Why Your Construction Company Needs to Consider BAME Stakeholder Engagement

How diverse is your construction company? 

Research shows that only 4% of workers in the construction industry come from a Black background.

Diversity issues are hardly new in the industry. But things have started to change. More and more companies have begun to realise that a greater representation of historically marginalised groups can bring various advantages to the table. 

The benefits of a diverse workplace have been researched, identified, and proven. As one of the largest sectors in the UK, the construction industry should pave the way for positive change. 

Focusing on BAME stakeholder engagement and diversity and inclusion training is an essential part of that change.

How come?

A Solution to Labour Shortage

Skills shortages have been a major issue in the construction industry for the last few years. Many of the industry’s current employees will soon retire, and attracting new, younger talent has proven to be challenging. 

If you have many openings, but not enough candidates, embracing diversity and inclusion is the solution. By turning to diverse workers, you can have access to a much bigger pool of potential employees. 

Remember that it all starts with the recruitment process. Sometimes recruitment practices can be a barrier to construction workforce diversity. 

By using the same recruitment techniques, you will see applicants from the same kinds of backgrounds.

BAME stakeholder engagement training, however, can help your company to explore new recruitment procedures that will help you reach and retain a broader and more varied group of potential employees. 

Greater Employee Retention

Let’s face it, just hiring people from BAME communities is not enough. You need to ensure that your employees are part of a non-hostile and inclusive work environment. 

The construction field relies heavily on teamwork and communication. If your employees don’t enjoy working in your company or can’t communicate properly with their co-workers, they’ll probably move to the next construction job. 

But what if your employees were introduced to concepts like cultural competency, unconscious bias, civility, and workplace sensitivity? Wouldn’t this create a better work environment and make everyone more productive in the end? 

Creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment makes talented people want to join your company and stay.

Innovation and Better Financial Outcomes

Bringing together people with different backgrounds, points of view, and experiences is a strong solution for ensuring future success. A diverse team of professionals can tackle big problems, innovate better, and overall deliver better outcomes.

Diverse management teams can also have a positive financial impact on your company. According to Harvard Business Review, diverse companies that focus on BAME stakeholder engagement enjoy better overall financial performance. Earnings for companies with diverse management teams were nearly 10% higher than for companies with below-average management diversity.

Knowing how to attract and retain a diverse team of professionals will enable your company to make better decisions and outperform competitors.

Do you want to reap the benefits of diversity and inclusion at your construction company?

Book your free 30-minute consultation here, to see how our BAME stakeholder engagement training can support your company.