Diversity and inclusion
How can designers and contractors go
beyond the percentage requirement?
North Carolina Construction News staff writer
How can architects, engineers
and contractors go beyond “the per-
centage requirement” in achieving
diversity and inclusion in teaming
and project execution?
Panelists at a Society for Market-
ing Professional Services (SMPS)
Research Triangle Chapter event
discussed this challenging issue on
Jan. 14.

Speakers included moderator
Candis Parker with Balfour Beatty,
with Renee Jones (All for 1), Chris
Hilt (CLH Design, PA) and Pamela
Gales (HUB program manager for
Wake County Public Schools Sys-
tem). “Each of these panelists drew on
their passions for creating and
maintaining a diverse and inclusive
workplace,” Donna Francis from
Clark Nexsen reported on the chap-
ter’s website. “Their experiences
and insights into the topic left us all
with some provocative thoughts on
how to promote an office culture
that embraces the value of diversity
and inclusion.”
As the panelists reflected on
what Diversity and Inclusion really
means, Hilt shared this quote from
Vernã Myers: “Diversity is getting
invited to the party, but inclusion is
being asked to dance.”
In the past, the thought that we
have people from different back-
grounds and cultures within our
company is enough to claim diver-
sity in the workplace, but as Renee
Jones stated, true inclusion is diffi-
cult. “As our community becomes
more diverse, the workforce must
be shaped to create a safe, accom-
modating atmosphere for all em-
ployees to grow and achieve their
potential. Inclusion is not just the
responsibility of leadership or HR,”
Francis wrote. “Young professionals
need advocates within the work-
place who can recognize their po-
tential and offer pathways to
leadership for development.”
All panelists shared that true in-
clusion happens when leadership
begins to think outside the box
while building our work environ-
ments. “From thinking differently
about potential job candidates, invit-
ing potential partners into our work
environment, to selecting leaders
with opposing viewpoints can help
to build the inclusive workforce that
we are all seeking,” she wrote.

Relating to women in the design
professions, panelists observed that
currently 54 percent of graduates
are women, but only 24 percent of
those graduates seek licensure.

Creating family-friendly workplaces
and providing professional and lead-
ership training can increase the
number of licensed, professional
women in leadership positions.

We should ask ourselves, “does
the culture of our workplace em-
brace diversity and inclusion?,”
Gales said. Change can happen
from a grassroots level.

Gales also discussed the impor-
tance of supplier diversity, in that as
businesses we need to look beyond
the normal way of doing business
and support small businesses to
keep local economic growth stable.

There are many programs in place
to support WMBE firms which offer
training and professional interaction
to grow and learn how to succeed
in the current work environment. Di-
versity and inclusion can positively
impact the bottom line of any com-
pany. “As attendees, we were all in-
spired by the leadership initiatives
of this panel toward creating better
workplaces for all employees, and
better communities through these
efforts,” Francis wrote. “I know that
I left thinking more about how we
can make our firm a place where
‘everybody is invited to dance’.”
The North Carolina Construction News — JAN/FEB 2020 — 11