Sunday 8 March is International Women’s Day (IWD), a moment to celebrate the women who make our organisation stronger, and to reflect on what more we can all do to create a workplace where everyone feels supported, valued and able to thrive.
This year’s theme, ‘Give to gain’, really resonates with me. When we give our time, our encouragement and our opportunity to others, we don’t lose anything, we grow. We gain more diverse perspectives, stronger teams and a culture where people feel they belong. That’s the workplace I want everyone at ForHousing to feel part of.
Recently, I was reminded just how important this is. While choosing a secondary school for my daughter, we visited one where our first stop — by chance — was the careers department. We met an inspirational woman who said:
“We know there are glass ceilings still out there for women, but here we teach our girls to ignore them. If a girl wants to be an astronaut, we don’t talk about the difficulty — we show her the way, teach her how to break through barriers, and help her get there.”
That conversation stayed with me. It may come as no surprise, that’s the school we chose.
The experience also reminded me that real progress happens when belief is matched with action. And just as that school is intentional about creating an environment where girls can break barriers, we’re taking purposeful steps at ForHousing to make sure every colleague can do the same.
Turning words into action
Every year, our Gender Pay Gap report holds us accountable for the progress we’re making, and the areas where we still need to go further. But data alone doesn’t create change. It’s the actions behind it that matter most.
International Women’s Day is a chance to highlight the work already happening across our organisation, and to share what’s coming next.
What we’ve given and what we’re gaining together
Fair access and diverse talent
- Made our recruitment approach more inclusive through training, diverse interview panels and gender‑neutral role profiles
- Promoted positive action interview schemes to widen opportunity
Development and grow confidence
- Hosted our successful Pathways to Grow development fair, with the next one planned for September 2026
- Launched our mentoring scheme, connecting colleagues to support and shared learning
Safety and belonging
- Introduced Not under our roof, reinforcing our commitment to tackling bullying, harassment and discrimination
- Delivered allyship training and leadership sessions to build a culture where people feel safe and heard
Consistency and fairness
- Progressed our work on job families and evaluation to increase clarity and transparency
- Used data and insight to understand representation and where we need to focus next
What’s next? Keeping ‘Give to gain’ alive
Our future actions continue this long‑term approach. Over the next year, we’ll:
- Further embed our approach to inclusive recruitment
- Develop skills matrices and clearer pathways to support progression
- Create a menopause action plan
- Grow and encourage more mentor/mentee opportunities
- Continue to promote flexible and agile working
- Strengthen our Inclusion Network membership and allyship activity
- Use data even more intelligently to support inclusive decisions
These commitments don’t just support women — they strengthen our whole organisation and benefit all colleagues.
Everyone has a role to play
Give to gain isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about everyday actions that lift others up:
- Encourage and recognise colleagues – check out STAR, or give a shout‑out on the Wall of Fame
- Get involved in mentoring or development
- Challenge bias and assumptions when you see them
- Join our inclusion networks or support their activities — even engaging with shared information makes a difference
Small actions, repeated often, create powerful change.
A shared commitment
When we give opportunity, support and respect, we gain teams who trust each other, leaders who listen, and a workplace where everyone can succeed.
You can read more about our progress and our plans in the Gender Pay Gap 2025 report (and the Ethnicity and Disability Pay Gap reports).
Thanks,
Mike Parkin
