Diversity by Design: Guide to Fostering Diversity in the Civil Engineering Workforce

71 Pages·2008·0.508 MB·English

by  Sybil Hatch

Diversity by Design
This page intentionally left blank
Diversity by Design:
Guide to Fostering Diversity in the
Civil Engineering Workforce

Sponsored by
Committee on Diversity and Women in Civil Engineering
of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Written by
Sybil E. Hatch, PE
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, Virginia 20191-4400
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hatch, Sybil E.
Diversity by design : guide to fostering diversity in the civil engineering
workforce / written by Sybil E. Hatch.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7844-0983-1
1. Civil engineering--United States--Personnel management. 2. Civil engineers--
United States. 3. Diversity in the workplace--United States. I. Title.
TA157.H4157 2008
624.068’3--dc22
2008013057
Published by American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, Virginia 20191
www.pubs.asce.org
Any statements expressed in these materials are those of the individual authors and
do not necessarily represent the views of ASCE, which takes no responsibility for any statement
made herein. No reference made in this publication to any specific method, product, process, or
service constitutes or implies an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty thereof by ASCE.
The materials are for general information only and do not represent a standard of ASCE, nor
are they intended as a reference in purchase specifications, contracts, regulations, statutes, or any
other legal document.
ASCE makes no representation or warranty of any kind, whether express or implied,
concerning the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or utility of any information, apparatus, product,
or process discussed in this publication, and assumes no liability therefor. This information
should not be used without first securing competent advice with respect to its suitability for any
general or specific application. Anyone utilizing this information assumes all liability arising from
such use, including but not limited to infringement of any patent or patents.
ASCE and American Society of Civil Engineers—Registered in U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
Photocopies and reprints. You can obtain instant permission to photocopy ASCE
publications by using ASCE’s online permission service (http://pubs.asce.org/permissions/
requests/). Requests for 100 copies or more should be submitted to the Reprints Department,
Publications Division, ASCE (address above); email: [email protected]. A reprint order form
can be found at http://pubs.asce.org/support/reprints/.
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-0-7844-0983-1
Manufactured in the United States of America.
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5
Diversity by Design: Guide to Fostering Diversity in the Civil Engineering Workforce 5
Table of Contents
Executive summary .........................................................7
Foreword – Diversity: Why It’s Important to the Civil Engineering Profession ..10
Our National Demographic ................................................ 10
The Global Marketplace .................................................. 11
A Larger Talent Pool ...................................................... 12
Successfully Executing Projects ........................................... 13
The Right Thing to Do .................................................... 13
Chapter 1 – Roadmap to Diversity ...........................................15
What this Diversity Guide Contains ......................................... 15
How We Define Diversity .................................................. 16
Chapter 2 – The Diversity Landscape ........................................17
White Male Tradition ..................................................... 17
A Less-than-Optimal Workplace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Generational Differences ................................................. 19
Emerging Professionals .............................................. 19
Five-Year Window ................................................... 20
Seasoned Veterans .................................................. 21
Work/Life Balancing Act .................................................. 21
The Glass Ceiling Effect ................................................... 22
Disabled Engineers ...................................................... 23
A Word about Depression ................................................. 24
The LGBT Employee ...................................................... 25
Religious Minorities ...................................................... 26
Chapter 3 – Retaining Diverse Civil Engineers ...............................27
A Word about Loyalty ..................................................... 28
A Workplace for All ...................................................... 28
About Cross-Cultural Communication ................................... 29
About Cross-Gender Communication ................................... 30
Flexible Solutions for Work/Life Balance ................................ 31
On Parental Leave ................................................... 32
Young Parents ................................................. 33
Elder Care ..................................................... 33
“Retired” Employees ............................................ 33
Telecommuting ...................................................... 34
Religious Traditions and Needs ........................................ 35
Moving Beyond Homophobia and Harassment ........................... 36
At the Heart of a Diversity Program ......................................... 37
The Role of Diversity Committees ...................................... 38
On-Boarding ........................................................ 39
6 Diversity by Design: Guide to Fostering Diversity in the Civil Engineering Workforce
The Power of Mentoring .................................................. 40
How Mentoring Works ............................................... 40
Emerging Professionals as Protégés ................................... 41
Senior Engineers as Mentors .......................................... 42
Employee Resource Groups for Support .................................... 43
Spotlight on Leadership Training ........................................... 44
Diversity Training ........................................................ 44
Chapter 4 – Recruiting Diverse Civil Engineers ..............................46
Demonstrate Diversity .................................................... 46
Employee Referral Programs .............................................. 48
Tap into Professional Organizations ......................................... 48
Community Stewardship .................................................. 50
Spreading the Word ...................................................... 50
Effective College and University Recruiting .................................. 51
H-1B Visas and Green Cards ............................................... 53
Chapter 5 – Managing a Diverse Workforce .................................55
People Working with People ............................................... 55
Two-Way Assimilation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Respect Counts ..................................................... 56
Project: Diversity ........................................................ 56
Senior-Level Endorsement ............................................ 57
Quotas versus Goals ................................................. 57
Accountability and Follow-Through .................................... 58
Partnering for Diversity ................................................... 58
From Challenge to Opportunity ............................................. 59
Appendix A – The Constricted Pipeline ......................................60
Appendix B – Participating Organizations and Interviewees .................61
Appendix C – Acknowledgements ..........................................62
Index ......................................................................63
Notes ......................................................................68
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Diverse Workforce for a Diverse Profession
The purpose of ASCE’s Diversity Guide is to provide practical, hands-on
suggestions for how to foster, improve, and maintain a diverse and thriving
workforce within the civil engineering profession. Diversity is important to
the civil engineering profession for several reasons. First, the U.S. population
and the local communities we serve (including our clients, regulators, and
financiers) are becoming more diverse. Second, there continues to be an
increasing demand for qualified civil engineers. At the same time, almost
50 percent of the current science and engineering workforce is approaching
retirement and enrollment in civil engineering programs is relatively flat.
Companies, agencies, and organizations need to recruit from the largest
possible talent pool of qualified employees.
Third, U.S. engineering firms face increasing global competition. To
prosper in a worldwide marketplace, civil engineers need to be even more
conscientious about reflecting the diverse perspectives of their international
colleagues. And finally, increasing diversity in civil engineering in the U.S.
is, quite simply, the right thing to do: the logical extension of this country’s
democratic evolution toward increasing inclusiveness.
The civil engineering profession is currently dominated by white
males. The “white male” professional workplace model has enabled decades
of designing and constructing civil infrastructure. However, this model and
workplace culture has some significant limitations, including, for instance,
a lack of multiple and diverse perspectives, exclusion versus inclusion, and
maintaining the status-quo versus embracing emerging challenges.
A diverse engineer’s experiences of being different from the traditional
norm may not be visible and thus not acknowledged or understood. However,
the burdens of downplaying or disguising basic components of personality
and belief are well-documented and sometimes hinder full productivity in
the workplace. For example, there may be differences in communication and
leadership styles by gender, race, age, and ethnicity. These stylistic differences
can create misunderstandings.
For the purposed of this guide, we have defined a diverse workforce
as one containing (in addition to white males):
7
8 Diversity by Design: Guide to Fostering Diversity in the Civil Engineering Workforce
• Females
• Non-white people who are racially or ethnically diverse (such as
African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and others)
• Practitioners of religions not traditional in the U.S. (such as Buddhists,
Muslims, and others)
• People from diverse age groups (including older engineers)
• People of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)
community
• People with disabilities (including illnesses such as depression)
Phrases such as “females and minorities,” “people of color
and females,” “diverse employees,” and “diversity candidates” are used
interchangeably throughout this Diversity Guide to convey the essence of the
non-white-male component of a diverse workforce.
Based on the fundamental sociological concept of “like attracts like,”
diversity candidates often prefer to become employees of organizations with
a visible commitment to recruiting and promoting diverse engineers. Many
organizations have convened diversity committees and implemented diversity
programs and training that may increase employee satisfaction and result
in longer retention. On-boarding (a formalized process in which new hires
are integrated into the organization), mentoring, and peer/affinity support
groups help employees not only to become effective as quickly as possible but
to thrive over the long term.
Employers can help develop worker loyalty by ensuring that
inclusiveness is a priority and that the workplace is appropriate for all
engineers, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, or sexual
orientation. Issues can range from stressing the importance of cross-cultural
and cross-gender communication to developing flexible solutions for work/
life balance during the distinct phases of an engineer’s work-life (including
parenting and retirement), to ensuring that the needs of employees with non-
normative backgrounds are addressed.
In addition to this Diversity Guide, there are a number of readily
accessible resources to help promote diversity within the workplace. For
example, myriad professional organizations target and support diverse
engineers of all kinds. Historically black colleges or Hispanic-serving
institutions foster the education of diverse engineers. Specialized magazines,
newsletters, and websites also target diverse engineers of all types.
Diversity by Design: Guide to Fostering Diversity in the Civil Engineering Workforce 9
The myriad challenges of managing a diverse engineering workforce
can be encompassed by a two-pronged approach: be aware of the issues facing
a diverse work-force, and make addressing those issues a priority. Diverse
employees often face a one-way journey of assimilation into a white male
culture. A more productive model is two-way assimilation, in which the
normative culture attempts to understand and embrace the diverse viewpoints
and experiences of diverse employees. Techniques for increased awareness
entail having managers and leaders encourage and reward emotional
intelligence, treat others as they would like to be treated, and foster respect
for those in the organization both similar to and different from them.
To be effective, a diversity program should be managed as would
any typical civil engineering program: establish achievable goals, develop a
strategy and specific tactics, implement them and measure results, and adjust
the program as needed. Senior-level endorsement, as well as follow-through
and accountability for the program, will help ensure all organizational levels
see effective results.