Hazel Conley

Professor Hazel Conley is a Professor of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. She joined UWE in 2015 from Queen Mary University of London. Her expertise lies in gender equality, workplace discrimination, and public sector policy, particularly focusing on legal interventions and their effectiveness. She holds a BA (Hons) from Keele University, an MA from the University of Warwick, and a PhD from the University of Warwick.

Professor Conley has held significant roles, including Chair of the European Sociological Association’s Research Network on Gender Relations (2013–19), Chair of the Faculty Board at UWE (2020), and Chair of the Professoriate and Faculty Research Ethics Committee. She serves on editorial boards for journals like Gender Work and Organization and Equality and Diversity International.

Her research explores intersectionality, economic crises, and austerity’s impact on gender equality. Key projects include the ESRC-funded ‘Buying Social Justice’ (£493k) examining public procurement for equality in construction, and the AHRC-funded ‘Gender Equalities at Work’ (£890k) analyzing 50 years of legislation. She has authored/co-authored books such as Gender Equality in Public Services: Chasing the Dream (2014) and The Gender Pay Gap and Social Partnership in Europe (2019).

Professor Conley’s grants and consultancy work highlight her focus on equality in public policy, including reviews of statutory equality duties for the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Her recent publications address topics like pandemic impacts on healthcare workers, rail sector harassment, and non-traditional employment roles.

She advises on PhD students researching equality and flexibility in work contexts. Her advocacy extends to leadership and inclusion in the NHS, as seen in Inclusion: The DNA of Leadership and Change (2019). She actively engages with policy frameworks, emphasizing reflexive legislation and stakeholder engagement to advance equality goals.