黑洞社区

While the construction industry has long been talking about the importance of diversity, there seems to have been little progression.  The same demographic continue to take up the most space, leaving an uninviting and often inaccessible workplace for many who sit outside those parameters.

黑洞社区 magazine, in partnership with Faithful+Gould, gathered a panel of experts from across the industry to explore how construction can move beyond conversations and put action in place.

The panellists, chaired by 黑洞社区 special projects editor Jordan Marshall, discussed the importance of visibility, mentorship and an inclusive work culture as well as external factors that could become real drivers for change.

Tackling education

Why has the sector struggled with diversity in the past? Jessa Lee, quantity surveyor at Stace, felt it began in education: 鈥淭he option of construction wasn鈥檛 even presented to us.鈥�

She considered the professional career options presented to schoolchildren to be limited, with medicine, law and accountancy being more familiar as options. Lee said she only fell into construction by accident and felt that young people need to be shown a wider range of available possibilities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just an attraction and recruitment issue,鈥� added Sharon Slinger, owner and director at Construction Rainbows. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a retention issue as well. We鈥檙e doing lots of work in getting diverse people through the door and they鈥檙e treated like rubbish, so they鈥檙e leaving.鈥�

You can鈥檛 be what you can鈥檛 see

Rumbi Chiparamandu, graduate quantity surveyor at Faithful+Gould, discussed the issue of visibility. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be what you can鈥檛 see,鈥� she said, explaining that people can feel like 鈥渢here鈥檚 no space for you鈥�. When Chiparamandu entered the industry, she didn鈥檛 see many black women and it took time for her to find mentors within the space. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e there 鈥� they鈥檙e not hiding 鈥� you just don鈥檛 see them,鈥� she added.

Theresa Mohammed, partner at Watson Farley & Williams, echoed the sentiment. 鈥淭here is a real problem with visibility. In the construction sector we do not showcase our diverse talent.鈥� People applying for roles in this sector can become 鈥渄isengaged鈥� by seeing so few people who look like them or who come from diverse backgrounds.

Mohammed went on to say: 鈥淭he barrier is that we don鈥檛 really want it enough.鈥� Diversity is quick to be labelled a human resources issue, or something an organisation is striving to achieve 鈥渁t some point鈥�. But is it something companies really want? And are we holding leaders accountable?

Slinger said she couldn鈥檛 agree more, adding, 鈥淧eople always say: How do we change things? But you need the leadership force behind it to put things in place. And at the moment, we don鈥檛 have that in our industry.鈥�

Numbers speak

Lanre Gbolade, co-founder at Gbolade Design Studio & Paradigm Network, said it was important to champion black and Asian representation within the built environment, given the number of statistics that demonstrate the current state of the industry鈥檚 workforce.

He said: 鈥�15% [of our workforce] are women and 6% are black/Asian minority ethnic; 6% are disabled, and the statistics for LGBTQI+ are largely unverifiable - which is telling in itself. People don鈥檛 feel comfortable being their natural selves in that environment.鈥�

Melissa Armstrong, cost manager at HB Reavis, believes people with different backgrounds can be encouraged to join the industry but when they do they can often be 鈥渕arginalised and excluded鈥�. To just hit quotas and tick a box is not enough, she said, adding that once we have those people within the sector then we need to retain them by being 鈥渃ommitted to celebrating diversity鈥�.

鈥淯nconscious bias training can help,鈥� said Lee. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 more about the cultural shift needed.鈥� She added that while she feels comfortable in her own workspace, within the industry as a whole it鈥檚 a different story. Part of the challenge, said Lee, is that people are unwilling to fully accept there is a problem as 鈥減eople don鈥檛 like hearing that they鈥檝e done a bad job鈥�.

In light of the sector鈥檚 current challenges, facing unprecedented inflationary pressure and a record skills shortage, the discussion turned to whether external pressures could be a driver for change.

Gbolade said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing the impact of things like Brexit and potentially even covid.鈥� He added that with people changing careers, leaving the industry and creating large gaps in vacancies, it鈥檚 a problem which companies need to start addressing but 鈥渋t shouldn鈥檛 be just about putting bums on seats鈥� but rather should be a 鈥渢argeted driver鈥�.

Being in the room

When talking about the importance of selecting representatives to attend events, Mohammed said it is 鈥渁bsolutely crucial鈥� for diversity to be considered when selecting delegates. 鈥淚t changes the tone of the events; it changes how it looks; it changes the conversations, the ideas and the type of interactions that go on.鈥�

On this point, Slinger, Chiparamandu and Amos Simbo, founder of Black Professionals in Construction and construction director of Winway Group, said they had all recently attended the Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) conference and shared their work on making it a different type of event, with a particular focus on diversity and inclusion.

Chiparamandu was chosen to represent Faithful+Gould at the event, but upon joining the delegate call she said 鈥渋t became apparent that it was not diverse at all鈥�. This was called out and the situation rectified within a week.

鈥淲hat we also had was a buddy system in place,鈥� Chiparamandu said: senior members attending were buddied up with graduates. This not only mitigated the worries of first-time attendees but also helped them to build connections with senior members of the team, which can be hard to achieve day-to-day. As a result, Chiparamandu said she now knows 鈥渉ow to navigate the room better鈥�, how to present herself better and to feel like she 鈥渂elongs in those spaces鈥�.

At UKREiiF, the diversity not only of the delegates but also of the panels and dinner attendees was carefully considered. Slinger mentioned 鈥渢he great work that Faithful+Gould  and Atkins did at bringing younger people through as well鈥�. The change brought about a 鈥渄ifferent atmosphere鈥� compared with other industry conferences, and the team received positive feedback on the event鈥檚 vibrancy.

Gbolade made the point that 鈥渂eing in the room is great but you still need to have people there that want you in the room鈥�. Sharing his experience of attending events, he said there were times 鈥減eople turn their backs on me鈥�. Being invited into the space is only the beginning; being made to feel welcome and included must also be addressed.

Simbo agreed, saying: 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more we can be doing to make sure people feel comfortable at these events.鈥�

Pub culture

Alcohol was another hot topic, with Lee saying the culture surrounding alcohol at industry events can be exclusionary for people who don鈥檛 drink.

Chiparamandu added that 鈥渁ll the important conversations happen outside of work鈥� and 鈥渋f you鈥檙e not there, you鈥檙e missing out 鈥� which is unfortunate鈥�.

鈥淚t goes back to the point of people recruiting in their own image,鈥� Mohammed highlighted. If that goes unchecked, people are likely to hire those with similar interests and so organisations become homogeneous and stale. 鈥淎nd the risk is that it is that small group of people who get promoted,鈥� she added, saying that the way to change this is to create pathways for diverse individuals to rise to the top.

Mohammed also pointed out the need to consider the timing of events. 鈥淚n our sector, if we continue to plan events in the evenings or late afternoon, this could directly exclude people with caring responsibilities or make it challenging for them to attend.鈥� As she emphasised, we 鈥渄on鈥檛 know what demands people have on their time鈥�.

Mohammed added: 鈥淲e just need to be a lot more thoughtful, and once you put your mind to it, it鈥檚 not that difficult.鈥�

For Gbolade, it is about going the extra mile, looking at your team and thinking, 鈥淲hat is the makeup here?鈥� to ensure everyone is included.

Thoughtful leaders

A cultural shift is needed, but how do we go about encouraging more thoughtfulness from leaders? Lee said that, speaking to senior leaders, sometimes they 鈥渄on鈥檛 always understand the appeal鈥�, so it can be helpful to promote the financial benefits. Gathering and presenting data on the benefits is crucial.

Gbolade added that greater numbers of female leaders are needed in order to bring in a different perspective, while more employee networks need to be set up 鈥渟o they can be empowered to make change鈥�.

He added: 鈥淵ou need a top-down and bottom-up approach to get the whole organisation moving in a different direction.鈥�

The benefits of mentoring were also discussed among the panel, with Armstrong saying she believes 鈥渕ore senior staff can learn something鈥� from diverse individuals lower down the ranks and indeed be made aware of the value of a more inclusive workforce.

When the client says no

One of the biggest drivers of change within the industry is clients asking for the supply chain to do more on diversity and inclusion. 鈥淵ou can see it with HS2,鈥� argued Slinger. 鈥淭hey [the contractors on the project] are investing in diversity because it鈥檚 being asked for. We need clients to make it part of the contract, because that will drive change.鈥�

Mohammed agreed. 鈥淭here are examples of organisations being rejected straight off the bat because they鈥檝e attended tender interviews with all-male attendees,鈥� she said.

She added that lessons can be learnt from the legal sector, where firms are using contextual recruitment and asking for submissions on diversity and social value, rather than just legal technicalities. She said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 taken as a given that we know how to do our job. It鈥檚 a question of: what else are we bringing?鈥�

Gbolade echoed the sentiment, saying that 鈥渃lients are placing more importance on social value鈥� but also extending that to project teams. He said it is essential to be thinking about bringing together diverse teams who can deliver a project based on lived experience so that the buildings and spaces 鈥渃an best serve a mix of people鈥�.

Let鈥檚 talk tokens

鈥淚 personally wouldn鈥檛 want to be promoted as a token to be there for the pictures,鈥� stated Lee. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got to be merit-based at the same time.鈥� She said it is essential that the people being put forward are qualified and will demonstrate 鈥渢he potential of what a diverse workforce can do鈥�.

Simbo raised an interesting point, suggesting that 鈥渋n most cases, people are not given jobs based solely on merit鈥�. It is important that people recognise the significance of giving people a chance and allowing them to build on their experience and grow into the role, he said.

Mohammed added that we need 鈥渢o critically examine the requirements we stipulate for jobs in the construction industry鈥�. When a lengthy list of academic requirements and long periods of experience are stipulated, she said, construction firms are 鈥渁re positioning themselves to exclude huge groups of people鈥�. We need to consider what is essential for the role and what can be overlooked and then adjust job descriptions accordingly, she said.

Slinger argued that 鈥渋f we could look at transferable skills rather than experience in the industry, we could have encouraged more people in鈥�, particularly over recent years.

Gbolade said: 鈥淭here鈥檚 still a disconnect, with some people not seeing others as the same to them,鈥� particularly in the construction industry, where older, white males so often dominate the space.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a need in some cases to kick-start things with a little bit of tokenism,鈥� he added. Often people from diverse backgrounds are good enough 鈥� 鈥渂etter in some cases鈥� 鈥� but are still not being given the opportunity. Sometimes a helping hand is needed to allow people to reach their potential, he said.

To sponsor or not to sponsor

鈥淭his is where sponsorship comes in,鈥� said Mohammed. 鈥淚t won鈥檛 happen if we leave it to chance.鈥� She said the sector needs to be facilitating introductions and opportunities by being active sponsors and allies.

Chiparamandu said it is important that sponsoring does not just fall to those from under-represented groups, as it carries risk. 鈥淏eing from an under-represented group and wanting to sponsor someone, there鈥檚 a lot of pressure for the person you choose to outperform expectations,鈥� she said. There is also the issue of whether the person you鈥檝e brought through the door is going to be nurtured. Chiparamandu argued that we need our senior leaders in the business to have a 鈥渇ramework for sponsorship and be clear on those expectations鈥�.

Mohammed said that while sponsoring 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 fall on the shoulders of diverse groups鈥� it is 鈥渁bsolutely essential that people from the global majority and diverse backgrounds do it together with allies鈥�.

She went on to say that 鈥渋f we don鈥檛, no one will鈥� and that it鈥檚 important we support those in similar situations and 鈥渆ase their path鈥�.

For his part Simbo said: 鈥淧eople feel so much pressure, and perhaps that鈥檚 what makes it so difficult.鈥� Companies need to think about how they鈥檙e hiring, but the conversations about that 鈥渢end not to happen between those who are actually hiring. That鈥檚 where the disconnect is,鈥� he added.

Ways of working were also on the agenda, with the whole panel agreeing that flexible and part-time working would cast the net to a wider workforce. They saw little to suggest it wouldn鈥檛 work within the construction industry and consider it is time to start thinking differently.

Increasing the share of paternity leave was another suggestion, alongside more guidance being available for employees returning after an extended period of absence.

A sympathetic ear

Marshall ended the session by bringing up the elephant in the room: with an extremely diverse panel, the discussion was in a sense preaching to the converted. So how can the message be spread more widely?

鈥淚t needs to be in mainstream events, where they can鈥檛 escape from it,鈥� argued Slinger. 鈥淲e need middle-aged white men to be talking about this,鈥� because they hold the majority of leadership positions and they listen to one another. 鈥淭here are some people in that category who are doing loads on this, so we need to be highlighting them as well.鈥�

It is about continuing education and raising awareness, which 鈥渨e do all the time鈥�, said Mohammed.

But the way to convert the unconverted would be making it 鈥渃entral to performance criteria鈥�, she added. If it鈥檚 a part of the metric in respect of performance and career progression  that you demonstrate not just awareness but what you鈥檙e actually doing within the space, then individuals can be held accountable. She said: 鈥淯ntil you make it conditional, people may shirk the responsibility.鈥�