Charlotte Woodhall-Jones

When did you realise this was the career path for you?

Being entirely honest, and potentially controversial, I do not identify with the concept of a “career path”.

After experiencing a mid-career rollercoaster where I walked away from being an “engineer” for a short period of time, I have since embraced the concept of a squiggly career. I now align to a concept of a central value set – for me passion for soil, rocks and the natural environment – and career directions based on interest, skills and circumstances.

With reflection, I was always like this but never knew the terminology. In my early years I never planned out a “career pathway”. I sort of stumbled into Engineering Geology because I really enjoyed the subject and challenge of working with natural materials using my understanding of the natural environment.

I frequently reflect on whether my career is still aligned to my personal passions and aspirations – which I don’t think is a bad thing. 

As a woman working in a STEM industry, do you have any advice for others considering this pathway?

Know yourself and be true to you.

Dig deep and find your drive and values. This is what will keep you wanting to pursue and stay with any career within a STEM industry, particularly if you experience the rollercoaster ride that is mid-career jitters.

How does SYSTRA set a good example in supporting women in the workplace?

I was clear from initial contact with SYSTRA that I would wish to remain a flexible worker because of the balance those non-working days bring to my mental wellbeing. Right from the start of my journey within the business, SYSTRA never saw my needs for flexible working as a barrier to being a leader for a technical function. I was valued for what I offered, not how many days I worked. 

My line manager and Practice Director have both ensured I have sufficient support from my team and discipline, and both are on a learning journey of how to be more inclusive to the requirements of flexible working patterns as a result.

Being open about my flexible working arrangement enables early career women to see there is a progression pathway throughout all phases of their working life.

I have worked in many organisations, and there has been limited women role models in senior positions. I am in a practice where there is a 50:50 split at peer grade, so the industry is really falling short in this respect. As a woman in a leadership position at SYSTRA, I’m proud that I offer a very real, visible, aspirational example to others.

What is your flexible working arrangement and what are the benefits for you?

I currently have a flexible working pattern and work 24 hours per week (60% full time equivalent). This is typically fixed to three full days, working 2 days in the office to collaborate and support my team.

I have worked flexibly since September 2012, varying between a 60-80% full time equivalent. The number of hours and office days in my working pattern has changed based on my role, and the balance of my personal/professional responsibilities.

In my current role, I offer flexibility over Monday to Thursday, but have a hard boundary that Friday is a non-flexible, non-working day.

I initially requested flexible working for childcare purposes – living away from family we used private nursery to cover my working days, and I looked after my children on my non-working days.

As my children grew older and transitioned to school, I retained a flexible working arrangement to enable a focus on self-care and mental wellbeing.

In addition to the benefits of enabling me to have a closer relationship with my children, and a balanced relationship with my mind, with time I have realised that flexible working brings an additional benefit of developing skills to become more effective and collaborative; you cannot work in isolation when working flexibly, you need support from others to ensure work progresses in your absence.

Have you been able to effectively manage your arrangement alongside the demands of your role?

I started a flexible working arrangement as a Senior Geotechnical Engineer with no direct reports. I am now a Discipline Lead for a UK Ground Engineering team of approximately 40 people of various grades.

During the last decade, I have become a Chartered Engineer in addition to already being a Chartered Geologist. I have contributed to the design and construction of multiple UK infrastructure schemes, and I now lead a discipline that includes a team contributing to the design and construction of the largest new infrastructure scheme in the UK.

In the last few years, I have seen a major change in the mindset towards flexible working arrangements. Before COVID-19, although working flexibly, I was still 100% office based which brought its challenges with childcare arrangements. Since the adoption of hybrid working, I have been able to bring more to my role – being able to work remotely permits me to increase my working hours by offsetting commuting time on days when I am the ‘parent in charge of school runs’.

What advice would you give to someone who’s considering submitting a flexible working request?

If you are considering a move to a flexible working pattern, be clear on your underpinning reason for the working pattern and establish soft and hard boundaries. The soft boundaries are ones which, with enough notice, you might be able to move; the hard being immovable. This ensures clear and consistent communication for everyone involved. Flexible working requires knowledge of what is flexible and what is not.

Flexible working does come with a need to embrace personal and professional organisation, and effective use of delegation to my team; all are skills developed for leadership and management, and career progression.  Both my Husband and I work a flexible working pattern, and we have to plan ahead to ensure that every day we have that ‘parent in charge of school runs’. But we also need to flexibly adapt the soft boundaries against our collective working commitments. SYSTRA is incredibly supportive, as is my husband’s employer, but the key has been communication, planning and embracing adaptability.

Finally, build reserves of self-worth and resilience. Societally, you may face prejudice and judgement, invisible barriers from unconscious bias, and internal and external comparators. These have reduced with time (massively since the shift towards hybrid working), but they still exist. You have to ensure that you use positive language. I have been careful throughout this case study to use the term “flexible working”, as the term ‘part-time’ has been adopted as negative and derogatory language – language matters. You are not a ‘part-time’ person and considered lesser than others. You work a flexible working pattern and are paid proportionately.

Whilst there are still some invisible barriers to flexible working, they are becoming lesser, and the glass ceilings and perceived career limitations are being smashed or removed.

Flexible working offers such potential for health and wellbeing. I hope that seeing a case study like mine, showing progression to a senior leadership role, helps to demonstrate that with the right mindset and right support your career can flourish whilst working flexibly.

With such power in diversity, what unique perspective do you bring to the table?

What a big question to answer.

For me this would have to be authenticity and integrity, as these tend to be the frequent unique qualities I have associated with me. 

My passion and drive comes from creating a culture where everyone feels like they belong and can grow. Diversity for me is not a box ticking exercise, it is creating a culture and work environment where everyone feels that they can bring their true authentic self into the workplace, challenging traditional approaches and replacing them with a drive towards innovation, supported by a creative and diverse perspectives.

Psychological safety is key to creating this environment. I have been openly vulnerable about multiple aspects of my professional career, which has helped individuals around me feel safe to be themselves, share their ideas, and supports a positive and productive team environment. I also strive to act this way outside of the working environment, such as with professional bodies and across social platforms, and I know I have reached beyond SYSTRA to other women engineers who may not have a role model in their organisation.

Have there been any challenges for you working as a woman in STEM? How have you handled these?

There have been many challenges, and I’ve handled each differently depending on my career phase, maturity and self-belief. 

My early career was dominated by gender bias and stereotypes, exacerbated by being a scientist in an engineering space. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s crazy to think how I was tackling layers of bias at that stage in my career. I addressed the challenge by becoming a Chartered Geologist and Chartered Engineer, proving to both myself and others I was worthy of the space and my place within the industry. 

With experience, the challenges changed. I became very aware that the roles, experiences and opportunities were often offered to my male counterparts without consultation because I did not attend many of the male dominated social activities with colleagues outside of work. There was a known, but unspoken, chasm of a pay gap. 

In previous workplaces, I’ve unfortunately also had direct experience of a man who, was technically less trained than myself, but “more experienced in years”, dominating a work environment to the detriment of my mental health. This systemic issue was addressed through changes to company culture, but the lack of senior female representation meant these changes were unlikely to stick.  

In becoming a parent, work life balance became my most prevalent challenge and progression became limited.

Before joining SYSTRA I was very much ready to hand in the towel and leave the industry as it felt I was not wanted.

Where is the place that has inspired you the most?

The Isle of Arran. This is truly my happy place, where I can refresh my batteries and my soul. It is the only place where I switch off properly and fully relax. It’s heaven.

What would a truly green future look like?

Embracing the philosophy of ‘make do and mend’.  Society has become so reliant on things that are instantly available and throwing away as soon as it’s no longer needed. This really goes against my values. I still own a well-loved (if somewhat snug now) jumper from the mid-1990s.

Infrastructure design must be considered through the lens of the same values. To work towards a green future, we must first consider, ‘do we really need to build this?’. I’m fully aware this may come with a gasp of ‘but what would our job be?!’. The answer – we would repair, engineer and squeeze more life out of expired assets, true to the philosophy of ‘make do and mend’.

How do you look after your wellbeing outside of work?

By being kind to myself and seeking support from others. 

Wellbeing for me is not an inside and outside work binary approach. It’s a holistic approach focused on the needs of the person. Support must exist inside the work environment and not just rely on time outside of work. Nearly a quarter of the week is spent at work, and another quarter spent asleep, leaving just 50% to balance your wellbeing needs. For me, the maths only stacks up if wellbeing is considered across the board. 

I have worked hard on my understanding of the link between personal behaviours and wellbeing, specifically stress and energy levels when it comes to balancing working and parenting. 

I haven’t quite nailed it, but I have come to the realisation that chasing a perfect solution in an ever-changing world will expend energy I do not have. I constantly reflect on where I’m at and utilise my support network inside and outside of work – including more recently, a personal trainer. 

As a woman experiencing the perimenopause, I’m having to be much more agile and adapt the support methods I have developed to date. The biggest change is a notable seasonal variation to mood and wellbeing.  

To sum up, a big part of wellbeing is self-reflection, being kind, preserving energy for where I need it, and being open with others about the help I need. 

If you could spend your lunchbreak with someone you really admire, who would you choose?

I would love to have an informal lunchbreak with Dr Jean Venables, the 144^th President of the ICE, and first female president. I was already in the industry when she came into office, and was surprised that it took until 2008 for the industry to elect and accept a female leader in this prestigious role. I would want to understand the barriers she overcame in becoming the first female president, the changes she made in her role, and the seeds she planted to ensure the ICE stayed attuned with the changing perceptions of female engineers in the industry. 

From a personal perspective, I would love to meet Aung San Suu Kyi. I am of Southeast Asian heritage, Burmese on my maternal side. As a typical teenager, I was not interested in the tales of the past when my grandmother was alive to tell them. With age comes a desire to understand more about your history, culture and heritage – but very little makes its way out of Myanmar. I would love to understand more about the culture from a strong female figure, and (politics aside) how she retained strength and resilience.

If you had to pick, which mode of transport would you use for the rest of your life?

Aside from walking, I would love a tram system that truly connects hubs, so I don’t feel the need to use my car for commuting and connecting!