PageGroup receives prestigious award for Women at Page initiative


London 07 October 2014: PageGroup, the international recruitment consultancy, was awarded the Best Diversity Initiative at the 2014 CIPD People Management Awards in London on Tuesday 30 September.
The company received special recognition for its global gender diversity initiative, Women at Page, which aims to improve gender balance and inclusion at all levels at PageGroup. It also received recognition for its Global Engagement and Diversity Survey which was utilised to better inform senior management of the actual and perceived barriers which women and mothers face within the organisation.   
Since its introduction in 2012, Women at Page has notably decreased turnover rates, increased the numbers of female employees holding management positions and escalated maternity return rates in its UK operations.
A panel of industry leading judges praised the rigour behind the programme, including the company’s follow-up initiative in 2014, OpenPage, which spans five more diversity inclusion and equality characteristics: age, disability, sexual orientation, families and carers and race. 
A CIPD judge stated: “At PageGroup, diversity couldn’t be further from a box-ticking exercise. The company believes support and development is a right to be enjoyed by all and it has the numbers to prove its success. 
“The number of female employees holding management positions grew by 4%, whilst 80 female staff, many of whom are working mothers, receive mentoring and organisational support for working times outside the traditional working day.”
Early stages of Women at Page saw the introduction of a Global Mentoring Programme and a global internal website to underpin progress. A pre/post Maternity Coaching programme was also introduced to improve the retention of women returning from maternity leave. 
Sarah Kirk, regional director for Diversity & Inclusion, attended the CIPD awards ceremony and was delighted to receive the prestigious honour.
“I am absolutely thrilled that PageGroup has been acknowledged for Women at Page, an initiative which has been a great achievement for both its people and the company. It is fantastic to see a significant increase in PageGroup’s home-grown management pool and to have kept talented people we otherwise would’ve lost. 
“Despite only being implemented two years ago. Women at Page has shifted our internal stats in the right direction and created a more inclusive working environment,” Mrs Kirk said.  
Women at Page has also achieved several other industry accolades, including:
  • Won the Global Diversity Award from Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion
  • Highly commended for Working Families Award from Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion
  • Commendation from Top Employers for Working Families in the Best for all Stages of Motherhood category
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Notes to editors:
Media Contact
Sophie Tudor, Communications Executive, PageGroup
E: sophietudor@michaelpage.com 
T: (+44) 203 077 8177
Notes to editors:
About PageGroup (www.page.com)
PageGroup (formerly known as Michael Page International) is one of the world`s best-known and well-respected professional recruitment consultancies. Established more than 38 years ago in the United Kingdom, we now span 155 offices in 36 countries. We are a leading provider of permanent, contract and temporary recruitment for clerical professionals, qualified professionals and executives.   
Through organic growth we have become FTSE 250 company with more than 5,337 employees globally. We operate a consultative approach to professional recruitment combining local know-how with global expertise, to find the best fit between client and candidate.