T R E N D L I N E S M a r c h 2 9 , 2 0 2 1 , I s s u e 1 3 8 5 W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M
COVID-19’s impact on staff
The decisions firms make today will determine the talent available for the next professional generation. Women in the workplace
In Zweig Group’s ongoing 2021 AEC Industry Outlook and Response to COVID-19 Survey , firms were asked how their employees were impacted by effects of the pandemic. About two in five firms (39 percent) said they had employees volunteer to reduce their hours and/or pay since March 2020. A median of 5 percent of their staff volunteered for these reductions in their hours or compensation. Additionally, about one in five firms (22 percent) had employees quit or resign since March 2020 due to COVID-19 related factors. Participate in a short questionnaire to receive a free report of this survey’s findings. F I R M I N D E X Garmann Miller........................................6 Genesis AEC.........................................12 kW Mission Critical Engineering.............10 tk1sc.....................................................10 WGI, Inc................................................12 WSP Global Inc.....................................10 MO R E A R T I C L E S xz ROB HUGHES: Using ERM to strengthen your firm Page 3 xz Set the vision: Eric Baltzell Page 6 xz MARK ZWEIG: Making remote workers feel connected Page 9 xz KATIE CRAWFORD: The power of storytelling Page 11
T he lessons learned from previous crises tell us diversity and inclusion programs are at risk of receding from the forefront as a strategic priority, as companies focus on basic needs to transition to the new normal. This could cripple organizations and, indeed, the entire AEC community, in the future as companies seek to stabilize, flourish, and grow. Before COVID-19, the AEC industries were in a precarious position related to diversity – and especially women – in the workplace. The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ (NCARB) 2019 survey of the profession, conducted in partnership with National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), found that women are twice as likely to stop pursuing a licensure after taking one of the six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®). Zweig Group studies similarly reflect a downward trend of those who self-identify as female from entry into the AEC workforce through licensure, with representation dropping from 36 percent for ages 18 to 25, down to 29 percent by ages 44 to 55. According to Zweig Group’s 2020 Principals, Partners, and Owners Report of AEC Firms , 94 percent of firm principals are white; 84 percent are male; 82 percent are 50 or older; and only 2 percent are under age 40. The same NCARB and NOMA study found that 66 percent of African Americans don’t see themselves reflected in firm leadership. BRIDGING THE GAPS. The representation gap is significant, but taking action requires support from the very top of the organizational chart. It also takes thought leadership from the C-suite across the entire AEC industry. Despite the gap in retention and leadership attainment of women within AEC, the No. 1 challenge identified by the award-winning firms within our Hot Firm and Best Firm To Work For awards is recruitment and retention. Marrying the needs identified by C-suite leaders of fast-growing and culture-conscious AEC firms with the gaps found in the demographic data was a perfect launching point for our ElevateHer movement to bring senior executives to the table to commit to working together to find solutions. To us, the opportunity was clear: We cannot begin to fight the talent war without reckoning with the reality that we haven’t done all we can to recruit, retain, inspire, and develop every bright mind with an interest in STEM. ElevateHer started in 2018 as an open letter about my personal experience serving the AEC industries as a consultant that turned into a Facebook community. As the community grew, the virtual network Editor’s note: This article first appeared in ©Marketer , The Journal of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, February 2021, www.smps.org. It appears here with permission from SMPS.
Jamie Claire Kiser
See JAMIE CLAIRE KISER, page 2
T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R T H E A E C I N D U S T R Y
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