Embracing Diversity–The Organic Way

The definition of diversity and inclusion can be described as “a company’s inclusion of employees from a variety of cultures and characteristics such as age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, race, ethnicity and cultural background." An Inclusive workplace would value all of these differences between employees and accept and treat all equally.

I am sure these are values that all employers would like to embrace at their companies. But to make it organic and natural to the organization can prove more difficult at times for employers.

Glassdoor also recently compiled a survey of D&I in the workplace. They found:

More than 3 in 4 employees and job seekers (76 percent) report a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.

Further, about 4 in 5 Black (80 percent), Hispanic (80 percent) and LGBTQ (79 percent) job seekers and employees report a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers.

Nearly half of Black (47 percent) and Hispanic (49 percent) job seekers and employees have quit a job after witnessing or experiencing discrimination at work, significantly higher than white (38 percent) job seekers and employees. (Glassdoor D&I Workplace Survey, 9/30/20)

Among the many benefits of a publicized D&I policy in practice are:

An increase in the variety of perspectives available to employees and the company at large, thus encouraging more creativity and problem-solving on a company level.

• Reduction in employee turnover and an increase in workforce satisfaction.

• Better hiring results through more inclusive policies and practices.

With those benefits in mind, there are both internal and external methods that can be employed to organically create a more diverse and inclusive environment.

Internal methods could be implemented, such as: Having a diverse team over the interview process of new hires; mentorships among employees; reassessing company benefits to ensure they are equitable; and providing diversity training for your team.

External methods could involve: Posting your D&I policies on your company website for potential employees to review; and hosting diversity events for both education of employees and to see the policies at work.

Here in the Piedmont Triad, several landscape companies have already embraced diversity and are encouraging it with vigor.

Lindsey Heise, a landscape architect at New Garden Landscaping (newgarden.com) in Greensboro, North Carolina, had the following to say about her journey in the landscape industry:

“I think the increase in the number of women entering this male-dominated industry has encouraged a positive change in perspectives of equality toward women of the green industry.

As a former instructor in the horticulture department of a community college, I had the opportunity to observe firsthand this positive shift in views. Although the ratio of males to females was not 50/50, it was close. The increase in female enrollment was great to see, but what was even better to witness was the interaction between male and female students. It was apparent that there was a great amount of mutual respect and expectations of capabilities, knowledge and skills between genders.

Likewise, Matt Medcalf, general manager of Southern Exposure (wemakedirtlookgood.com), had this to say about the diverse atmosphere at his company:

In general, I think women in our industry are being met with ‘she can’ attitudes instead of ‘can she?’ mentalities. I'm proud to be a woman in this industry where I am treated as an equal by my male colleagues. With that being said, I am also looking forward to the future when a ‘male-dominated field’ may no longer be a descriptor of our industry.”

“Diversity is extremely important as we create quality landscapes at Southern Exposure. The results are always best when we are able to gather from each other’s collective experiences and translate that into a superior product and experience for our customers.”

These two companies naturally strive to continually create a diverse and equitable environment for their employees. The results can be seen in the success of their companies!

As Aristotle so eloquently said:

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

Yes, yes it is.

ABOUT Lori Hawkins

Lori Hawkins, RLA, ASLA, has been a registered landscape architect for over 30 years. She is registered in both North Carolina and South Carolina and has her own private practice in the Greensboro area. You can follow her on Instagram @3Dlandscapearchitect or check out her website at www.hawkinsla.com for more information.