTW since 2018, and is based in Calgary in Canada.

"I started off my career in insurance a long time ago, just straight out of high school. I had started looking at construction as a field and as an industry. It looked very exciting when you look at the different types of projects that you come across, the types of requirements that are needed to clarify with your clients from a contract standpoint. and how to risk transfer appropriately. I have journeyed along in construction since about 2015," says Manuela.

"I just find it really incredible to see how much has changed. The make up in our industry from a construction underwriting standpoint and risk management standpoint, even here in the brokerage world, has shifted to be female lead more and more. So it has been super exciting to be part of this industry and have an insurance background as well."

For Jessica, she started her career 24 years ago and was a temporary receptionist for a summer job while in college, and had no intentions of going into insurance and certainly never considered in a million years that she might end up in construction.

"But it was absolutely a very lucky and happy accident that I did. I've been with WTW, well WTW predecessor companies that entire time in a series of developing roles within construction. One of the things that I always really love about our organization, and I think is just a great example of the type of company we are, about 10 years into my career was the first time that I really had an itch, feeling like I might have to do something different and Joe Gunn, who was the head of the New York Region at that time, I was lucky enough to work closely with him, and he actually felt that and recognized it and luckily appreciated my value and asked if I'd be interested in interviewing for our regional Chief Financial Officer role which happened to be open at that time, which was amazing. I got to basically dabble in a different career without actually leaving my job, I got to elevate myself up within the organization in a way that usually people have to leave, and it also let me realize pretty rapidly that I actually love clients, and I'm a client person, and it's silly to ever take me away from them," comments Jessica.

"I love construction. It's absolutely the most fascinating thing, and I'm excited to talk about that more. And, when it comes down to it, I actually really like insurance. So a corporate role was not quite right for me, but I climbed that jungle gym that people talk about, and then I moved back into construction when I was needed in an elevated role. So that has been a phenomenal journey. I would say that at 24 years in I'm hopefully a little bit past the halfway mark, and the way I define success now is to be a part of the leadership that makes WTW a company I'm proud to retire from one day."

Exciting career opportunities in construction and insurance

Jennifer is supportive of women passionate about their careers in the construction industry and what has actually attracted them into the industry. She asked her podcast guests about the kind of advice they would give to young women looking to make career choices, and who may potentially be considering insurance and construction as a career pathway.

"I would say, actually, that I think both insurance and construction offer phenomenal career opportunities, and they are two areas that are always going to be needed right in order for society to continue and move forward. We need construction, whether it's infrastructure, whether it's new housing, whatever it is. We're reliant upon it and, obviously, insurance isn't going away. So they are reliable, steady careers which also allow for a lot of fun. I personally think that construction is the place to be in insurance. It's the place to be in general," shares Jessica. "Construction is one of the few businesses where the operation is the risk, which means we get to partner with our clients in a very different way than most other industries, and we're really engaged in their operations, and it's tangible. We get to actually see what we're a part of," says Jessica.

"I can walk around and tell stories about my city that I'm very much a part of. I look at that skyline and I know that I make up a meaningful part of the fabric of the city that I love, and what's cooler than that?"

The WTW women share the advice that they would like to give younger generations of women coming into a role in the construction industry, and the importance of having confidence in themselves and to ask questions and to believe that there is a 'yes' out there.

Jessica suggests that there are still many difficult aspects about being a woman in the construction industry, but she does think the industry is improving.

"There are realities of things that are difficult in the workplace, but there are also positives that you can take from it, and I think you definitely need to focus on those aspects. For me, I've always said one aspect is 'differentiation' as a woman," explains Jessica.

Manuela explains that the advice that she would give to young women is to find allies. "Find individuals that you find interesting and intriguing, who are in the construction industry or insurance, so you can get their ear and just talk to them. It's about mentoring. It's about asking questions that you internally feel like 'should I ask this question?' actually, and finding those individuals who will take the time to really help you understand and further your career," says Manuela.

"The other part is to network. Try to find opportunities where you can learn, whether it's a webinar or seminar, or an in-life-person event, and just talk to lots of people. That sounds daunting as a young person, but try to get the courage to at least find one person that you can make a connection with. You don't know where that's going to take you, and where that perhaps might take you in terms of your career, so do be bold in that aspect."

Nurturing a supportive workplace environment

The podcast also addresses the importance of having support from management while working in the industry, and knowing how to invest in educating and promoting the career path of women in construction.

The WTW women discuss some of the things they believe industry leaders and organizations could do to support younger generations and how they could go about increasing interest in the area, including showing up at career days in elementary schools wearing their hard hats to breed excitement for getting into the construction industry from an early age.

The women discuss nurturing an inclusive workplace environment where everyone there feels comfortable being their true selves, and speak about encouraging women to have the power to make decisions and drive cultural change that's needed in the construction industry. The WTW women also discuss some of the biggest changes they've seen and identify some positive shifts they've noticed in recent years which have given them confidence the industry is moving in the right direction for women.

"It circles back to policies, not just from a discrimination standpoint, but regarding inclusion and diversity, and how companies are, whether on the trade side or general contracting side, or even into engineering and all other elements and aspects of construction. What kind of policies do they have in place? Is management taking an effective role in enforcing these policies? Where discrimination or harassment is tolerated, it really needs to come from the top down. It needs to be a culture at the company level through and through. Can you enforce targets that encourage more and more women's representation, both on site and also offsite? That's a tougher one. You start to see that in the public company space where there are some targets that companies have to adhere by. Can that be replicated in the construction industry? I think you could. It's going to take some time to get there," says Manuela. "There is definitely a lot that can be done, but certainly policies are really important. Culture is really important to allow women to feel part of it, to have a voice, to have a seat at the table, to be heard and listened to. I think that's going to encourage more and more younger women to enter our industry and also construction."

"When I started my career it was almost always a room where it was me and a bunch of men who were significantly older than me. I was the token woman. I'm now one of the older people in the room, and I'm also surrounded by powerful leading women and that's both within our organization and in the industry at large, on both the client side and the carrier side," shares Jessica.

"There are incredible women that have that seat at the table, that have the ear of the executive, and are really instilling change from how you look at risk and how you manage risk, and that role is expanding. You look at ESG and all those aspects coming about. Those are topics that these women are part of, and so it's incredible to see that change. It's incredible to see how far we've come and, even in the underwriting world, how many women construction underwriters there are. There are a lot, and so the make up definitely is shifting. What I would love to see is the make up on the job site shifting more, from a women's standpoint. I think that's where, hopefully, more change can happen," adds Manuela.

"It's really encouraging. Having the discourse that this is a field where you can make great money and you can have a great path. Let's see where it goes. There are so many different directions that a construction career can take you, and even from a reputation standpoint, this has changed in the last few years. This is an incredible industry to be part of."

Networking is key

To conclude the podcast episode, the women colleagues discuss the crucial nature of networking, including the Women in Construction Network, and how necessary it is to build each other up.

"We need to make sure networking provides value and that's it's differentiated and supportive. Networking raises up individuals. It raises up our company, which raises up our industry. My hypothesis is that people tend to connect differently when you get them in different spaces, so we're mainly focused on creating compelling content-driven sessions and non-traditional networking opportunities," explains Jessica. "The best type of networking is outside and you move your body in nature. If you're a little bit uncomfortable without being afraid, then that's great. What ends up happening is that you show your vulnerability. You get some courage in yourself, and you connect in a totally different way. Your creativity juices are flying, and you're now bonded with the people who are there with you."

WTW is a global leader in construction risk management and insurance

"Demand for construction is a constant," says WTW. "But the construction industry faces both perennial and new challenges. Construction companies need a partner experienced with current and emerging risk issues who can help you respond quickly to changing circumstances."

WTW is a global leader in construction risk management and insurance. WTW has over 50 years of experience and a team of 500 specialists with a wealth of market knowledge and construction industry experience who can help clients with any challenge. WTW works with a wide range of clients including owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors and more.

There are many challenges in the construction industry. "The industry faces ongoing challenges, including a scarcity of materials, shortages in available skilled talent and general economic uncertainty. And each project faces its own unique risks. New challenges are always emerging. With the growth of digitization, the construction industry faces new cyber and intellectual property-related threats. And with investors adopting environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, climate considerations are growing in importance too," says WTW.

Through WTW's dedicated global construction team, the company finds the right expertise and provides informed guidance help clients identify and create effective risk management, risk mitigation and risk retention/transfer strategies.