AMOS SIMBO
“It might be about pushing the right messages to showcase the industry and its opportunities to people that don’t normally hear about it. Let’s say you’re a five-person business; there is no harm in advertising what you do or presenting opportunities in the industry to a different audience. If you don’t hire them, that’s fine. “The point is creating more awareness. If you attend an event and there’s a good role model from a different background, make noise about it.” If businesses have the opportunity to hire a more diverse workforce, Simbo hopes they will. He says it’s understandable why people tend to hire those from similar backgrounds. “It’s more straightforward to deal with people who speak your language and have the same cultural inclinations. Things translate the same way and you probably build trust a lot quicker with ‘your own people’.” However, Simbo says: “People just want to be given a chance. Whether they take it or make a success of it, being given the chance is the first part.” Avoid tick-boxing or number-crunching The Government or industry bodies should not force businesses of certain sizes to hire specific numbers of employees from different backgrounds, Simbo says. A better approach is appraising every business and the area in which it operates. Dictating that all businesses should have certain representation in their companies is not going to be feasible for many reasons,
The UK construction industry is in the “early stages” of its DEI journey, Simbo says. Change is slow, in part, because there still needs to be a shift towards diverse and inclusive workplace policies and practices becoming day-to-day operations for most businesses. Positively, Simbo says conversations around DEI are increasing, particularly in the public sector, “which has an impact on the big contractors and that cascades down to smaller firms too”. What SMEs can do Simbo is well aware there are many small, family-owned construction companies in the UK. He’s not suggesting a team of siblings, spouses or parents and children should radically overhaul their business to hire a more diverse team. But there are ways they can contribute to improved DEI. “It’s about being reasonable in expectations and not trying to pressure those businesses to be as diverse as possible,” Simbo points out. “The whole point is being aware of the issues and finding ways to help. Maybe for a small business it could be about creating pathways for those who might not know about routes into the industry.
“That’s just the nature of business. Try something. If it doesn’t work that doesn’t mean it can never work. The one thing you try or the person you hire shouldn’t be a conclusion of everything.” Diverse benefits There have been many reports published and opinions written about how having a more diverse workforce is good for business. Creativity and innovation tend to improve and, as Simbo argues, “employers open themselves up to a lot of talented people” when they hire diversely. “Hiring for diversity enables us to see, from a completely different perspective, our products, building projects, roles in the industry and how we deliver work. When we don’t do this, when we stay comfortable with people we’re used to, we miss out on a lot of talent and perspective.” In an increasingly diverse world, it makes business sense to have a workforce that is representative of society. “Look at London, it’s so mixed,” Simbo says. “You meet so many people with different perspectives, speaking every language you can think of. There’s a reason London is one of the world’s leading cities. “Leaders could be innovating and growing their businesses by tapping into certain demographics in the marketplace and supply chains. They could be benefitting from different perspectives.” Simbo believes that “there’s a social imperative for business to reflect the way the world is” but in doing so, employers will reap the benefits. “There’s no reason why business shouldn’t also enjoy the same kind of innovation that a large, mixed city like London does.”
“A lot of it just comes down to being honest and desensitising the topic of diversity and inclusion, not running away from it”
Amos Simbo
not least that some businesses exist in areas that simply are not all that diverse, Simbo explains. “We don’t need a number to be thrown out. It’s almost lazy how DEI issues are being approached. You could argue that people setting targets are just tick-boxing because of political pressure or they’re trying to showcase that they’ve done something.” It is more effective if company leaders are honest, earnest and experimental. “Businesses need to make changes for the right reasons,” Simbo says. “Leaders need to be open about their intentions and say, ‘We know some things might work, some won’t.’ You’re going to put some people into positions and they might not succeed.
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