BCCJ Reaches out to Female Members

Many organisations, including the BCCJ, are committed to embracing diversity and inclusion (D&I) in their policies and practices, but despite striving for gender equality and determined efforts to secure diverse teams and clients, companies sometimes struggle to achieve their goals.

Diversity statements and commitments mean nothing without concrete steps. The BCCJ has therefore decided to take more aggressive strides! The Chamber would like to see a better balance of women attending events and has therefore reached out to female members.

On 25 April 2017, twenty women attended an informal brainstorming session at the BCCJ office to exchange ideas, suggest possible solutions, and set priorities.

The discussions focussed on four main questions:

– What is your perception of the BCCJ?
– What is the BCCJ doing well to attract and interest women?
– What kind of events would better engage women?
– What topics and/or speakers would be of the greatest interest to you?

In terms of attending events, it was agreed that there was a diversity of needs and preferences depending on working hours, company obligations, and childcare. Better communication of the value of BCCJ events throughout member companies was encouraged as well as the suggestion that nominated representatives do more to secure greater and more diverse participation. Consideration was also given to improving the registration process to make it possible for a broader range of members to sign up for events.

There was also a consensus that improved networking opportunities could be provided with more informal, smaller group events focusing on quality exchange and interaction. Events featuring multiple speakers and table interaction were discussed as well as options for childcare. Many ideas were put forward for steps to better engage women including a higher number of female speakers, leadership and negotiation workshops, family events, and an increase in culture-themed events.

After a very productive discussion with many new insights and suggestions, the BCCJ will formulate a clear strategy which will be followed through by the Executive Committee and incorporated into event planning and implementation to encourage greater female interest and participation in future BCCJ events.

If you have any suggestions you would like to share with the BCCJ, please contact the team at [email protected]

Read more about diversity at the BCCJ HERE