Hull Trains #EmbraceEquity for International Women’s Day

Female colleagues at Hull Trains have been taking part in the #EmbraceEquity pose to help promote a diverse workforce as part of International Women’s Day.

The pose is being encouraged everywhere on Wednesday 8 March to show solidarity, and raise greater awareness, of the differences between equality and equity.

Equality is defined as giving everybody the same tools in the workplace, whereas equity recognises sometimes this isn’t enough, and that individuals may require different resources in order to succeed.

Hull Trains has long benefitted from having a diverse workforce and, today, 47% of its employees are female. The executive board is a 50/50 spilt and 27% of drivers are women, of which 100% of them were promoted internally.

This is the highest percentage in the UK rail industry, where the industry average sits at 6.5% according to 2021 statistics.

Louise Mendham, Service Delivery Director, explained: “Since joining the team in 2008, I have experienced first-hand how Hull Trains enable pathways for women to progress and it has always been a priority to listen to individual needs and provide tailored support so that everyone gets the same opportunities to succeed.

“We have an incredible team here and things like gender, race, and sexuality have never been a barrier for any colleague. We recognise that people join us with different needs, so it is important to allocate exact resources and opportunities on an individual basis.”

A prime example of this is Hull Trains’ approach to flexible working. Since 2015 Hull Trains have had a step change in their approach to flexible working, and now 15% of all colleagues, across office and on-board roles, are utilising this to support a healthy work/life balance.

Louise continued: “We want to inspire people from all backgrounds to come and join the railway industry and awareness events like International Women’s Day are a great way to spread the message and break down barriers.

“We have a woman in every role we offer here at Hull Trains, and we regularly champion them to help retain and attract further talent to the team, especially individuals who probably didn’t see the railway as a career option for them.”

Find out more about International Women’s Day and how you can #EmbraceEquity here: www.internationalwomensday.com