Hire and Rental News - February 2019

WOMEN IN HIRE I have the best job. I love the day-to- day challenges but there is a great balance between the high pressure of the role and being able to have a laugh in the work place. I am lucky to have a good team...” Facing down the challenges to find the gold After 10 years in the hire industry, Victoria Wright, Rental Controller at United Forklift and Access Solutions said there are definitely challenges for women working in rental but, the opportunities and role responsibilities for women have improved since her early days in the industry and she sees new opportunities opening up every day. O ne of the major hurdles Victoria faced early on in her career was facing down the prejudice that came from working in a predominantly male oriented industry. “One of the challenges I found early on in my career was customers wanting to speak to a male regarding hire enquiries. I know they had this fear I wasn’t competent or sufficiently knowledgeable about the equipment and machines,” Victoria said. Victoria developed a relaxed approach when dealing with this type of more traditional attitude. “I worked hard to develop a relationship with the customer so after a time, we both rose above that issue,” she said. “Women actually succeed very well in this sector but for me it has been a battle proving this at times, especially in gaining customer and employer confidence. High stress has been a personal challenge for me and I think there could have been some management systems in place in some of my roles that would have helped me to progress.” Victoria got her start in the industry 10 years ago when her sister, who worked at Coates Hire at the time, heard about a job going at Onsite Rental Group as a Rental Controller. Victoria spent four years working in that role as Rental Controller at Onsite, followed it with one year as Parts Interpreter at Genie Industries and since then another five years as Rental Coordinator for the access department at United Forklift and Access Solutions. “Rental Coordination involves allocation of machines to orders and liaising with the workshop, transport department and the sales reps. “I have the best job. I love the day-to-day challenges but there is a great balance between the high pressure of the role and being able to have a laugh in the work place. I am lucky to have a good team and we all work well together,” Victoria said. Training has been a large part of her roles in hire and Victoria now has a number of industry related qualifications. “I have my High Risk Work Licence for EWPs and forklifts, have undertaken the telescopic handler training program and I also completed the Working at Heights Course at Onsite when I started. “Women are given more opportunities in hire industry roles these days and fulfilling more roles. My sister started in the hire industry 10 years ago also and progressed from being a rental coordinator, and the only female in the Pilbara (where she was treated differently to men) to now working as a Major Project Manager in the South West. “There are more opportunities for women now in this industry and we do have a chance to strive for more.” However there are still some big issues to address Victoria said. One of these is equal pay for equal work between the genders. “I would like to see equal pay for women working in the same role as men,” Victoria said. “Plus, the levels of stress could be managed better in the workplace through wellbeing support and giving both women and men some better information on how to deal with high pressure situations. “We need to see more women having the courage to take on roles within the hire industry. It would be great to see more ads targeting women for the hire industry. “Definitely the HRIA’s Women in Hire program has been a great step forward. Next we need to promote our program and the opportunities for women in the hire industry more heavily across social media and maybe even look to women’s magazines.” United Forklift and Access Solutions provides new and used forklift and access equipment including forklifts, container handlers, scissor lifts, boom lifts and telehandlers. Available for both sales and hire with a range of specialised services to match from service and repairs, spare parts, finance to operator training, United is a one-stop service provider for material handling and access needs. n Contact: 08 6166 9800 or visit: www.unitedequipment.com.au Victoria got her start in the industry 10 years ago Victoria Wright, Rental Controller at United Forklift and Access Solutions P22 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS FEBRUARY 2019