The weather has been pretty hot up and down the country in the UK in recent months it’s fair to say. In actual fact, pretty hot is putting it lightly to say the very least. Anyone that works outside would probably appreciate how some brickies felt when their boss told them not to wear shorts at work, even though it was a whopping 26 degrees Celsius. What would you do if you were told the same? In a hilarious twist, perhaps you should take a leaf out of those brickies books..
The brickies were told they were not permitted to wear shorts, even in weather so hot that it was uncomfortable for them to work in jeans and other work trousers. The brickies, who were based at a construction site in the town of Chertsey in Surrey, almost contemplated looking for other work until they found a way around the ruling with a truly ingenious, and let’s face it, funny move.
Brickies Find An Ingenious Loophole to the Ruling
Proving that there is more to brickies than meets the eye, they discovered a way round, what they saw as unfair rules, by using the gender equality regulations to their benefit. How did they do it?
The clever chaps turned up to work wearing a stunning array of women’s summer frocks and dresses. As well as using the gender equality regulations, they also took inspiration from stories involving schoolboys who have done similar at their school, where similar rules have been upheld about wearing shorts.
The fellas, who were working at Bellway Homes construction site, turned up wearing an assortment of dresses and skirts. Simon Miles wore a denim skirt belonging to his wife, stating that he was going to find another job and that many of his colleagues were really finding it uncomfortable and difficult to work in jeans. That was until he and the rest of his workmates realised that as there were female employees that worked in the office on site who obviously wore skirts and dresses, that they couldn’t possibly do anything if the brickies did the same.
Bricklayers Loved Their Skirts and Dresses
Adam Houdoire, one of Miles’ colleagues opted for a budget option of a supermarket £10 dress. Houdoire curiously said something we never thought a bricklayer would say about woman’s clothing – that he loved it and felt that it gave him a lot more freedom to work more comfortably than he would have been able to in jeans or other forms of trousers.
In a strange reversal of roles, Miles also noted that he had been wolf-whistled by a man, suggesting that he had never experienced that before. Joking aside, we feel that this funny little tale gives insight to a more serious issue. If bricklayers and other construction site employees have to work in hot climates and we want them to do the best work they can, does it not make sense to allow some leeway with regards to the health and safety regulations.
The TRAD Group are keenly aware of how important their people are to the success of the business. They believe in teamwork, mutual support and encouraging all their staff to continually develop their skills and extend their careers, and become the best they can be.
The TRAD Group is also well-known for its stance on encouraging women to pursue careers in the construction sector. With more than 50% of their office staff women, many in Senior positions it’s a principle close to their hearts. To highlight the commitment TRAD are founding sponsors of the ‘Inspire Me’ campaign hosted by Construction news.
Women are under-represented across construction generally, and in scaffolding in particular. While the nature of the work may be largely to blame, there are many positions at TRAD where women have made major contributions to their success, for example in areas such as surveying and estimating.
The TRAD Group are keen to build on this success and encourage more women to purse professional and managerial careers, with the chance to move into senior leadership positions.
UK legislation, of course, sets minimum standards for companies to support workplace diversity and equality. At TRAD, they want to go beyond these minimum standards and set the bar much higher. The aim is to establish a fully inclusive environment that contributes to their employees’ well-being and success.
One of TRAD’s key objectives is to create mentoring and training schemes to give women the chance to become operational heads within supervision and contracts management, with the chance to eventually become board directors.
