Manufacturer celebrates International Women's Day by increasing female workforce

Leading pitched roof tile manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles has marked International Women's Day by revealing it has increased its female workforce by 57 per cent over the past five years.

Women are featured across the business, both as new recruits and longer standing members of the team.

The firm 's finance director Araminta Chesters alongside customer service supervisor Caroline Westwood and purchase ledger Vicky Gibbs, have all recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. Their newest recruit is Aleks Calka, service and support administrator at RRT in Burton.

To support the significant uptake of women joining the team, the company - that employs 150 people across its three sites in Burton and Lochmaben has invested in additional facilities to ensure its sites are welcoming to all employees, whatever their gender.

Over the past two years the company has invested nearly £35,000 on new dedicated facilities sites with separate showering, changing, and toilet facilities for women within the business.

In total women now make up 15 per cent of Russell Roof Tiles, and over 120 years of combined service.

Russell Roof Tiles has always been passionate about encouraging women to enter the industry and encouraging them to pursue a career in the engineering and manufacturing.

As well as training and development and having the right facilities, the company also provides flexible and part time work.

Andrew Hayward, managing director at Russell Roof Tiles said: “We are committed to understanding the importance of ensuring that the firm is as accommodating and flexible as possible, to help people with young families and be able to work hours that suit their needs. Six of our team work part time, with a 9.30am to 2.30pm working day being an option for them.

“We understand we need to make the construction industry more appealing to women and want to encourage and support them to enter the industry.

“Which is why we 're so keen to have great facilities in place for them, alongside the whole team, and ensure that having a family, or requiring flexible hours, should not hold them back from joining our team. ”

Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for the top housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces thousands of tiles every week that are used on roofing across the UK, for all the UK 's premier housebuilders and developers.