In May, Shimmick started its first-ever employee resource group, Women@Shimmick. Since then, the group has launched a number of programs designed to achieve its mission of empowering and supporting women by providing professional and personal development opportunities.
Two of the most successful programs include Conversations with Women@Shimmick, a quarterly event that aims to provide an open forum for discussion about issues faced by women in the workplace. The next forum is scheduled for December 8 where the attendees will discuss Robin Hauser’s TED Talk: The Likability Dilemma for Women Leaders.
Another successful initiative has been Shimmick’s Big Sister Program, where all female employees who join Shimmick are paired with a “Big Sister” to welcome them to the organization. This program was created to offer a positive onboarding process and foster relationships with other women throughout the organization.
The group has also advocated for project sites to have appropriate PPE available for women, enacted a bereavement policy for pregnancy loss, and sponsored conference attendance for both the ENR Groundbreaking Women in Construction and National Association of Women in Construction annual events.