CFC Celebrates Construction Inclusion with Renewed Commitment
The construction sector hasn’t always been known for its diversity or inclusiveness. In 2018, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the AGC of Washington publicly set out to change that – and to advance construction as “the industry of choice for diverse and talented workers by building inclusive work environments in construction firms nationwide.” To that end, they formally launched the Culture of CARE campaign in 2020. CFC is proud to participate as an Impact Champion.
CFC celebrated Construction Inclusion Week in 2022 with a full week of events focused on raising awareness about the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive construction industry. As CFC President Pat Smith reflected in a letter to employees, “Culture of CARE is an ongoing effort to help our company ensure we have an inclusive workplace culture where each and every one of you feels valued, welcomed, included, and safe when you come to work.”
The week’s events kicked off with CFC leadership’s recommitment to the Culture of CARE pledge. The formal pledge, which CFC first signed in February 2021, focuses on four key principles:
- Commit – to hire and pay based on skill and experience regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.
- Attract – prospective employees by creating inclusive workplaces that are free from harassment, hazing, and bullying.
- Retain – high-performing employees by identifying and removing barriers to advancement.
- Empower – every employee to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion.
On Tuesday, we held a raffle and team-building events at several of our sites, including our corporate HQ in Golden. Each team chose from a list of team-building activities designed to help them learn more about each other’s backgrounds and experiences outside of work, build trust, and practice openness and curiosity. Raffle prizes included CFC-branded hats, wine glasses, and tote bags for four randomly selected winners at each site.
On Wednesday, we hosted catered pizza lunches with trade partners at several of our job sites. Banners and speakers at each location reinforced the purpose of raising awareness around construction inclusion.
For Thursday’s activity, we elected to support the University of Colorado’s Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE) at their Deja Vu Rendezvous (held October 14 at Mile High Station). CIDE provides assistive technology services to help people with cognitive, sensory, or physical disabilities to reach their potential. On Friday, to close out the week, we administered an Officevibe Inclusion and Belonging Survey to all CFC employees, helping us assess and track our performance and impact and identify areas for improvement.
As CFC President Pat Smith expressed,
“Diversity is one of our guiding principles at CFC, and it is the understanding that our different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds make us a stronger team.”
Smith was clear that CFC’s team knows that this important work continues year-round, long beyond Construction Inclusion Week. To that end, he provided links to additional resources (Culture of CARE job site videos, book and podcast recommendations, events, etc.) as well as guidance on how to report any behavior in violation of the Culture of CARE principles. Said Smith, “We want to empower every individual to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion.”
Every company wants to say they have the best people. While we admit we could be a bit biased, we nevertheless believe that we have the best team in the business! Learn more about life at CFC, get to know our leadership team, and apply today to join CFC’s amazing team.