International women's day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history whilst also recognising the continued fight for equality across the globe.

In this blog post we are shining a light (pun entirely intended) on one particularly inspirational woman who made significant contributions in solar energy. Known as the "Sun Queen", Maria Telkes was a scientist and inventor who was one of the first people who thought of using the energy of the Sun and built the first fully-functional solar powered house which used a system of solar panels and thermal storage to provide hot water in the 1940s. This was a major breakthrough in the field of solar energy and paved the way for the development of modern solar heating systems. Telkes also invented the first solar still, which uses solar energy to purify water. This technology has been used in many parts of the world to provide clean drinking water in areas with limited access to clean water. Telkes work on solar energy and thermodynamics have had a lasting impact on how we think about and use renewable energy.

As part of our commitment to supporting all of the talented women at Aura, last year we made a number of improvements to our enhanced policies package:

Equalised Parental Leave

Our equalised parental leave policy ensures that all parents, regardless of gender, have access to equal leave benefits, empowering both mothers and fathers to be present for their families during those precious early months.

We are proud to offer an industry leading parental leave package of 6 months full pay and 6 months 60% pay, designed to help break down traditional gender role barriers by giving parents more time at home to support their partners both physically and financially.  

Flexible Working

Our flexible working policy enables our team to work with greater autonomy over their work schedules and supporting their caregiving responsibilities 

Menopause at Work

Last year our management team attended a menopause at work workshop which educated our team on how menopause can impact many women and what we can do as a company to support people affected by it. Our Menopause at Work Policy has been designed to enable women to feel more secure in their jobs when reaching this point in their lives, breaking down negative perceptions and raising awareness for all staff members. 

Pregnancy Loss

One of our team members recently suffered the unfortunate experience of a misscarriage and initially said they didn't want to disclose what was happening as 'they were worried how it would impact their career'. (Disclaimer - This individual volunteered to share this to help change the narrative of the patriarchy). This really resonated with us so we did something about it. We never want anyone to suffer in silence, particularly in fear it might impact their career. That's why we launched a pregnancy loss policy to give extra support to affected staff. 

This year's IWD theme is 'inspiring inclusion', encouraging everyone to recognise the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including those from marginalised communities. Our team recently undertook a training session on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and we have also formalised our policy on the matter affirming our commitment to EDI.

These policies build upon a package of benefits and policies to enable everyone to feel equally supported, regardless of gender and all other diverse backgrounds. Our aim is to promote an environment where staff can comfortably discuss matters related to personal matters with appropriate personnel in the knowledge that such discussions will be handled in a respectful and supportive manner.

As our CEO Simon Coulson once said 'Work is complementary to life" (should be a new adage) and we are proud to foster a culture that promotes a healthy work life balance, contributes to gender equality in the workplace, facilitates career advancement, enhances job satisfaction and retention, improves health and well-being and enables our team to thrive.

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