2020 SE3 A/E/C Roundtable Discussion Event Recap
Inclusive Practices in Recruiting and Management
Written by: Kaat Ceder
Photo credit: Natalie Tse
Photo credit: Natalie Tse
Diversity is inviting someone to the party
Inclusion is asking them to dance
Equity is asking them to share their playlist
Inclusion is asking them to dance
Equity is asking them to share their playlist
On Tuesday, February 25th, the SEAONC SE3 Committee and AIA SF held a roundtable discussion featuring panelists from each area of the A/E/C industry who have experience implementing strategies or programs to diversity the staff in their workplaces. The panel was moderated by Saskia Dennis-Van Dijl, a Principal Consultant at Cameron MacAllister Group. The panelists were:
- Lori Burbridge, Associate Principal, Business Manager | Buehler
- Denny Kwan, Principal, Residential Studio Lead | Holmes Structures
- Kelli Quinn, Project Executive | Rudolph & Sletten (R&S)
- Gabrielle Bullock, Director of Global Diversity | Perkins & Will
From Left to right: Gabrielle Bullock, Denny Kwan, Kelli Quinn, Lori Burbridge, and Saskia Dennis-van Dijl
The event was sold-out, with an audience of over 85 structural engineers, architects, contractors, HR professionals, and executive recruiters.
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The program opened with remarks from SE3 Committee Co-Chairs Rachel Cohen and Brenna Marcoux about the motivation behind the event, which is part of SE3's Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiative. The D&I initiative began as a response to the results of the 2018 SE3 survey, which showed that a majority of current junior staff in structural engineering do not see themselves becoming principals in the future, and that women and racial minorities generally reported the lowest rates of satisfaction in their career. Some respondents cited feeling unwelcome in leadership as the primary factor in this decision.
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The panel discussion covered a variety of topics, including how to encourage diversity in the pipeline of talent, how to hire and retain a diverse group of staff, and how to train current staff in working towards Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives. Each of the panelists shared experiences from their own firms; relaying their successes and challenges in implementing new policies and frameworks.
Panelists stressed the importance of more inclusive hiring practices. Gabrielle highlighted visiting historically black colleges and universities, attending conferences for minority students and professionals of underrepresented groups, and meaningfully addressing any existing biases towards specific schools or programs as important strategies. For career fairs, she recommends selecting staff to adequately match the demographics of the school or institution.
Panelists stressed the importance of more inclusive hiring practices. Gabrielle highlighted visiting historically black colleges and universities, attending conferences for minority students and professionals of underrepresented groups, and meaningfully addressing any existing biases towards specific schools or programs as important strategies. For career fairs, she recommends selecting staff to adequately match the demographics of the school or institution.
Kelli Quinn indicated that “traditional” methods of recruitment (i.e. career fairs, outreach via LinkedIn) are simply “not enough” to keep up with the demands and competition for talent in construction. Over the years, the recruiting team at R&S have explored new avenues to gain access to a wider demographic. Denny shared that at Holmes Structures, the firm leaders strongly believe in the impact of volunteerism in the community on visibility, which he feels has contributed significantly to the recruitment effort. One of the observed benefits of a more diverse team, is a greater understanding of the breadth of needs of the clients for which they serve. From Gabrielle’s own experience, a firm’s diversity and cultural competency have a significant impact on the firm’s ability to both win and succeed in projects that serve diverse communities.
In addition, panelists encouraged firms to think critically about who performs interviews. Utilizing a diverse interviewer group, including younger staff, and ensuring that their opinions on the candidates are considered in the decision is helpful both to the interviewee, and to the firm in minimizing implicit bias in the hiring process. Gabrielle shared that Perkins and Will has recently overhauled their recruiting and interview processes. Interviews are conducted in small groups to keep the conversations fluid, cordial, and less intimidating for a candidate.
Attendees were encouraged to rethink what their companies look for in an “ideal” candidate. Kelli discussed how diversity should be considered an asset, and should be counted as such when assessing the benefit a candidate would bring to the company. Several panelists mentioned how important it was to hire for shared core values rather than “fit,” which is a concept that can hold many implicit biases. Lori emphasized that highlighting the company culture on her firm’s website was important to both ensure that staff held the company accountable, and to give job candidates a sense of the company values before they even come in for an interview.
All panelists agreed that changing company policy and hiring candidates of a visible minority or an underrepresented group to increase firm diversity alone is not enough to affect real change. Company culture truly needs to shift towards a more equitable and inclusive workplace, which requires training, a dedicated human resources department, and a financial commitment from the company to a D&I vision. Denny stressed how, though there is a financial cost associated with hiring a dedicated HR team, the cost of not doing so and losing women and staff before they reach the principal level could be even higher. Gabrielle shared that her firm tracks their company demographics, specifically of underrepresented groups, allowing them to better understand where they need to focus their efforts to be more equitable. She also discussed the benefits of affinity groups in creating an equitable office culture. Not only do such groups help staff find or establish a “tribe” where they feel at home, they also provide a source for internal sensitivity checks and connections to the outside community, which can be a source of new clients and projects.
In closing remarks, SEAONC President Janiele Maffei emphasized that firms need to stay vigilant in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, or we risk losing what little progress we have made. The night ended with a networking happy hour. Attendees socialized, enjoyed refreshments, and reflected with their peers on the many important themes that had come up throughout the discussion.
The discussion stressed that change can be sparked by individuals of all ages and levels of experience. Inclusivity starts by creating a culture of respect and civility - where people are trained, coached, and encouraged to work with those who look, think, and behave differently from them.
The SE3 leadership team and Diversity & Inclusion sub-committee leads would like to thank AIA SF for graciously hosting the event, the panelists for volunteering their time, and our moderator for facilitating a dynamic discussion of these critical issues.
For more information on diversity and inclusion, check out these resources:
In addition, panelists encouraged firms to think critically about who performs interviews. Utilizing a diverse interviewer group, including younger staff, and ensuring that their opinions on the candidates are considered in the decision is helpful both to the interviewee, and to the firm in minimizing implicit bias in the hiring process. Gabrielle shared that Perkins and Will has recently overhauled their recruiting and interview processes. Interviews are conducted in small groups to keep the conversations fluid, cordial, and less intimidating for a candidate.
Attendees were encouraged to rethink what their companies look for in an “ideal” candidate. Kelli discussed how diversity should be considered an asset, and should be counted as such when assessing the benefit a candidate would bring to the company. Several panelists mentioned how important it was to hire for shared core values rather than “fit,” which is a concept that can hold many implicit biases. Lori emphasized that highlighting the company culture on her firm’s website was important to both ensure that staff held the company accountable, and to give job candidates a sense of the company values before they even come in for an interview.
All panelists agreed that changing company policy and hiring candidates of a visible minority or an underrepresented group to increase firm diversity alone is not enough to affect real change. Company culture truly needs to shift towards a more equitable and inclusive workplace, which requires training, a dedicated human resources department, and a financial commitment from the company to a D&I vision. Denny stressed how, though there is a financial cost associated with hiring a dedicated HR team, the cost of not doing so and losing women and staff before they reach the principal level could be even higher. Gabrielle shared that her firm tracks their company demographics, specifically of underrepresented groups, allowing them to better understand where they need to focus their efforts to be more equitable. She also discussed the benefits of affinity groups in creating an equitable office culture. Not only do such groups help staff find or establish a “tribe” where they feel at home, they also provide a source for internal sensitivity checks and connections to the outside community, which can be a source of new clients and projects.
In closing remarks, SEAONC President Janiele Maffei emphasized that firms need to stay vigilant in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, or we risk losing what little progress we have made. The night ended with a networking happy hour. Attendees socialized, enjoyed refreshments, and reflected with their peers on the many important themes that had come up throughout the discussion.
The discussion stressed that change can be sparked by individuals of all ages and levels of experience. Inclusivity starts by creating a culture of respect and civility - where people are trained, coached, and encouraged to work with those who look, think, and behave differently from them.
The SE3 leadership team and Diversity & Inclusion sub-committee leads would like to thank AIA SF for graciously hosting the event, the panelists for volunteering their time, and our moderator for facilitating a dynamic discussion of these critical issues.
For more information on diversity and inclusion, check out these resources:
