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Guernsey needs to work smarter at providing a better working world for women, according to the guest speaker at the Women’s Development Forum (WDF) luncheon held at Les Cotils. Over 90 women listened to the guest speaker, EY’s Liquidations and Restructuring Partner, Samantha Keen who said that flexibility is the key to unlocking the huge work potential of women on the Island.
Guernsey needs to work smarter at providing a better working world for women, according to the guest speaker at the Women’s Development Forum (WDF) luncheon held at Les Cotils. Over 90 women listened to the guest speaker, EY’s Liquidations and Restructuring Partner, Samantha Keen who said that flexibility is the key to unlocking the huge work potential of women on the Island.
The event was also sponsored by EY who are passionate about providing a diverse and inclusive a working environment. On 1 July of this year, EY announced its rebranded name and also unveiled its new logo and adopted Building a Better Working World as its purpose statement and tagline. As part of their strategy to achieve a better working world, EY are committed to enhancing the role of women, not only in businesses but in the community as a whole.
Samantha Keen said: “Whether you are a parent or non-parent, Generation Y or Generation Z, there are times in all our lives when we need our employers to show greater flexibility. At EY we are striving to offer a flexible working environment to all of our people with a real emphasis on establishing a work-life balance that suits each individual whilst also enabling them to deliver a high client service.
“Speaking to some of the audience here today, it is clear that there are many women in Guernsey with a vast amount of experience to bring to the table, but who are held back by traditional work practices. If we want to retain and nurture the best people, employers must adapt in order to be able to offer more flexible forms of working.
Continuing. Samantha said that there is also demand from clients and customers: “We are working in a global environment where we are dealing with clients across borders and in different time zones, which makes it imperative that we show a flexible and trusting approach to how, when and where our people work. In an environment like Guernsey where the work pool is invariably restricted, we need to be looking at using every resource available and it would be a shame if flexible ways of working were discounted.”
The event was led by the founder of WDF, Michelle Johansen who noted that women bring a different perspective to the working world. She said: “WDF’s ‘Building a Better Working World’ programme is an excellent forum to share our members’ experiences and wealth of knowledge to break down the barriers that preclude women from achieving their full potential.’
