In our next article in our Vision 2030 series we are delighted to share perspectives from Sarah Bolson, a Decommissioning Project Engineer and OEUK's 2024 Young Professional of the Year. She highlights the significance of having diverse perspectives within our management teams, the importance of having relatable role models, and the necessity of avoiding an echo chamber by seeking insights from different individuals and industries.
Q. What does gender equity look like for you, your working life and your industry?
I recently had the pleasure of working offshore where the culture was free of micro-aggressions, where women were working in a variety of roles on board. For me, this was a prime example of what it looks like to work in an environment that promotes gender equity. I found myself more willing to speak up, I felt more confident in my leadership and came away with a greater sense of accomplishment as a result. The trip enlightened me as to what gender equity could do for my professional life, and really hope that more of the industry can grow to adopt such an inclusive culture.
Q. What would gender equity mean for the energy sector (benefits or otherwise)?
To date, I have always had the privilege of working in diverse teams with a range of cultures, genders and ways of thinking. We all have blind spots, and actively seeking people to bring a new perspective is how we avoid these blind spots negatively impacting our work. If I find myself in a room with people that are all thinking in the same way I can’t help but think, what are we missing? I see it as critical this diversity of thought is mirrored in our management teams across the sector to eliminate these blind spots and reduce the risk of something being missed.
Gender equity within the energy sector is imperative if we are to support our diverse workforce as they progress into leadership positions and together, we can eliminate our blind spots.
Q. What do you see as the future of the industry in terms of the next generation of workers entering in the industry?
I recently attended a secondary school career fair where it was notable that oil and gas companies were not receiving the same interest as representatives from other industries. My petroleum related MSc programme no longer exists, and it is my understanding that uptake of the renewable energy equivalent is not at the same level. It is clear that we have work to do if we are to attract the next generation of workers into the industry. For me, it’s about showing what we do at a really granular level.
Our projects are exciting, the scale of the engineering is comparable to space exploration in a lot of ways, and we get to explore the world while we do it.
What’s not to like?
Sharing this in an approachable and relatable way, whilst showing that our industry supports a diverse workforce, is how we will ensure that we attract the next generation of workers.
Q. What role do you think EDI plays in securing future talent for the North Sea Transition Deal and working towards Net Zero?
With the scale of the challenge ahead of us for the energy transition, it’s clear we have to do things differently. Attracting future talent from a wide range of backgrounds will bring the new ideas and thinking outside the box that is imperative for a successful energy transition. In additional to securing future talent its also important that we retain the workforce already working in our industry. I think we do this by focusing on transferability and supporting people as they look to explore new subject areas. I started my career as a geologist, and was fortunate enough to be supported by my employer to make a lateral move into decommissioning. The future is uncertain for all of us, but if we can stand by our people as they explore our industry, we can ensure a successful transition.
Q. With regard to an inclusive culture and workplace D&I policies, what do you think graduates entering the industry want from their employers?
It’s clear graduates entering the industry have a focus on work-life balance including flexibility and benefits that extend beyond remuneration. I also think that graduates entering the energy industry need reassurance that there is a long term career ahead of them. This comes from promoting stability and standing by our workforce during harder times. It also comes from having role models for graduates to use as examples of what a career in energy can look like. “If you see it, you can become it” requires role models to be accessible and available at many different career stages. Students look to graduates, graduates look to early career professionals and so on. I think there’s often a view that role models must be in senior roles with huge amounts of experience but from my own experience the role models I have taken most value from are those closer to my own career stage.
Q. What must we do to get there by 2030?
2030 is as close to 2024 as 2018, I find this quite alarming! We clearly need a sense of urgency to achieve gender equity in the next six years, along with a unified vision and drive. We have so many groups promoting various aspects of EDI, I think it would be great to see a more united front between them. Also, It is easy to exist within an echo chamber in our industry, and I think we could benefit from learning from industries and geographies that are closer to reaching gender equity. Celebrating our success is also important, we have come so far and I am proud to be reaping the rewards of the hard work that has come before me. I’m extremely optimistic and can’t wait for the next generation to work in an industry where gender equity moves from vision to reality.
Comments