44 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk May / June 2023 - Issue 342 DIVERSITY IN THE PRINTING INDUSTRY February and March have been extremely busy months and through a number of industry events I attended, it became very apparent that in this article, I needed to open up a discussion on the issue of diversity in the workplace. There are three key areas I wish to explore that will hopefully help us all drive more diversity in the workplace, attract and retain the next generation of our industry, address the gender gap, and promote mentorship from older professionals. Attracting Young People In March, I had the pleasure of running a Networking Masterclass, hosted by FESPA UK for the Next Generation of our industry. It was wonderful to meet so many young and enthusiastic professionals and get to understand their roles within their current businesses and how they ended up in the industry in the first instance. There is definitely a hunger to progress in their careers but what I did take away from the event was that quite simply, our industry as a whole is not employing enough young people. Through speaking with the attendees, it became clear that the industry as a whole can be doing so much more to build awareness for the opportunities that do exist. Despite having so much new and exciting technology, printing for the younger generation is still very much viewed as an outdated industry. So, what can we do to make our positions more appealing? For starters, I think we really need to emphasise the digital technology used in today's methods and show this next generation how much more sophisticated and advanced our industry has become in recent years. They have a much stronger grasp on technology and tend to pick up and understand these things much more quickly. We should embrace this and utilise this unique skill set. We should be using more social media platforms to reach this audience and not just rely on engaging with schools and colleges to present these opportunities. One of the key things that really struck me from the young people I spoke with was their lack of understanding of their potential career path. Many felt unable to approach their peers and had no clear direction of what their growth potential was within their business. It's important as business owners to ensure a clear line of communication to all staff members and ensure we have that open door policy. I always recommend to the clients I work with that staff appraisals should be carried out at least once a quarter. And finally, embrace sustainability. This next generation is extremely environmentally conscious. It's important to them to work within an industry that is eco-friendly and has a positive impact on the planet. Closing the Gender Gap I had the pleasure of being asked into an all-male panel discussion recently, run by Women in Signs and Graphics and I have to say, what an eye-opening experience it was. I guess I was one of the people ignorant of how challenging it still was for women in our industry. I've always been surrounded by pretty strong women since I got involved in print. The first person who employed me was a female production manager. Because I was asked to be on this panel, in the weeks leading up to it, I started to have a lot more discussions with women I know so that I could understand the other perspective and bring value to the panel. According to the BPIF, the print industry in the UK is made up of just 31% women. Another stat that really surprised me is that women in our industry typically retire with a pension pot of £136,800 less than men. Obviously, in this day and age, we need to be working much harder to close that gap, and the latest figures indicate we are heading in the right direction with the pay gap closing to 9.71% in 2022, a 1.14% decrease from the previous year. So, what can we all do to close this gender gap? I feel it's important to change the perception that our industry is male-dominated. Whilst the statistics show Having taken part in a number of industry events throughout February and March, Colin Sinclair McDermott aka The Online Print Coach has three key areas he wants to explore in a bid to open up a discussion on the issue of diversity in the workplace Having been in the print industry since the mid-late 90s, Colin Sinclair McDermott entered the world of self-employment in 2004 and over the years that followed, experienced a number of highs and lows running his own print company, learning what does and doesn’t work. In 2022, he trained with The Business Coaching Academy to become a fully certified corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. Through The Online Print Coach, industry members can access private 1-to-1 coaching with Sinclair McDermott. Sinclair McDermott says: “I didn’t always get it right, I made mistakes along the way and one of the greatest motivators now is being able to give the support I never had to make sure others don’t repeat some of the errors I made. “My clients are seeing great results and it genuinely feels like I’m doing what I was always meant to do and making a difference.” www.theonlineprintcoach.com According to the BPIF, the UK print industry is made up of just 31% women Factoid INDUSTRY TIPS / THE ONLINE PRINT COACH
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