By Claire Rutkowski, Chief Innovation
Bentley Chief Innovation Officer, Claire Rutkowski, answers your questions about how to retain employees in a competitive climate and industry.
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How can I attract more diversity to my organization?
It’s widely recognized that diversity is a key driver of innovation. Countless studies show that more diverse companies generate greater profit, produce better ideas, and provide a better culture with greater engagement than their less diverse counterparts. However, the infrastructure industry still struggles to gain measurable traction on diversity. According to a recent study from the National Science Foundation, although women earned 50% of all science and engineering bachelor’s degrees, they only represented approximately 35% of the infrastructure workforce, with wages about 25% lower than men. Racial diversity is similarly underrepresented, with non-white ethnicities totaling only 24% of the infrastructure workforce. People with disabilities are even more underrepresented, totaling just 3% of the labor force. Zeroing in on construction paints an even bleaker picture. A 2021 study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that only 9.9% of construction professionals were women, 6.2% were Black, and 2% were Asian. We can and must do so much better.
Attracting and retaining diverse talent is a business imperative. There are many ways to improve diversity, but it starts at the top. The CEO, President, and all top leaders must align and make diversity mission critical. Seek talent from non-traditional places – such as diversity job boards, non-traditional colleges, and minority associations. Reduce unconscious bias by leveraging recruiting tools such as removing names from the resumes reviewed by recruiters and hiring managers. Mandate the inclusion of minority candidates in the interview pool, and support STEM education and internships for minorities.
But this is not enough. Companies need to take a close look at their current power structure. Inclusion needs to be part of the equation. Employees need to see people like them with successful careers at the company they join, or they are more likely to leave. Are there minorities in leadership roles at an appropriate proportion? Are there mentoring and other leadership development programs in place? Are there established communities within the company so that minorities can find support? If not, people will leave.
Most importantly, a company needs to ensure that it is being intentional about creating and maintaining a culture that supports and celebrates diversity, through diversity trainings that address unconscious bias and harassment, visible diversity events, celebrations of success, and active promotions and rewards for underrepresented groups. Only then will our industry make serious progress.
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How can I best manage my hybrid workforce?
Hybrid work is here to stay. Most companies are no longer managing teams that are all in the office at the same time, all the time. At minimum, there will be several members of the team who either work from home or work in a different office. This presents challenges for those who relied on a “drive-by” or coffee chat to monitor work performance. The pandemic forced people to learn new management and leadership skills. These are no longer temporary measures. To be an effective leader of a hybrid team, you need to practice several important skills to drive and keep engagement every day:
Create a sense of solidarity – Speak of the group as one team. Make sure everyone on the team understands the corporate strategy and the team’s collective vision, mission, and goals. Each colleague should be able to tie their own daily activities to those team goals, and ultimately to the wider corporate strategy. Team members also need to know that they all have each other’s backs — and that you do, too.
Build trust – Make sure your team knows that you trust them to do their best. Do not micromanage or watch who is on or offline. Trust that when you expect the best out of people, you usually get it.
Be purposeful with your calendar – Be sure to allocate one-on-one time with every team member, whether they are remote or share an office with you. Also, set up regular full-team meetings so everyone knows what has been done, what’s next, and how this tracks to the goals set out for the year.
Measure and monitor performance – Measuring and monitoring performance must be explicit and consistent. Goals must be measurable, and conversations regarding accomplishment and alignment should be part of your regular cadence of employee engagement.
Create fun – I know you did not set out to be a social director. However, because people are spread out and may not have the opportunity to sit in the lunchroom for an informal chat or gather round a cake to celebrate a colleague’s birthday, it is up to you to create these openings. You could schedule a drop-in, optional, “video chat coffee hour” with no agenda – just a chance to chat. Another idea is to kick-off meetings by asking everyone to share a picture of their desk or their view. You could set up an online scavenger hunt or virtual competition with a prize. Ultimately, it does not really matter what you do. It is all about creating space and opportunity to connect.
