Kathy Ratcliffe

Engineers are among the most likely socio-demographic groups to take their own lives. Engineering workers are 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide than the national average. This sobering statistic SHOULD act as a wake-up call to sector leaders while the engineering industry sits on the fence regarding employee welfare, continuing to invest heavily in emergent technology while ignoring the needs of its human workforce. Not all industrial companies are being complacent - some are notably...

Kathy speaks out on employee engagement at MACH2026 There are two kinds of workplace - commercial and industrial, often characterised as white-collar and blue-collar. That differentiation implies a colonial bias that sticks around even in today’s age of diversity, inclusion and equality. While recent years have seen white-collar communities shift towards remote working and flexibility, skilled engineers tied to production lines are pushed harder to compete with foreign powers, the conditions...

With the world as it is now, in these years of holding the baton to be passed to the next generation - well, I hope you cherish the thought of making changes while you can. Perish the thought that you might not! Some Leaders are Leaning Back Sorry to be blunt; I'm hoping that temptation to lean on the mantlepiece for a couple of years while the young bloods sort it out is fighting against some inkling that this is your watch, yours to own, and shift handover has never been more front-line...