As the first stage of our research project into pregnancy and parental leave in the construction industry draws to a close, we sat down with a veteran of the infrastructure sector and mentor to many young professionals, Jill Hannaford, Executive General Manager for Technical Services at GHD.
Tell us a bit about your experience working in the industry while raising a family.
“It’s timely that we’re having this conversation. I’ve worked in the infrastructure sector for over 35 years. I have four children and the youngest just turned 18. I have been a single parent (in every sense) for 18 years. The recent birthday really felt like a significant milestone. I took parental leave in all its forms between 1999 - 2007. At the time I was the Manager for NSW Stakeholder Engagement & Social Sustainability at GHD working across a range of infrastructure projects across urban and regional Australia
Currently I’m the Executive General Manager for Technical Services at GHD, where I look after GHD’s technical communities of practice, their connectivity, knowledge sharing and their role in digital transformation. My passion for infrastructure and its impact on how we live, work, and play has guided my journey, particularly in the field of community and stakeholder engagement in Australia.
Back in 1999, when I took my first parental leave (none of the parental leave I took was paid by the way), I felt supported by GHD (albeit this was somewhat of a novelty for women in most sectors I imagine). During those early years of parenting there were challenges relating to returning to work, hours of work and expectations (from work colleagues and those I placed on myself) and I was constantly pushing boundaries.
“I faced outdated attitudes from male colleagues questioning longer term commitment and asking questions about contribution and value while on parental leave. There were constant questions about my plans to return to work.”
I took three lots of parental leave in less than four years. My return to work each time was part time and involved extraordinary juggling. As a consequence, I become much more effective and efficient and very focussed on what matters, and I managed to have some fun along the way.
In 2007, I became a sole parent and have raised my four children on my own. While many others were also sole parents, the general attitude was one of perplexity - how could this (working and raising a large young family) possibly work?!”. I was open and honest about my circumstances and what the limitations were for me in terms of eg travel and reminded those around me that the workplace is a reflection of society and we needed to be more inclusive and flexible.
And how have attitudes and policies changed over time?
“When I was taking parental leave, some of the managers and my colleagues were questioning if women should be allowed to continue to hold GHD shares while on leave. GHD is an employee-owned company, and shareholding is really valued. Together with a couple of other women who were also on parental leave, we met - babies in tow - to align our approach and successfully advocated for changes to company policy, including maintaining shareholding during parental leave and clearer return-to-work pathways.
It's worth mentioning policy, because we now have and expect policies to guide many employment circumstances. In 1999 GHD didn’t have a HR department and certainly didn’t have a practice of preparing policies for people related matters - so we kind of co-created the policies and approaches, as things evolved. I felt heard and acknowledged.
“I think the real challenges for me came as a result of being a single parent of four, wanting and needing to be present at home, needing to provide financially for my family and feeling like I wasn’t being considered for opportunities to progress at work. But I was focussed, passionate about what I did and was able to surround myself with excellent people and we worked as a team. I am grateful for my work colleagues who had my back and wanted us to collectively succeed.”
The early efforts regarding parental leave and flexible return to work practices led to better outcomes for all employees - those taking leave for whatever reason, family commitments, heath issues or to study or travel.
Our experience told us that it could work and that there were many combinations of work possible: part-time, casual, full-time, working from home. It could be done.
And of course, quality childcare was key - I was fortunate to have access to a local childcare centre and then preschool that provided a stable and reliable place for my children. I used private babysitters regularly to fill gaps - one of them is now a construction engineer juggling his own career and three small children”.
How important is it for parents to stay connected? Do you have any advice for women working in the industry?
I didn’t experience the issue of poor communication for return to work - perhaps because I was proactive in keeping in touch with my employer and I definitely stayed in touch with trends and issues by being actively involved in IAP2 (the International Association for Public Participation - the industry professional association). I connected with other (mostly) women who were taking parental leave and who were from the same industry and we compared notes, shared our aspirations and challenges and talked about ways to make a difference and forge a better path for others.
I’m proud of the support I’ve been able to give to women on parental leave, be it offering them a promotion when they return to work, meeting them for a coffee in a playground to chat about their return to work or being truly interested in their family and personal situation. I mentor many women who have young families and I value the time I spend with them. I’m told that there is a level of comfort knowing that I have ‘done it’ and understand some of the issues - the highs and lows - they are experiencing.
My advice is to find people to connect with, people who you relate to. Be kind to yourself and be as proactive as you can. Yes, organisations can always do better, but we owe it to ourselves to champion our own careers and families too.
Consider options in adjacent sectors if you don’t think it will work for you to be on a construction site - consider a role in consulting or in government. Look into programs like GHD’s Career Relaunch Relaunch Your Career | Career Opportunities | GHD Careers, programs that offer support. Nothing is forever and it might be a refreshing change.