Holly Birkett

Dr Holly Birkett

Department of Management
Senior Lecturer in Organisational Studies

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 2928
Email: h.birkett@bham.ac.uk
Twitter

Address: Birmingham Business School
University 麻豆精选
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Dr Holly Birkett is a Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Director of the Work Inclusivity Research Centre (WIRC) at the University 麻豆精选. She is Co-Director of the Equal Parenting Project and a member of the Department of Management. Holly's research field is careers and career transitions and she is currently conducting research into parental leave policies, flexible working and fathers in the workplace. Holly has extensive experience working with policy makers and business networks in the UK and beyond..

You can follow Holly on LinkedIn

Qualifications

PhD in Organisation Studies, Warwick Business School, 2011
MA in Organisation Studies, Warwick Business School, 2007
BA (Hons) in Politics, Sheffield University, 2000
MCIPD

Biography

Dr Holly Birkett is Director of the Work Inclusivity Research Centre (WIRC) and Co-Director of the Equal Parenting Project at Birmingham University Business School. She is an Associate of the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management. Holly's research field is careers and career transitions and she is currently conducting research into parental leave policies, flexible working and Fathers in the workplace.

Holly conducts research on careers, work inclusion and individual identity. She has undertaken projects on topics including parents at work, careers and careers transitions, social mobility, social enterprise and retirement and has published in academic journals such as The Journal of Vocational Behaviour. She is an Academic Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). Holly has previously worked at the University of Warwick and prior to that worked in Employee Relations at Scottish Power Plc. Holly teaches at Undergraduate and post graduate level across subjects such as Organisation Studies, Critical Thinking, Organisation Management, Organisation Theory and Human Resource Management.

Teaching

BSc Module Organisation Studies: Past, Present and Future
BSc Module Organisational Behaviour
MSc Module Managing Organisations

Postgraduate supervision

Holly is interested in supervising PhDs in the fields of careers and career transitions, flexible working and parenting policies, retirement, and the experiences of working fathers. Her preference is for PhD students who use qualitative research methods and who take a critical and reflective perspective.

Research

Career and career transitions
Parental leave and fathers in the workplace
Experiences of retirement
Flexible working and family

Other activities

Director of the Work Inclusivity Research Cluster (WIRC)
Director of the Equal Parenting Project
Founder, Writer and Developer of the and the Working Dads Employer Awards
Founder of the Working Dads Employer Awards
Founder and Research for the Flexible Working and Future of Work Longitudinal Project

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Chung, H, Seo, H, Birkett, H & Forbes, S 2022, '', Merits, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 270-292.

Chung, H, Birkett, H, Forbes, S & Seo, H 2021, '', Gender and Society, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 218-232.

Birkett, H & Forbes, S 2019, '', Policy Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 205-224.

Birkett, H, Carmichael, F & Duberley, J 2017, '', Journal of Vocational Behaviour, vol. 103, no. Part B, pp. 52-65.

Marsh, D, Akram, S & Birkett, H 2015, '', Business and Politics, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 577-601.

Birkett, H & Marsh, D 2014, '', Politics, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 301-305.

Commissioned report

Forbes, S, Birkett, H & Smith, P 2020, Government Equalities Office. <>

Ashley, L, Birkett, H, Duberley, J & Kenny, E 2016, . Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission. <>

Editorial

Branicki, L, Birkett, H & Sullivan-Taylor, B 2023, '', Gender, Work and Organization, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 129-134.

Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Carmichael, F, Birkett, H & Duberley, J 2019, . in Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging,. Springer.

Other report

Forbes, S, Birkett, H, Evans, L, Chung, H & Whiteman, J 2020, . University 麻豆精选. </Documents/college-social-sciences/business/research/responsible-business/managerial-experiences-during-covid19-2020-accessible.pdf>

Chung, H, Seo, H, Forbes, S & Birkett, H 2020, . University 麻豆精选. </documents/college-social-sciences/business/research/wirc/epp-working-from-home-covid-19-lockdown.pdf>

Paper

Birkett, H 2011, '', Paper presented at Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 1/01/11.

Birkett, H 2011, '', Paper presented at Seventh International Critical Management Studies Conference, Naples, Italy, 11/07/11.

Birkett, H 2011, '', Paper presented at 7th International Critical Management Studies Conference, 1/01/11.

Expertise

Dr Birkett has worked extensively advising third sector organisations, corporate employers and government departments about family friendly policies and flexible working. Through the Equal Parenting Project she leads the annual Future of Work and Flexible Working Research Project which maps changes in managers attitudes to flexible working since COVID-19 and she has recently hosted the inaugural annual Working Dads Employers Awards, celebrating organisations that promote the role of fathers, driving gender equality in the workplace. Dr Birkett has experience commentating on various aspects on inclusivity in the workplace as well as responsible business surrounding the way businesses look at equal parenting. Holly is a member of the Government Equalities Office WAGE research programme on family friendly working and an Academic Member of the Chartered institute for Personnel Development (CIPD).

Media experience

Chung, H, Birkett, H, Forbes, S & Seo, H 2021, 'Covid-19, flexible working, and implications for gender equality in the United Kingdom', Gender and Society, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 218-232.
Birkett, H & Forbes, S 2019, 'Where’s dad? Exploring the low take-up of inclusive parenting policies in the UK', Policy Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 205-224.

Expertise

Holly conducts research on work inclusion and individual identity. She is a policy expert on parental leave, parenting, fatherhood, equal parenting and family-friendly policies.

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