July 6 – 10 is Culture of CARE Awareness Week. Companies who commit to AGC’s Culture of CARE (Commit, Attract, Retain, Empower) consider diversity and inclusion to be an essential part of their business. Engaging diverse populations must be an active, engaged process and not a passive one, and the Culture of CARE initiative acknowledges this, addressing barriers to inclusion such as harassment, discrimination, and unconscious bias. The Culture of CARE framework provides training to help educate construction companies on these issues, focusing on individual attitudes, communication, and leadership, and how they make an impact on organizational culture.
It is easy to make a case for diversity and inclusion from a practical standpoint. Ensuring business practices are accessible and accommodating is just good business sense. When you improve the reach of your hiring practices, you are expanding the talent pool and improving your odds of finding the best possible candidate for a role. Research shows that companies who focus on diversity and inclusion experience improved productivity, a better ability to recruit and retain top talent, more innovative teams, and a safer workplace—and ultimately these benefits translate positively to a company’s bottom line.
But choosing to make diversity and inclusion a priority shouldn't simply be a matter of profit-oriented decision-making. Cultivating an environment that looks to engage and uplift all people is a matter of ethical responsibility. R|MILLER took the pledge to commit to a Culture of CARE as a part of our push for continuous improvement, be it procedural or cultural. We see diverse perspectives as inherently valuable and have always believed that our personnel have a right to a work environment where they can fulfill their potential, in a community that is safe and welcoming for all.
In March, we celebrated Women In Construction Week. The construction industry is predominantly male, with women accounting for just 9% of its workforce. Among the trades, the percentage of women workers falls to 2.7%. The Culture of CARE initiative recognizes an even broader need for diversity in the construction industry, challenging organizations to integrate the tenets of CARE into their processes so that they can attract and support underrepresented populations and help foster a better, more inclusive industry.
For more information on the Culture of CARE initiative, check out the AGC Washington website and BuildCulture.org.
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