Chair's welcome, opening remarks and rules of engagement

Elizabeth Smith

Director of Research
Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)

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Elizabeth Smith

Director of Research , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)

Elizabeth is director of research and a founding co-director at Business Forums International. She is responsible for all programme content and writing, and researches current areas of interest for senior HR professionals in large organisations. BFI is the UK’s leading HR risk specialist conference and training provider, delivering key and timely information to over 3,000 delegates a year both through public and in-house training courses. Before founding BFI in 1996, Elizabeth specialised in researching corporate financial programmes in Asia and the Middle East, based in Dubai. She also worked in advertising and publishing in the Middle East and London. Elizabeth was educated in the West Indies, Saudi Arabia and Belgium before reading Modern Languages at Durham University. She is currently developing an online training course for line managers to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and ways that employers can work to make their workplaces more inclusive.

Opening Address: Women in work 2020 - have we got it all? And do we still even want it?

• Covid-19: exacerbator of inequality or great opportunity? What women should be discussing now
• what does a 'best workplace for women' really look like?
• is the C-suite still a men's club in 2021?
• challenging organisational culture and bias: where and how does change begin?

Legal and moral framework

• The pay gap conversation: what have we really learned?
• decisions women make: are we being punished for biology?
• understanding and addressing the part-time penalty
• evidence-based action plans to implement right now

Comfort break

Lessons from Iceland

Rated the number one country for women's workplace equality, we examine why Iceland consistently tops league tables and what we can learn about how to treat women workers

• political and social will: what collective action has worked?
• challenging and creating alternatives to the status quo
• cultural and educational support
• remaining challenges and lessons learned

Tea break

Roundtable: Creating and nurturing an inclusive culture to optimise women's opportunities

• diversity: a business imperative not a choice
• designing and embedding a new ethos to support systemic change
• your gender equality plan: design for success

Sexual harassment and workplace safety

• attitudes, gender roles and structure: what can and should be changed?
• policy and legislation versus practical reality

Conversation: are we our own worst enemies?

Lunch

Am optional breakout room will be open for the lunch period for networking with your fellow delegates, and to carry on any fascinating conversations you're part of.

Stemming the leaks: why are your female employees leaving and what do you need to change?

• challenging bias in recruitment and promotion
• hiring and promoting diverse leadership styles
• promotion, perception and professionalism: where are your weak areas? 

Interactive workshops

Working in groups, delegates will learn and debate the key issues below, share experiences and best practise and report back to conference on the main findings. Delegates will choose from:

Mental health: sustainable practices for female juggling

Menopause: how to avoid losing a wealth of knowledge and experience through ignorance

Fertility: how to support female colleagues: the moral and legal framework

Flexible working: mothers, carers, cleaners, chauffeurs and now nurses and teachers - how supportive really is your policy and practice and what needs to change?

Inclusion: bringing your whole self to work and owning your accomplishments

Workshop feedback

Comfort break

Male-dominated industries and stem: how to end the segregation

Gender stereotypes: tactics to tackle bias

Closing remarks and end of conference