Workers outside London who have shorter commutes on public transport are returning to their offices more frequently.

Regional Reit, which owns 156 office buildings from Eastleigh to Glasgow, said that virtually all its tenants were back in their offices for at least part of the week. Of the company’s 1,042 tenants, only 12 had not bothered to start working from their offices again. Two of those were Scottish government departments, it said.

Occupancy has increased markedly compared with last spring. A year ago, the group said about 30 per cent of its tenants had reopened their offices after the pandemic. That is now 99 per cent.

Hybrid working is the most popular form of working among its tenants, the “vast majority” of whom have full offices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. “For many, this is four or even five days per week,” Regional Reit said.

Workers have been less enthusiastic about returning to the office in London. Even in the busiest parts of the capital, the West End and Canary Wharf, offices are rarely more than 50 per cent full, according to the latest data from Remit Consulting. That compares with 70 per cent before the pandemic.

Mark Dixon, 63, the boss of IWG, the serviced offices group, said last year that “the enemy is commuting” rather than the office itself.

Stephen Inglis, 53, chief executive of London & Scottish Property Investment Management, which runs Regional Reit, agreed. He said “shorter and simpler commutes” in regional towns and cities partly explained why offices outside the capital were welcoming workers back more quickly.

“Most of our occupiers are encouraging their staff to be in the office the majority of time . . . [and] the trend remains towards more people being in the office more of the week,” he said. “We expect this momentum to continue through 2023, until employers and employees strike the right balance for them between working from home and working from the office.”

There has been much uncertainty around the return to the office, but Regional Reit expects employers to have established their long-term strategies by the end of 2023. Inglis’s forecast is that the majority of regional businesses will make their staff go into the office on three or four days a week. “From the trends we are seeing, we believe employees working fully from home, that were not doing so pre-pandemic, will be in a small minority,” he said.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that only about one in six employees are working from home only. Employers have been almost forced to acquiesce to workers’ demand for less time in the office, given how difficult it has been to find new staff over the past two years. With the jobs market starting to become less competitive, some bosses are considering becoming stricter on working from home.

Engineering is a field that has traditionally been male-dominated, but in recent years, there has been a growing push to encourage more women to pursue careers in this rewarding and exciting industry.

By encouraging women to enter this field, we can tap into a wealth of untapped talent and ensure that the engineering industry remains diverse and inclusive.

In this article, we speak to Lucy Lawrence, manager at Moleroda Finishing Systems about how the industry can attract more female talent. Moleroda is a company spanning the sector, supplying deburring and finishing tools to the manufacturing industry.

The Benefits of Diversity in Engineering

Let’s talk about the benefits of increasing diversity in engineering, particularly in terms of attracting greater numbers of women into the industry.

Lucy “Diversity in any industry is a good thing, and engineering is no exception. By bringing more women into the field, we can ensure that the industry remains vibrant and innovative, with a range of perspectives and ideas being brought to the table. This, in turn, leads to more creative and effective solutions to problems, which is essential for the continued success of the industry. Additionally, by encouraging more women into the field, we can help to break down the gender stereotypes that often discourage girls from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.”

The Importance of Role Models

You mentioned before the interview about having strong role models. Explain the importance of positive role models.

Lucy “One of the biggest obstacles that women face when entering the engineering industry is a lack of female role models. Many young women may not have anyone in their lives who works in engineering, which can make it difficult for them to envision themselves in this career path. By providing young women with access to female engineers who can serve as mentors and role models, we can help to inspire them to pursue careers in this field. This can be done through outreach programs, mentorship opportunities, and other initiatives that connect young women with female engineers.”

“Women in leadership roles can serve as role models and inspiration for other women in the industry. Engineering companies can support women getting into leadership roles by providing leadership training and development opportunities, and creating an inclusive work culture that values diversity and equality.”

Provide Flexible Work Options

I know you are quite passionate about creating opportunities for working mums. Tell me about that.

Lucy “One of the biggest challenges for women in engineering is balancing their careers with family life. By offering flexible work options, such as part-time work or remote work, engineering companies can help women stay in the field and advance in their careers.”

“Quite often, companies are missing out on brilliant human resources by not taking a more flexible approach. Within engineering, as with any other industry, flexible work options can also help women who are returning to work after taking time off for family reasons.”

“I know from experience that after having a family, I was infinitely more motivated to be useful at work.  You know what they say ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person. Well who is more busy than an average parent!’.

Encourage Girls to Study STEM

If the opportunities are there, how would somebody ensure they are qualified for the role?

Lucy “First and foremost, encouraging girls to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects from a young age is crucial for increasing the number of women in engineering. This begins at schools, but we have a responsibility to show off the exciting and rewarding opportunities available in engineering, we can help them see it as a viable career option.”

“Thankfully, there is now a lot more positive PR around women in manufacturing, so young girls are being exposed to the endless possibilities. Growth in this messaging needs to continue.”

Finding your niche

Thanks for speaking to us Lucy. What are your final thoughts, and what would you say to anyone thinking about joining the engineering industry?

Lucy: “In my opinion, encouraging more women into the engineering industry is essential for ensuring that this field remains diverse and innovative. By providing support and resources, fostering a culture of inclusion, offering professional development opportunities, and encouraging young women to pursue careers in this field, we can help to create a more diverse and inclusive engineering industry that benefits everyone.”

“It’s worth recognising how diverse the engineering industry is, so there really is something for everyone. I truly believe that anybody can find their niche in the engineering sector.  You only need to look at the Moleroda Products to get an idea of the range of sub-sectors, let alone the roles within them. We supply everyone from major aerospace companies and medical equipment manufacturers, to jewelry makers and restoration specialists.

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to Paul Hargreaves, the founder of Cotswold Fayre, who are a double finalist in this years awards.

What do you currently do at ‘Cotswold Fayre’

I am the founder and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) at Cotswold Fayre, which has two sides to the business.  The main business, which started in 1999, is a wholesaler of speciality food to around 2,000 retail sites across the UK – farm shops, garden centres, delicatessens, food halls etc.  Then in June 2021 we also opened our own retail site, called Flourish, which sells our own products and has a 120-cover restaurant.

On both sides of the business, I am fortunate to have two fantastic leadership teams who look after most of the day-to-day side of the business.  I set culture and strategic direction and support them in the great work they do.  I have discovered as I become older that more often than not other people can do a better job than me; I just need to be good at finding the right people!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Originally, I was selling a few products from The Cotswold’s in my spare time in the late nineties and a farm shop manager mentioned how difficult she was finding to easily source and order a decent range of fine British food.  It turned out that this was a common problem, so we rented a small warehouse, filled it with gorgeous food and drink and started supplying retailers all over the UK.

I came from the charitable sector to start the business and was keen to have a business that wasn’t just about making money but made a positive difference in the community.  So, of our original first five employees, three others might have called ‘unemployable’; ex-con, recovering drug addict and alcoholic.  Since 1999 we have tried to make a positive different in all we have done since then in both in a social and environment way.

Imagine then, our delight when we discovered the B Corp movement in 2015 and became one of the first B Corps in the UK.  These are all businesses like us that put people and planet before profit and there are now 1,200 in the UK.  This movement is our main inspiration now and I spend around 20% of my time talking to other businesses about being better for people and planet.

Who do you admire?

That’s like a question I ask at interviews, “Excluding family members, who has most inspired you in your life?” I have always been disappointed with people’s ability to answer the question.  There simply aren’t enough inspiring leaders around who are inspiring their people to be better.  In fact, this triggered me writing a book about being an inspiring leader, The Fourth Bottom Line.  I use Nelson Mandela as a superb example of leadership in that book, so he would be the answer to this question.  We can learn more from reading his autobiography than any leadership or management book you might have picked up.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Short answer: ‘plenty’.  The main two things would be to make sure I listened to my intuitive side more.  The main times I have made mistakes were when I made a very rational decision but had a nagging feeling inside that we weren’t going in the right direction.  I am better at this now, but still learning.

The second would be to take on better people sooner.  We now have a great team, but we would have better earlier if I had taken on more expensive, experienced people earlier.  They always make back for the company the extra they are paid.

What defines your way of doing business?

Put people and planet first and the profits will follow.  These days consumers and buyers want to buy products and services from companies that are making a positive difference in our broken world, both for the planet and the poor.  Companies that do this will flourish in preference to those businesses that are only about shareholder benefit.  The more we have given away as a business, the more we grow.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Don’t hold back and be afraid to fail, dream your dreams.  Clearly there needs to be a balance between taking risks and playing safe, but most play safe for too long.  There is still a taboo around failing in the UK.  I would rather employ someone that has failed and learned than someone who has never taken a risk.  I would also counsel anyone starting out to ensure there are people around them (not family members) who they can turn to for advice.

Cotswold Fayre are a double finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in both the Sustainable Business category and Growth Business of the Year

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Paul Hargreaves, Founder & CEO, Cotswold Fayre