International Women's Day 2023
3 weeks ago
Each year, March 8th marks International Women’s Day, an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the impact that women and those who identify as women have in society.
International Women’s Day was first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975 and has since grown in popularity globally. Men and women around the world have united to celebrate this monumental occasion by marking the progression of women and their rights throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century.
It is important to remember the struggles that women faced and still face in certain aspects of life, which helps us to recognise how far they have come today. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we celebrate the impact that women have had in various industries. We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate female contributions in the transport industry, a place that was once considered to be a ‘man’s job’ and was male dominated. However, now more than ever, women are entering this industry and thriving.
At Cardiff Bus, we recognise the importance of having a diverse team and ensuring equality for all employees. We employ women across various departments within the company such as driving, admin, and engineering roles.
To mark International Women's Day 2023, we have met with two female employees - one who has recently started working at Cardiff Bus and another who has been driving buses with us for almost 25 years to give you an insight into their roles.
- What is your job title?
HR Assistant
- How long have you worked at Cardiff Bus?
6 months.
- How would you describe a typical day in your role?
A typical day for me is checking morning and afternoon absence across the business, answering any emails coming into the HR inbox, and picking up any other bits that come in. This can be through email, on the phone, or employees coming into the office. However, no two days are the same. One day we can be in the office with lots of emails and calls, and the next we can be at a recruitment event talking to future employees!
- What is your favourite part of your job at Cardiff Bus?
I would say my favourite part is how many different people you get to interact with. We talk to current employees about a wide range of things, but also get to talk to potential employees at job fairs. It is really nice helping our current employees, but also helping bring in new staff as well.
- Where did you work prior to Cardiff Bus?
I worked in a Sixth Form college as a receptionist.
- What made you want to work at Cardiff Bus?
I’ve used Cardiff Bus for as long as I remember so I knew a little bit about it. After being made redundant from my previous job, I wanted to try something different. This seemed like the perfect place to begin my career in Human Resources, and I was lucky that the right position for me came up. I’ve never worked in the transport industry before, but I'm enjoying it.
- Which challenges do you face in your role?
The main challenge I’ve faced in this role is learning everything I need to know. Because I had never worked in transport or HR before, there was a lot for me to pick up and learn, but the team have been so helpful! There is still sometimes when I haven’t done something in a while and have forgotten, and they are still happy to help me. I feel like I've learnt so much in the last 6 months and look forward to building on my knowledge with the support of my colleagues.
- What advice would you give to women considering applying for a role with Cardiff Bus?
Don’t be put off by thinking that this is just a male industry!
- What is your job title?
Bus driver
- How long have you worked at Cardiff Bus?
24 years and 11 months
- How would you describe a typical day in your role?
You don’t get two days the same because you’re on different routes and meet different people all the time.
- What is your favourite part of your job at Cardiff Bus?
I like feeling the freedom of being out and about and not being contained to an office. It’s also nice to feel as though you have helped someone through their day.
- Where did you work prior to Cardiff Bus?
I worked in a garden centre before Cardiff Bus as I trained in horticulture.
- What made you want to work at Cardiff Bus?
I came to Cardiff Bus for an open day, and it just snowballed from there.
- Which challenges do you face in your role?
Anything from traffic to a passenger who has had a bad day. For every difficult customer there are tens or hundreds of happy customers.
- What advice would you give to women considering applying for a role with Cardiff Bus?
If you enjoy driving and are good with people, then this is a good job to get into. I’m lucky I have a good bunch that I work with and there is always someone who can offer you advice. It can take a couple of months for things to fall into place but it’s so worth persevering.