International Women's Day 2022

International Women's Day is a global event celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, designed to raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.

As part of marking this occasion, we've been spending some time celebrating the women within our company by sitting down with them to see what their experience working within a traditionally male-dominated environment is like.

Covers Timber & Builders Merchants was founded in the 1840s. The company, with its Head Office situated in Chichester, West Sussex, has grown during this time to include 14 depots situated across the south of England. The company’s internal teams for marketing and e-commerce, HR, finance and credit control are predominantly female.

We also have women working as drivers, sales representatives, sales managers, depot management, kitchen and bathroom designers and serving on our depot counters, helping our customers collect the whole range of product from our yards.  

Our three longest-serving women, started in 1987 with two in our accounts department and the third in our bathroom department - that's an impressive 35 years! Currently we have 84 women working at Covers - 19% of our workforce, which is much higher than the 14%** national average for women working in construction. 

When talking with our team, we wanted to get views from a broad range of women with different career paths to find out how they started working in the industry and what has inspired them to stay at Covers for such a long time. 

We spoke with Jackie Redman, who started her career at an accountancy firm before moving to an admin role within a building company. Later, Jackie moved on to One Stop Merchants in Horsham in a sales role. When Covers acquired One Stop, Jackie wanted to progress and experience new challenges. She later moved to the Bognor Regis depot and then to our Chichester depot to become Sales Office and Landscaping Manager. With more than 14 years at Covers, Jackie said the one thing that's made her stay over the years is the "good-natured repartee, and you don't get the same laughter anywhere else in any other industry."

Jackie Redman, Sales Office and Landscaping Manager

Jackie Redman, Sales Office and Landscaping Manager

She added that working for Covers has helped build up her confidence over the years and has said it's got her to where she is today. "Working at Covers has given me the time to work and gain more knowledge, not just with products, but how a builder operates and communicates".

Jackie mentioned that "some articles online put women off working in a male-dominated industry - I come in, do my job and I am me. I don't try to be anything different, and it's nice that you are recognised for doing your job here".

We also spoke to Dominique Oliver, our Stock & Customer Collections Manager at Chichester, who has spent an impressive 15 years at Covers. Starting her career at Woolworths, where she worked for 10 years, she developed a good understanding of retail and management. After a while, she moved on to B&Q before taking up her employment at Covers as a Showroom Manager of Kitchens and Bathrooms. "When I was interviewed for my position as a Showroom Manager, I was told I would be managing the two different departments which happened to be run by men. Not once did I feel like the company were shy about hiring women in a management role - and that was 15 years ago".

With her stock controller background, Dominique has been able to help with different areas around the group from shop organisation and layout to merchandising. She attributes the success of her progression within the company to the management team, "They saw the potential in me when I didn't see it in myself.”

"One of the many reasons I still work for Covers is that you're treated like a person here rather than a number, and your opinions actually count. Many places I've worked, I did feel like I was just a number.” 

"It makes a difference working for a family-run company - when the MD and Chairman know your name and take an interest in you. Not just professionally but personally. I really feel like a valued member of staff and that I make a difference here."

Dominique Oliver, Stock & Customer Collections Manager

Dominique Oliver, Stock & Customer Collections Manager

We've had many women working at Covers in sales roles, but one of our newest sales representatives at our Bexleyheath depot, Zoe Elms, who started in October 2020, has always worked within a male-dominated environment. From starting her career on a paintball site to working for Forterra Bricks and ET Clay, Zoe has been a great addition to the team and her knowledge of the building industry is invaluable, "I have naturally progressed within the construction industry to my position here at Covers, I've enjoyed working for a company where the family ethos is so strong because it makes you feel valued and part of a team."

Zoe Elms, Sales Representative

Zoe Elms, Sales Representative

Zoe mentioned that the industry is changing, and the view of women working within this sector makes her proud to be a part of that change. "There's no reason why shes, hes, and theys shouldn't be celebrated in whatever industry they choose.

It's important to create working environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and be successful."

Dawn, one of our HGV drivers and newest recruits, started in May 2021 and said the atmosphere was great from day one. Dawn knew she wanted to be a lorry driver from a young age. She flew through all her training but found she struggled to get a job for six months after passing all her tests. "Being a woman went against me when it came to getting a job as a lorry driver." Dawn found herself in different seasonal jobs before getting a steady job for 12 years at a company where she was the only woman in a group of around 70 men.

Dawn Simmonds, HGV Driver

Dawn Simmonds, HGV Driver

Dawn, who was working nights and driving all over the country, chose Covers so she could carry on doing the job she loved but with more attractive working hours. Since being here, she said she feels valued as person within a tight team.   

Covers Gender Pay Reports are based on a “snapshot” of the pay of all of our employees, as well as annual payments and bonuses. Our reports have consistently shown that there is a minimal Gender pay gap on mean and median salaries between male and female employees. We are therefore confident that men and women are paid equally for doing equivalent jobs across our business.

We hope this gives an insight into some of the many women we have working at Covers and how all their expertise has successfully contributed to our 175 years of service in the merchant industry.

If you are considering a role in the industry, we would love to hear from you. Take a look at our careers page for further information.

*Date – 10/02/22 **Women in Construction - https://www.goconstruct.org/why-choose-construction/diversity-in-construction/women-in-construction/