Weekly Blog: Marie Daly, Chair of Women in Rail

Firstly, for everyone who celebrated EID on Wednesday “EID Mubarak”. My lovely colleague said EID for him was not just a celebration but a day to celebrate the blessings in his life.

Thank you so much for everyone who reached out to see if my daughter Isabella was okay, she was totally fine sore head for a few days but now right as rain. I did check in with the parents in my team and they feel they could ask for support however, like me, would still feel the guilt. #letskeeptalkingaboutthethingsthatmakeusuncomfortable ???

On Tuesday morning I joined an online session with PurpleSpace on the EDI Executive sponsor round table session as the lead Executive member for Transport for Wales with an early start at 8am, which as a night owl was a challenge, however it was well worth attending. Hearing from other EDI Exec sponsors from a wide range of industries reinforces that in Rail and Transport the issues we face are not unique. Key take aways “the power of the collective voice in moving the dial” and "local network groups role in helping colleagues thrive". Thanks for all the leaders who shared their personal journeys I find this the most powerful way to connect in the EDI space. A good reminder you never know the path that people have been on to get them where they are today or what they are going through at anyone moment. Thanks PurpleSpace and I look forward to the conference in October 2024.?

One question I have had over the last few weeks is how people can get involved in WR if they are new to the Rail industry. The best way is to become a member (which is free) and you will get access to newsletters that will tell you about upcoming events and any hot topics. Also becoming involved in our regional groups is any excellent way to network and meet kindred spirits Regional - Women in Rail . Follow us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) to also get regular updates. We are looking at our social media channels so any thoughts would be welcome, especially on how we reach across the generations Women in Rail . The next two regional events are in WR East Midlands: ?Women in Track with a panel discussion on career progression on the 2nd of May and WR London: A tour of Hornsey Train Care Depot on the 23rd of May #lovetrains#loveacareerintrains ?? ?? ???

I had the best end to my week with another Business Planning (BP) Session with the regional leads ???? Ashurst as always thanks for your amazing facilities. We completed a SWOT analysis on our current position which we will share with members once we launch the 3-year business plan in May 2024. Key headlines (1) We have so many strengths mainly our amazing volunteers and members and (2) The range of programmes built up over last twelve years supporting the key issues for Women in Rail. The opportunities were around focusing more on data and greater reach to our front-line colleagues. Ashurst are not only our supporters but are part of the WR family Phillipa Horton Kseniia Samokhina James Furber (thank you and good luck we will miss you). The attached picture in their offices is a collage of all the women who work in Ashurst, and the woman in the picture is Maud Crofts who became the first female solicitor in the UK in 1923, until then it was a male only profession. At the BP session we had a good discussion about allyship and how we celebrate our male colleagues who are driving or supporting change for gender equality and the founder member William Ashurst fitted in that category.

I loved GCRE post celebrating Kelly Warburton, one our judges at Women in Rail Awards. Thank you to all our judges and congrats to all those shortlisted. We cannot wait to see you on the night 2024 Shortlist - Women in Rail #excited.

Two other posts this week celebrating brilliant women doing well Claire Mann becoming COO of Transport for London , one of the most influential roles in our industry,??you are an inspiration for future leaders and Joanne Maguire on being promoted to Interim Managing Director of ScotRail . I was one of the first people to welcome Jo to the industry thanks to Chris Gibb . I always worry for people who come from outside the industry as sometimes there can be that extra barrier to prove yourself as a leader due to a rite of passage through our operational world. This for me is one of the barriers for achieving wider diversity now. On meeting Jo somehow, I knew this would not be an issue for her #congrats. Once you both settle in WR will be reaching out to see if you can join us at SWIFT or national event to hear your journey.

Reflecting on my upcoming holiday a post on this post on LinkedIn got me thinking about my ability to switch off and be present in the moment. Another topic that I regularly have with members and volunteers is how they struggle to do this either because their “unpaid” work gives them less time for down time (if I haven’t shared before Invisible Women is a book everyone should read at least once Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez | Waterstones . I am taking it on holiday to read for a second time.

After watching the video, I went to look for some statistics around Women and annual leave and according to ONS women are more likely to take all their leave than men, so this is a positive but not for males’ colleagues. However, I did read that 30% of that leave is often linked to childcare so the debate probably is not the quantity of that leave but the quality of the leave, versing using leave to cover childcare #iknowspendingtimewithourkidsisalsofun??. I am a big preacher of being “off, off” when you’re on holidays, but I don’t often walk the talk and this video has made me really think about the choices I am making in this space. Why I struggle I don’t know but maybe one to ask my mentor for some advice on #beingmorepooh.

M x

Marie Daly