The water and wastewater services industry is notoriously male-dominated. So what did it take for Urban Utilities to recently hire not one, but three women into frontline roles (in just one month)?
We recently sat down with Darcy Richardson, Talent Partner at Urban Utilities, to talk about the company’s ongoing commitment and success in this space — and the importance of WORK180’s endorsement and support.
The interview overview
Q. We began by asking Darcy to share the team’s motivation for becoming a WORK180 Endorsed Employer for All Women
With a strong EVP (Employer Value Proposition) already in place, Darcy explained that the partnership was partly driven by a desire to prove and strengthen the company’s current efforts towards DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging).
With ‘evolving’ as one of Urban Utilities’ four core values, it was no surprise to learn that an even greater motivation for the partnership was WORK180’s ability to develop and drive DEIB efforts — with measurable outcomes.
“We’ve always had a really strong EVP (Employer Value Proposition) […] WORK180 gave us the opportunity to formalize and create structure and architecture around it for our people […] This partnership gave us a really great opportunity to work and evolve with WORK180, get further ideas, and work with subject matter experts effectively around our policies and benefits in this space.”
This admirable culture of continuous improvement was clear throughout the conversation, with Darcy commending elements of our offerings designed to help teams do exactly that:
“We’re currently doing some training, which has been super eye-opening and inspiring. It shows us that we’ve done some amazing things but we still have a journey to go. WORK180 also connects us with like-minded organizations too, which we think is fantastic. Seeing what others are doing, talking about challenges and how they approach them, what’s working and what’s not, that’s another massive benefit of being an Endorsed Employer.”
Q. But what about right now? We asked Darcy to take us through the team’s most recent win as an Endorsed Employer for All Women
“In the space of a month, we hired three female Treatment Plant Operators. These are front line critical worker roles which are traditionally male dominated. Through a partnership led approach with the hiring teams, we developed and implemented a strategic sourcing approach that focussed on our diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging pillars, that resulted in this amazing outcome.”
When asked what role our endorsement and support played in these efforts, Darcy explained that the ability to leverage the partnership “absolutely helped”. Specifically, the ability to point candidates towards the company’s WORK180 employer profile — a transparent, third-party space showcasing all the ways Urban Utilities are truly supporting women in the workplace.
In terms of attracting the attention of candidates in the first place, we know our trusted endorsement can play a powerful role; many employers report the badge boosting applications from women by a whopping 20%. Darcy also referenced the power of the credibility gained from the endorsement, which the team use in a variety of ways:
“We promote our endorsement pretty much on all platforms, digital, in conversations, and as part of our EVP (Employer Value Proposition) promise. I think it really represents and encapsulates the direction we’re going as a business around DEIB. We’re proud to talk about it with our customers, communities, and candidates.
“In terms of examples, it’s included in all our job advertisements, demonstrating our commitment to DEIB. It also forms a valuable conversation point with candidates in a tight talent market. There are plenty of great opportunities out there, plenty of great employers doing great things as well, so sometimes it doesn’t come down to a lot!”
Q. And while competition for candidates may be high, Urban Utilities recently stood out among the crowd as one of Australia’s top 101 workplaces for women!
We asked Darcy to share some of the work he and the team have been doing to earn such an accolade.
The desire to attract, retain, and truly nurture a diverse workforce has long been at the heart of Urban Utilities’ impressive EVP. With only time to cover a few key elements, Darcy shared a some of the most recently introduced or updated initiatives:
- A new Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP): Developed in collaboration with the disability inclusion consultancy Get Skilled Access, to ensure the plan is adequately designed to make a real impact for those living with a disability.
- A generous parental leave policy:
- 18 weeks employer-funded parental leave.
- Full super (superannuation) on 12 months of unpaid parental leave.
- A refreshed professional development program: ‘Enabling U” focuses on aiding the growth, development, and performance of all team members.
As Darcy explained, the development of women and marginalized groups already in the business is wisely considered a crucial element to the company’s DEIB strategy. This focus can be seen in their 2023 internal hiring stats: of the 434 roles filled, around half were internal movements.
“That’s almost a fifth of our workforce that were promoted within or got a new opportunity off the back of those professional development frameworks, and looking at hires from a different lens.”
Looking ahead: Urban Utilities’ key DEIB focus areas for the next 12 months
- Developing a new DEIB strategy
- Advancing its Reconciliation Action Plan
- Embedding the new DIAP across the organization
- Ensuring alignment with the Australian government’s Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality
Want to know more about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Urban Utilities? Head to the Urban Utilities employer profile.
