By L3 Harris
L3Harris Technologies, one of the largest defence companies in the world, was named last year as one of Forbes’ ‘Best Employers for Women’ and included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index. In the UK, there is a drive and passion among employees to truly unlock the full value that women bring to the workplace.
L3Harris UK employees are passionate about making the company a great place to work – and for women to grow professionally and personally. A major catalyst for change has been an employee resource group called WE3 which stands for women who strive to empower, enhance, and encourage other women.
Established in early 2022, the group is well represented by women, as well as men, across the company. It aims to provide female employees across all L3Harris sites with local support and guidance, working closely with allies to help raise women’s profiles within the wider organisation.
Employees support the WE3 employee resource group: Louise Speaight, WE3 UK Chapter Chair and Director of Strategic Marketing, L3Harris (1st row, 4th from right); Rohini Panue, Director for Operations Management, L3Harris (1st row, 2nd from right); Graeme Mackay, VP UK and Corporate Country Executive, L3Harris (1st row, far right).
Louise Speaight, WE3 UK Chapter Chair and Director of Strategic Marketing, L3Harris, said: “We’re trying to make a difference by supporting the development of women throughout their career journeys; creating meaningful engagement opportunities for our workforce; and by developing targeted, local projects that give back to the communities where we live – all with the ultimate goal of creating a vibrant, inclusive culture that energises employees and drives company growth.”
The group meets monthly and maintains an active programme of activities throughout the year. Special panel discussions are held, covering a wide variety of issues such as the value of diversity of thought for true innovation and menopause in the workplace, which are conducted live as webinars and can later be watched by staff in their own time.
There is strong involvement both on- and offline, with blogging and social media activity, as well as physical meetings, including ‘lunch and learns’ in which people can learn about, or discuss, a subject in greater depth.
“Some of the previous feedback from attendees was that they wanted more input and an opportunity to talk through issues that affect them,” said Rohini Panue, Director for Operations Management, L3Harris. “This directly led to the session on menopause, and an examination of the policies, and awareness, of menopause in the workplace across the UK business.”
Beyond the internal focus, L3Harris is a charter signatory and proactive corporate member of Women in Defence as well as a regular sponsor of the Defence Women’s Network.
Prospective employees are encouraged to visit the jobs page on L3Harris.com to view open opportunities.