The second annual Construction Inclusion Week kicks off Oct. 17, highlighting the need to foster inclusion, diversity and equity throughout the construction industry.

The week provides educational and business resources for the construction industry regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). New additions for 2022 include live-streamed content, facilitator tools and additional curriculum resources. New this year is a DEI Maturity Assessment that can be used as a baseline for engagement with the training materials and future implementation for industry firms.

“Building inclusive, diverse and equitable workplaces ensures job creators in the construction community offer a robust employee value proposition that is attractive to top talent from all communities,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Director of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Tia Perry. “Recruiting and retaining the best workers in the marketplace will foster more creativity, win more work and deliver the greatest value to the construction user. ABC is proud to be an integral part of this important week.”

Organizations that strive to promote IDE reap many benefits, including:

• Attracting and retaining high-caliber talent: Job-seekers are attracted to employers that demonstrate a commitment to sustaining a diverse workforce.
• Increasing productivity: Employing workers from all backgrounds not only fosters a positive work environment, but by widening the candidate pool, also helps construction companies recruit the most qualified workers. Gallup reports that removing bias from the interview process and hiring based on skills and talent leads to 41% less absenteeism, 70% fewer safety incidents and 59% less turnover. 
• Driving innovation and financial results: The Harvard Business Review published a survey that found many tangible benefits of diversity. Companies that were more diverse were more innovative, performed better than others, were 45% likelier to report that their firm’s market share grew during the previous year and were 70% likelier to report that the firm captured a new market.
• Promoting total human health: ABC’s Total Human Health Initiative fosters inclusion by focusing on wellness of the body, heart, spirit and mind. Health and safety programs for all industries should provide access to resources that apply to the four dimensions of total human health.

For more information, visit constructioninclusionweek.com.