BY NICOLE NEEDLES
Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords that resound on a company’s website or external collateral. The terms are inherent to the betterment of all workplaces.
Implementing diversity and inclusion (DI) practices in any workplace can seem daunting, especially in the construction industry, which has historically been occupied by mostly men, many of them white. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 89% of construction employees are men, and 87.9% of employees are white. This includes everyone 16 and older as of 2021.
Despite these statistics, workplaces are slowly becoming safer and more open for minorities. Many businesses want to educate their employees about bias and discriminatory behavior, as well as make room for all kinds of people but are unsure how.
For AGC members, Culture of Care helps develop that path. Culture of Care is an AGC of America and AGC of Washington joint initiative that provides many resources for employees. The initiative aims to “commit to hire and pay based on skill and experience regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation; attract prospective employees by creating inclusive workplaces that are free from harassment, hazing and bullying; retain high-performing employees by identifying and removing barriers to advancement, and empower every employee to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion.”
Jorge Quezada, Vice President of People and Culture at Granite, has had a long history of leadership roles advancing DI as well as providing support for Culture of Care.
“It is creating awareness. It is allowing companies in the industry to participate in this conversation around diversity and inclusion. Culture of Care is providing the engagement that’s needed in order to bring in more women, people of color and various diversity dimensions,” Quezada said. “At a micro level, I think it is allowing individuals to develop – noticing and understanding people better and then taking actions beyond the intent to impact.”
With the wealth of information behind Culture of Care and the many different ways to make workplaces in the construction industry feel safer and more inclusive, the question of how to get started arises. It all starts with a pledge. Companies can officially pledge to work toward a more diverse workforce with a share on social media and a whole starter kit to get organized and get everyone on board. Job site orientation videos, an HR policy model, team building activities, a DI assessment and more can all be found under the “Make an Impact” tab on Culture of Care’s website.
Quezada feels the pledge is a great way for companies to get started.
“I think the pledge is a wonderful document that allows companies to make a commitment,” Quezada said. “I think sometimes, in this work, people have intent in their hearts and in their minds of doing the work, but that pledge, to me, is a step that a company takes to say, ‘I’m committing myself’ or ‘We’re committing our company to this work.’ That’s important for us in our industry.”
Jolsna Thomas, President of The Rosendin Foundation, has certifications in Inclusive and Ethical Leadership and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida, as well as Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for All from LinkedIn. She also serves on the National Association of Women in Construction’s national DEI Committee.
“I am a huge fan of the Culture of Care pledge itself, where we vocalize, whether individually or together collectively, that we all care. I also really enjoyed our recently launched orientation videos, as you heard so many authentic voices and experiences,” Thomas said. “Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, but the only way we all work to collaborate and grow is if we share our stories with each other. Once workers recognize that everyone is human and our unique experiences provide color to the story, more will want to listen and share.”
Depending on your location, the site also provides a map with resources specific to each state so businesses can have specialized assistance. There are also comprehensive toolboxes for committing to a culture of care, building a culture of care and leading a culture of care for specific steps in each part of the process.
Those who have been involved with the culture of care project have some practical advice when it comes to the implementation of DI initiatives.
“The best way for contractors to implement Culture of Care resources is from both a top-down and bottom-up approach, as the folks most hesitant to change are generally in the middle,” Thomas said. “Having companies and contractors take the pledge and having all workers take the pledge, then continue to do the work, ensures that companies weave the Culture of Care into the fabric of each company’s culture. Continuing the work means celebrating our workers, sharing their stories, and providing safe spaces for them to brainstorm solutions for the microaggressions faced daily.”
Ale Spray, Community Engagement Manager at Mortenson, grew up in a com- munity where careers such as engineering were considered to be only for men. Seeing these ideals practiced in her town and in her own family, she became determined to spread the message and efforts of DI. Spray acknowledges that in order to implement these ideals, it will be necessary to put in hard work, and teams have to be willing to commit to that.
“The industry has earned the reputation of being a tough one,” Spray said. “It is physically demanding combined with the culture of some Latin-American countries where we have been told to keep our heads down, not create trouble, and be grateful for the job we have.
“It is challenging to now address the mental wellbeing and offer a safe physiological environment where individuals can truly be themselves and report unsafe situations,” she said. “This will not happen overnight. I told colleagues that it is hard to come to a job site and ask people to share their feelings and emotions.”
Spray also feels it is important not to high- light the word “training” around diversity and inclusion implementation.
“I ask folks to stop labeling DI as training,” Spray said. “It is not. Training is to accomplish or gain knowledge, certification or skills such as OSHA, first aid, etc. DI is an education journey. We all keep learning, sharing, questioning and practicing,” she said.
When taking stock of how a company is doing in tracking diversity numbers, Granite’s Quezada encourages leadership to utilize the assessment provided by Culture of Care. As he put it, you can’t compare demographics in construction companies to the rest of the industries out there. They are inherently different. When looking at statistics alone, it is like “comparing sushi and apples,” he said, especially when the construction industry is diverse, with different types of companies making up the sector. The AGC Culture of Care assessment allows you to compare employee demographic data with similar companies by region, state and size. Each year, DI becomes a more substantial priority in all industries but especially in construction. If everyone continues to come together in a collective effort and back resources such as Culture of Care, demographic statistics can become more even in the workplace.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, BY THE NUMBERS
Additional statistics on DI in the workplace, obtained from a 2020 Glassdoor survey, follow:
• 76% of job seekers say that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. That figure is slightly higher for Black (80%), Hispanic (80%) and LGBTQ (79%) jobseekers.
• 47% of Black job seekers and employees have quit a job after witnessing or experiencing discrimination at work. For Hispanic employees, that figure is 49%, while for white employees, it’s 38%.
• 71% of employees would be more likely to share experiences and opinions on DI at their company if they could do so anonymously.
• 71% of Black employees and 72% of Hispanic employees say their company should be doing more to increase the diversity of its workforce. Among white employees, that figure is 58%.
• 32% of job seekers wouldn’t apply to a job at a company where there’s a lack of diversity. For Black jobseekers, this figure is 41%, compared with 30% for white jobseekers. Among LGBTQ workers, that figure is 41%, compared with 32% for non-LGBTQ employees.
• 37% of job seekers wouldn’t apply to a job at a company where there are disparities in employee satisfaction ratings among different ethnic or racial groups.
66% of job seekers trust employees the most when it comes to an understanding of what diversity and inclusion really look like at a company, significantly higher than senior managers (19%), the company’s website (9%) and recruiters (6%).
THE VELIZ CULTURE FOCUSES ON INCLUSION
Veliz Construction, founded in 2009, has established itself as the go-to contractor for distinctive construction and renovation projects in Texas and New Mexico. Last year, it established itself as a 2022 AGC Diverse Business of the Year award recipient. Omar Veliz, President of Veliz Construction, established the company in 2009 and has been working to build out its mission since. Veliz’s mission is to develop each individual’s potential, creating opportunities for them to become change agents in their communities.
Ethics and integrity are critical values for the company and are a massive part of what helps them build on a foundation of diversity and inclusion.
Ana Martinez is the Austin division manager for Veliz Construction. “I am a woman in construction,” she said. That’s why diversity and inclusion is important to me. Our operations and our estimating team there are 50% women, 50% men. Just in general in construction, that’s wonderful.”
Veliz Construction is dedicated to having a balanced-gender work- force, and its leaders also want the workplace to feel safe and secure for everyone. Ahmad Paiman Amiri, an assistant project manager with the company, said he felt he was respected as a Muslim while fasting during Ramadan and praying daily.
“Veliz is committed to creating a diverse, safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees,” Veliz said. “Moreover, we promote trainings and education that foster employee personal and professional growth.”
Their dedication to making a difference on the inclusion front led to their Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certification with the state of Texas. According to Office of the Attorney General of Texas, the goal of the HUB program is to increase procurement opportunities for minority, woman-owned, and Service-Disabled Veteran businesses.
It’s not surprising that Veliz Construction was awarded in 2022 for its inclusion efforts and the waves they are making in their community. In 2010, the company partnered with Home for Our Troops to complete specially designed homes for two U.S. injured veterans and their families at no cost. These homes were not only ADA-compliant, but they were designed in such a way that the veterans could move and live more independently.
In addition, Veliz supports local events that have important missions. For example, the company sponsored and attended a recent local event called “One Region One Table.” At this exhibition, patient artists from the therapeutic arts program at El Paso Children’s Hospital displayed their creations.
Veliz Construction is a prime example that businesses can make a difference in a massive way, such as taking on the rehabilitation of veterans or showing encouragement for other organizations doing great things in local communities.
“Veliz Construction will continue to participate in these and other charitable events in an effort to make a difference in our community,” Veliz said.