<![CDATA[Structural Engineering, Engagement, and Equity - Blog]]>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 23:16:53 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[In pursuit of greater inclusion]]>Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:21:27 GMThttp://www.se3project.org/blog/di-q3-newsletterBy Hayley Dickson
Diversity, inclusion, equity (our namesake!) are terms that might seem as inescapable (at least to me, as a past SE3 co-chair) in our cultural and political zeitgeist as they are polarizing. There are varying definitions and levels of understanding, and it can be divisive to even bring them up, let alone address any related issues. Why do we care? And if we care, how do we approach such a nuanced and touchy subject? If we can agree on that, what can we as structural engineers even do, in the small subset of the professional world that we occupy? 
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These are big questions with answers that will undoubtedly change over time as we learn how to live and work better, but we can start with the facts: this does matter. Our 2018 survey revealed that at each ascending position level, we grow less diverse. At the principal level, just 14% of respondents are non-white, and at the entry/staff level this percentage nearly triples. The numbers related to gender show a similar shift, with 16% of principal respondents identifying as female, increasing to nearly half at entry level.  

Though the data shows promise of a diverse future, the picture is not entirely rosy. Those with identities outside the majority are significantly more likely to have experienced discrimination and harassment in the workplace. These are not isolated incidents to be dismissed, with numbers as staggering as 50% of women having experienced discrimination at some point in their careers. It’s meaningful to remember that half of the survey respondents are under the age of 35, so conceivably many of these women are facing discrimination early on in their careers. ​
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SOURCE: "Belonging: A Conversation about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion"


This diverse group of young engineers are the future of the profession.  But they are also experiencing discrimination and harassment at disproportionately high rates based on identities that differ from an increasingly obsolete norm. Simply put, we have an inclusion problem. Certainly we are not alone, and we can see examples of other industries around us struggling with the same or much worse, as the workforce is growing increasingly diverse across all professions. But the point here is that the data shows that this is an issue for us too, and with that information we can start to address it.

I would like to point out that we, the SE3 Committee, are not experts in implementing company policies to promote inclusivity. And anyone will tell you there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to disrupting bias. I know as engineers we like things to come with a tidy equation, but the thing is, we also know that the world doesn’t actually work like this.  We consistently iterate, improve, and sometimes even completely throw out concepts that we can no longer justify. We constantly strive to have a better understanding of the built environment; the nuances of the interactions. And we’re good at it. As an industry of passionate and thoughtful people, we are poised to solve this problem. So where do we start? Like I said, we don’t have all the answers, but it starts with the individual, and radiates up to firm management.
Here are some tools to get started:
  • Consider your own bias: we are all products of our environment, it’s not something we can control. But we can control our understanding of other people's experience. 
  • Implementing company policies: if you’re a manager, upper management, or even an entry-level engineer (particularly at a smaller company), you can help push for policy change.
  • Involve everyone in the conversation: it’s important that firm decision-makers fully buy in and are part of the conversation. Ensure that members of underrepresented groups feel comfortable speaking up. 
  • Consider overall engagement: it’s engaging to feel included, and if engagement and retention is what we’re after this is important. It’s good business to have engaged employees. 
  • Look for signs of burnout among staff: being able to step in and address problems as they arise is key to retaining staff and improving employee engagement.

Hopefully this is a helpful place to start. See below links to articles with more data and background on what types of initiatives work, why these things are important to address, and how to involve everyone in the process.
Photos from the October 2018 workshop Building an Inclusive Workplace for All in the 21st Century.
Hayley Dickson, P.E. is an Engineer at Forell/Elsesser Structural Engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hayley co-chaired the SEAONC SE3 committee for two years, from 2017 to 2019. Over the years, her greatest contributions to SE3 include helping plan  two SE3 symposia (2017 & 2019), and a moderated panel discussion on work-life balance (2018), and follow-up interviews with practicing professionals, retirees and people who left the profession for other careers.
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]]><![CDATA[Engage Employees with Vision, Value and Mindful Leadership]]>Tue, 06 Aug 2019 00:30:00 GMThttp://www.se3project.org/blog/employee-engagement-retentionBy Stephanie Borchers and Rachel Cohen
On  a firm-by-firm basis, understanding how to encourage and maintain employee engagement is central to increasing retention. Employees of all levels contribute to forming a company culture that may or may not encourage engagement. 

First, what is engagement? As SEAONC SE3 #ChangeXSE3 Symposium keynote speaker Dr. Zinta Byrne noted in her presentation, engagement is not simply satisfaction or the opposite of burnout. Engagement means finding meaning in one’s work, feeling energized by one’s daily tasks, and motivated to contribute to the success of the firm and to accomplish long-term goals. 
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Firm leaders and managers play a big role in the engagement of their less experienced employees. According to a report on retention by TINYpulse, employees who are unsatisfied with their supervisors are four times more likely to quit than those who rate their supervisors highly [1]. Leaders can encourage engagement through tangible actions - such as providing bonuses to reward performance, or investing money and resources into training employees - as well through making conscious choices around how they interact with their colleagues.
Simin Nasseh, CEO of Forell/Elsesser and participant in our 2019 Symposium panel discussion, stresses the importance of creating a two-way, meaningful individual relationships with her staff members. Employees who feel that their firms are invested in their personal career development, and who feel recognized and valued for their work, are more likely to stay engaged - and those who are engaged are 59% more likely to continue working at the same organization for the next 12 months [1]. Additionally, transparency throughout all levels about firm practices and performance provides individuals with a sense of how their role contributes to the success of the company as a whole, which helps each engineer find meaning in their work. Symposium Panelist Jami Lorenz of DCI engineers expressed the need for transparency and communication, and urged managers to provide constant feedback, rather than confining feedback to a once-a-year review. This should be a two way street - employees also want a way to provide upward feedback, and to know that their opinions are important.

Those who have left the industry hold key information regarding what engineers can do to improve retention. Several firm leaders involved in our 2019 SE3 Symposium Panel, including Peter Lee of SOM, noted the value of exit interviews. It is recommended that an HR professional, who may have a more objective perspective, perform these interviews and bring ideas back to the firm regarding staff engagement, health and wellness, and strategic growth.

Individuals choose to leave structural engineering for a wide variety of reasons. In general, people change jobs when they are dissatisfied with their current position, feel their pay is not reflective of their performance level or unfair relative to their peers, or when prompted by significant changes in their personal lives. Similar to many other industries, women and people of color are particularly likely to leave the profession due to the factors cited. These groups face unique challenges, such as implicit bias in the workplace, lack of representation among leadership, and a confidence gap that impacts their persistence in working towards leadership positions. NCSEA SE3’s 2018 Survey data backs this up - Asian and Black respondents were 9% and 20% more likely to be “very dissatisfied” with their career, and 68% of women had considered leaving the profession, compared with 55% of men. 

The increasing issue of employee retention is not just present in the structural engineering industry. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employee only remains at a firm for 4.4 years [2]. For the workforce’s youngest employees, the expected tenure is half of that. One explanation for this drop off is the current strength of the U.S. economy - job openings are exceeding the number of hires, and workers are able to find better opportunities. This has created a power shift from employers to employees. 

The shift could also be credited to the changing workforce. Millennials have recently become the largest generation in the US workforce. According to a survey conducted by Future Workplace, 91% of millennials expect to stay at their job for less than 3 years [2]. Younger workers tend to have fewer obligations tying them down, and are more willing to bounce around between different firms or career alternatives. Some view job-hopping as a quicker way to advance one’s career. Additionally, advancements in technology have helped make finding and applying for new jobs easier.

With these factors at play, managers’ awareness of the environment they are creating and the messages they are sending their staff are crucial. Each area of an employer-employee relationship requires attention, and strategies can be applied to improve employee engagement and retention. This should start with the onboarding process, where new staff learns about the company culture and how they can contribute to it. According to TINYpulse, employees are 23% more likely to stay if they have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Jami Lorenz recommends clearly giving younger employees the “license to make mistakes” which translates to their empowerment in speaking up and getting involved. Symposium Panelist Allen Nudel of Forell/Elsesser Engineers echoed these sentiments, stressing the importance of a culture where admitting ones strengths and weaknesses is accepted, and where less-experienced staff feel comfortable asking for help. 
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Employee engagement and retention is vital to firm success and to the prosperity of our industry as a whole. Creating strategies to promote engagement, and adapting these strategies as employees’ priorities shift over time, is a highly important task for those in management positions. Beyond management, every individual has the ability to influence and improve the culture of their company. Engineers of all levels should be encouraged to share constructive feedback about areas of their career development where they may be seeking more company support.  

What will you do to contribute to your firm’s prosperity? For further reading on practices that encourage retention, check out this article.
SOURCES:
[1] https://www.tinypulse.com/blog/13-surprising-statistics-about-employee-retention  
[2] https://decision-wise.com/employee-retention-is-challenging/
Rachel Cohen and Stephanie Borchers from Forell/Elsesser Engineers are co-leading the committee focused on promoting SE3 initiatives and events, recruiting new committee members, and engaging the national community regarding SE3’s mission.
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