In Celebration of The Women in our Workforce
In Celebration of The Women in our Workforce: Daisy Jenkins
This international women’s day we are celebrating the women behind our workforce.
In keeping with this year’s themes of investing in women and inspiring inclusion, we have spoken to colleagues from across the business to understand the value of embodying these themes in our workplace.
As well as the impact that enabling female careers can have in our workplace.
Join us as we delve into our Portfolio Manager, Daisy Jenkins’ journey and the positive experience’s that she has shared with Touchstone.
We began by asking Daisy’s opinion on these three statements:
- In 1975, women could finally open a bank account in their own name and apply for a mortgage without facing discrimination.
- 47% of buy-to-let landlords in the UK are in fact women.
- 27% of senior leadership in the property sector are female (Real Estate Balance Research)
Personally, I can’t believe it was only in 1975 (...).
It is crazy that my parents’ generation had one bank account, whereas my husband and I have our own, and our own money. We now have financial freedom and autonomy over our situations, compared to my mum when my parents divorced, she was stuck with nothing.
I think the second statistic is great, as historically people think of the word landlord and assume they would be a male, and it shouldn’t matter about sex when it comes to who owns your property.
I also think it’s awful that there aren’t more women in senior leadership in the property sector.
Tell me a little about yourself and how Touchstone have played a part in your career.
I have been with Touchstone since November 2009, and I have worked in roles such as credit control, senior admin roles, as an operations manager, and a portfolio manager since 2021.
I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter just before I started working here, which was not planned as you can probably imagine. As I hadn’t been working at the business long enough for maternity pay, they guided me so that I was able to apply for a maternity government allowance instead. This enabled me to have support whilst I was with my daughter.
When I came back as a credit controller, I was able to work 2 ½ days a week and this stayed the same when I had my son. When my daughter started school, I was able to bring my hours back up.
Touchstone have always been supportive of me. They are understanding about medical appointments for my daughter’s brace, and for my son who was recently diagnosed as autistic before going to secondary—a pivotal moment in his life. Touchstone have been flexible; it works both ways. I put in the effort, and they reward this. Touchstone are so easy to work for, as there are no stigmas attached to anything.
Why do you enjoy working for Touchstone?
Like I said, it’s the flexibility, but it’s not all about flexibility. I have been given a lot of opportunities and I am lucky that I have been able to build my career within the business. I haven’t had to go elsewhere to do that, leadership have seen my capability to progress and have encouraged me to do so.
In a typically male dominated industry, do you believe that Touchstone is an inclusive employer and what role do you play in encouraging this?
Touchstone is an inclusive employer, they wouldn’t discriminate between being male or female. I think it’s a case of: ‘’if you’re the right person for the job (…)’’.
I would recommend Touchstone as an inclusive employer because I can show that I have still been able to be a mum and I work full time which a lot of mums can’t. It was a big decision for my family to make while the children are young. Although Touchstone have been able to encourage me to go full time and make it work for me as well, which is so important.
To encourage this idea of Touchstone as an inclusive employer, I can act as an advocate, and I can show that you can progress within the business no matter what your circumstance. I have found, especially in recent months with the new portfolio that we are managing, that I have been able to travel a lot, and everyone always considers each other when organising necessary visits.
What does international women’s day mean to you?
It’s about projecting the idea that women are amazing, and we can do just as well as men in circumstances and job roles.
Tell me about a women who inspires you?
I’d like to mention two women. Firstly, my mum, she’s the best! It’s not been an easy ride for my mum, but she’s always been there, and she’s always just got on with life.
Internally the woman who inspires me is Rae, my manager. She’s amazing and she has always had my back since I started working here. She’s always seen my potential and put me forward for things, which I really appreciate.
