A women's club at KÉSZ Group
How can women in the construction industry help each other? We spoke to Györgyi Perzse, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of KÉSZ Group, about personal relationships, issues that shape companies and what can help women see the career path in a male-dominated world.
Györgyi Perzse, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of KÉSZ Group, was interviewed on the occasion of Women's Day about the founding and aims of the Balance Women's Club, and also about the perspectives that the construction industry can offer women.
Core values for a large company
People-orientation and caring for each other are coded into the genes of KÉSZ Group because of their family business roots. No matter how big the group grows, such efforts will always be given special attention in the company. In 2019, we created the association TettreKÉSZ to encourage community building within the Group. A good community can be the plus that makes a family atmosphere sustainable in the long term, even in a large company. Within the association, thematic self-organised hobby groups can be set up based on interest, be it running, football, spinal gymnastics or even a fishing community.
These self-organised groups work very well and we wanted to complement this by creating a very important community. Although the construction industry is more male-dominated, we have always placed a high priority on promoting female empowerment at the ownership and board level. That's why we thought of bringing women employees together. I thought it would be very interesting to create a series of events where our female colleagues could talk to each other about issues that they were interested in or were having difficulties with - even in the corporate environment; and so the Balance Women's Club was born.
Being a woman among so many men is challenging, especially in industries where the ratios have shifted. In these industries, female empowerment adds colour to the company culture, brings a new dimension to the way tasks are carried out and energises the work community.
Women account for 18% of KÉSZ Group's total workforce of nearly 2,500, which is better than the industry average. In addition to the classic female professions, our managers, office and project engineers and experts include women, something we are very proud of.
Because of social stereotypes, women need a strong professional background to succeed in male-dominated professions, including construction. Therefore, it is not certain that all women think of construction as a career option, even though there is absolutely a place and a place for women in this field.
Workplace issues and personal issues may also be discussed
Our personal lives and our work lives are symbiotic and cannot be sharply separated: what we bring from home is reflected in our work lives and vice versa. Historically, women tend to have more roles than men. As a result, they face more problems to solve, and a cohesive community can be of great help in solving them.
The Balance Women's Club already has close to a hundred members, and we meet together about every quarter. A survey has been completed and many suggestions for topics have been received - which we will try to take up at future events. Our female colleagues join us from our sites and projects around the country, so you could say that our community also samples the very diverse portfolio of the Group.
Without hierarchy
I see Balance Women's Club as an association that is fun to belong to. For me, it is important that I am not here as a deputy CEO, but as a member of the club. We don't have a corporate hierarchy, there are no ranks or officers here. We talk here in the same way as if we were sitting down for a cup of coffee, regardless of where we were working.
Our aim is to talk about topics that women find harder to talk about because of their nature. Such an exploration of issues can help to resolve dormant conflicts and even support the functioning of the company.
It is essential that we also have charitable aims and objectives. The management of the company has asked us to participate in the CSR activities of KÉSZ Group every year. Thus, on our initiative, the Group supported the NANE Association, to whom we donated Christmas table decorations made by the club, along with the donation of money.
It can also provide direct support
You can join the Balance Club from the first day you join KÉSZ Group, because I believe that informal contacts are of paramount importance in any company, including KÉSZ Group. After all, the sooner you understand your immediate colleague and the wider Group, the easier it is to fit in.
As a number of middle management women are also members of the club, learning about their career paths can be a powerful source of inspiration for other women colleagues.
I have been working for KÉSZ Group for 17 years. I started my career as an accounting manager, and in 2013 I was asked by our owner Mihály Varga to become the head of the back office division, which was then newly organised under one management. This is still my role today. I oversee KÉSZ Group's foundations and other support programmes, which gave me the opportunity to set up the TettreKÉSZ association and later the Balance Women's Club.
I hope that, when it comes to choosing a job, it will be an advantage if the candidate knows that there is a community here that helps him or her in their daily life.
I know that we are pioneers in the industry in this area, but it would be great if other construction companies could set up similar organisations and hold joint events. It would be good to build a kind of 'Women in Construction' community.
