BBC aims to be the best place for women to work
The BBC has a simple, bold, ambition to lead the way and become the best place for women to work. Director General Tony Hall has appointed Director of BBC Scotland, Donalda MacKinnon, to lead work that aims to sweep away any barriers to women progressing, fulfilling their ambitions and reaching the top.
It forms part of the BBC’s drive to have women in half of senior management and on-air roles by 2020 - and to make the BBC an exemplar for other organisations. While the BBC already offers things like flexible working, jobshares and childcare vouchers, and parts of the BBC run leadership development programmes, it will now look at what more can be done, such as:
- Investigate what gaps and barriers are holding back women at the BBC currently and how they should be addressed
- Look at the best examples from other organisations to see how the best initiatives can be implemented by the BBC
- Consider whether there are good ideas and schemes within specific parts of the BBC which should now be rolled out more widely
- Explore different options for part-time and flexible working as well as the value placed on these roles
- Establish whether it could be made easier for people to return to work following maternity and career breaks
The BBC wants to take action swiftly and make a real difference, so Donalda will produce initial recommendations for Tony Hall by the end of June. The project will consider working practices, policies and procedures, practical support, recruitment and professional development, leadership and management development, culture and behaviours. Staff are being encouraged to contribute ideas and participate so no stone is left unturned.
Donalda MacKinnon says: "We have a bold ambition - we want the BBC to be the best place for women to work.
“Flexible working, jobshares and development programmes already make it easier for some, but by bringing in the very best new ideas from outside as well as inside the BBC, we can do even more and aim for everyone to reach their potential.”
The BBC’s goal is to be a great place in which to work, where everyone feels valued and where there are equal opportunities for progression and advancement for all of our staff, and we’ll be working with other groups of staff to ensure they don’t face barriers either."
