Workplace research shows that diverse teams outperform their competitors and are 120% more likely to meet financial goals. In addition, employees themselves want to be a part of a diverse team, with 78% of workers believing that diverse workplaces give you a competitive advantage. Modern, forward-thinking construction companies know that making diversity and inclusion part of their roadmap to the future is a winning strategy. Here’s how one of our investors is adding to the conversation.
Corbins Electric takes an end-to-end approach, pointing out that to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion, an organization should start with the team members you hire. Recruiting at Corbins means reaching out on different platforms, attending career fairs in a variety of communities, and engaging recruits in a multifaceted way.
One highly successful recruiting tool at Corbins is the employee referral bonus program. When a qualified employee gets referred, that referring team member gets a bonus. It fosters an environment that welcomes people from different communities and creates a domino effect – generating trust, community and inclusion in the process.
Once a part of the Corbins team, other initiatives help keep all team members feeling valued and included. Latino team members make up a sizable portion of the workforce, and Corbins ensures all company communications get sent in both English and Spanish.
Skilled crafts on the whole struggle to hire and retain women. There’s a glaring gender gap, despite the pay gap being only 1%, in contrast to most industries that are around 20[AR1] %. Corbins saw this within its own ranks, and a few years back, decided to take a proactive approach to recruiting women. They reached out to local trade high schools and offered internships in their prefabrication department. This pathway appealed to a lot of young women, and Corbins was able to create a lane that helped bring more women into the field.
Corbins Electric holds innovation as a core value. As it turns out, diverse companies are 1.7% more innovative[S2] . Is it any wonder that Corbins centers diversity as an underpinning of what helps make them more successful? In fact, Corbins recognizes that having people with a variety of life experiences, points of view and ways of thinking makes them hard to beat. Diversity keeps a company like Corbins nimble and creative, while giving it a distinct edge in a highly competitive market.
If you’re a job seeker in 2021 and diversity is important to you, you’re not alone. When you’re applying for a job, it can feel uncomfortable asking tough questions. You might want to seem agreeable or easygoing. After all, you’re looking for work. Keep in mind, you can learn a lot about a potential employee by doing subtle research. Visit their website and check out their social media channels. Learn a bit about what makes them tick. Do they care about the community in which they work? Does their team reflect the community at large?
In an interview, if you feel comfortable you can ask if the company has a Diversity & Inclusion policy (some smaller companies may not). In this setting, ask the interviewer questions important to you. It’s a two-way street – the company you choose should also align with your values. Remember that not only is a company interviewing you, but you are also interviewing them to gain insight on whether or not the company will be a fit for your future.
Times are changing. We’re excited to see more construction companies making a public commitment to diversity and inclusion. To see all job openings from Corbins Electric and other skilled crafts companies in Arizona, please check out our Career Center.
[AR1]source: https://www.nawic.org/nawic/Statistics.asp
[S2] https://builtin.com/diversity-inclusion/diversity-in-the-workplace-statistics