Unstructured interviews do not predict performance and "culture fit" screens out candidates who are not the same as current team members.

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TAKE YOUR PULSE:

• How many diverse staff members have you hired in the past year?

• How does that compare to the year or two prior?

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TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP:

• Attend HBCU + Community College career fairs

• When reviewing resumes, recognize skills and experience through non-traditional experience

• Host a resume crafting or portfolio review seminar

• Empower your team with resources to interrupt bias

• Refine the interview process by using structured questions and work based performance evaluation.

Increasing community partnerships acknowledges that we aren't on this journey alone. Consider volunteering with and supporting existing programs focused on diversifying the next generation of architects. 

 

TAKE YOUR PULSE:

• One of the first barriers to entry to the profession is lack of early introduction to architects and architecture. When was the last time you spoke to youth about architecture? 

 

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

• Renew membership with NCNOMA and other allied organizations

• Consider partnering with NCNOMA and other allied organizations by being a Sponsor

• Support organizations that promote youth interest in architecture such as: Diversify Architecture, ACE Mentor Program, Do Greater Charlotte 

• Volunteer with Project Pipeline (Summer 2023)

• Host Hip Hop Architecture in your city

• Become an ACE mentor and/or Citizen School teacher 

• Sign up as a volunteer with your local school district as a career day speaker

Unconscious bias resides in inequitable opportunities, recognition, and compensation practices. Ensuring equity in compensation structures supports talent development and firm advancement. 

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TAKE YOUR PULSE

• Did you know equity increases with alignment, transparency, and fairness? How has your firm evaluated your compensation practices in the last year?
   

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP

• Interrupt “prove it again,” tightrope, parental, and tug of war biases . See Identifying Bias resource for specific examples.

• Publish a clear compensation process, including role descriptions + expectations, associated pay ranges, and requirements for advancement. Share openly with candidates and employees.

• Conduct annual compensation audits. Use national, regional, and local data to evaluate current compensation ranges. Calibrate compensation to current market trends; consider competitive local salaries and cost of living adjustments. Share a clear, concise summary of findings with candidates and employees. 

• Avoid overinflated compensation of new hires without adjusting for tenured employees. Make a point to recognize the value of your current team.

• Beware of bias in traditional negotiation practices. Diverse employees negotiate compensation increases less often. Imbalance adjustments of some lead to pay inequity among all. 

• Bolster compensation package with elevated benefits package. Align your benefits offered with your firm values, such as additional leave and wellness benefits. 

EDI should be more than just a statement on your website.  Policies create the systems to break old cycles of practice to make our firms and profession more equitable and inclusive.

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TAKE YOUR PULSE

• Do your firm policies protect employees based on minority status? Do you evaluate each policy with a lens of anti-discrimination and anti-harassment? Have you established processes for filing discrimination complaints?
   

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

• Incorporate an official statement of EDI commitment in your vision and strategy plan.

• Create an EDI group to measure efforts and achievements. Accept that current diverse members may not have the capacity or desire to participate at this time.

• Establish and track EDI progress through the entire cycle of employment. 

• Regularly conduct EDI training, including unconscious bias, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment. 

• Hire an EDI consultant to evaluate your policies and offer recommendations for more equitable and inclusive practice.

• Include professional development funding for team members to participate in professional organizations, including NCNOMA. 

 

Every career path is unique and requires a personalized approach to navigate the process of technical and professional advancement. Provide opportunities for a more equitable development experience.
 

TAKE YOUR PULSE

• Have you considered the joint responsibility of individuals, managers, and firms to advance professional development? Intentional design is required to interrupt unconscious bias in the career advancement process. 
   

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP

• Design inclusive leadership development programs, including allocation of dedicated professional development hours. 

• Use metrics to monitor career development milestones. Identify points where progress for diverse professionals slows. Challenges processes which disadvantage underrepresented individuals, such as selection for training, special assignments, and promotions. 

• Clearly document role descriptions including responsibilities, competencies, development opportunities, and promotion criteria. 

• Provide manager training to increase psychological safety for greater learning and inclusion. 

• Incorporate coaching and regular feedback conversations in the career development process. 

• Recognize the difference between skill and experience gaps. Provide training to increase skills capacity and mentorship to supplement project experience. 

Investing in the next generation of architects is critical to a future of practice that mirrors our diverse dynamic society.  We must expose, educate and support aspiring architects to and through the profession.

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TAKE YOUR PULSE

• Have you established and maintained ties to architecture programs outside of your city or region?

• Have you established and maintained ties to architecture, engineering and design programs at HBCUs?

• Do you work to actively recruit and provide opportunities for  non-traditional students?

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TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP

• Become involved at a non-local and/or HBCU architecture program through teaching, portfolio reviews, etc.

• Connect and contribute to student led organizations like NOMAS, AIAS, ACSA, etc.

• Participate in career fairs at HBCU’s and architecture programs outside of your city and state.

• Become a part of the NOMA Foundation Fellowship Program and offer opportunities for emerging BIPOC professionals.

• Regularly host groups of students at your office for tours and information sessions.

Partnership on projects brings fresh perspectives to the design process and improves project outcomes.  

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TAKE YOUR PULSE

• Have you partnered with a HUB | DBE firm on a recent project pursuit? If so, what did you learn through the process?

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TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP

• Hire diverse consultants, including partner architects

  • Search state and local diverse vendor sites to learn about these firms

•  Explore relationships with HUB|DBE architects early

  • Don’t start with a specific project pursuit. Rather seek alignment in values and culture in order to build a lasting partnership.

•  Partnering with others for the right reasons and in the right ways (maybe this goes to a second slide?)

  • True partnership on full scope of project, not just a specific task to "check the box"

  • Collaboration that includes diverse voices in the design process leads to increased innovation

  • Minority firms tend to attract more diverse staff. Supporting these businesses has a positive impact throughout diverse communities

Bias often emerges in task assignment through stereotypes, perceived gender roles, and personality differences. This results in team members being overlooked and receiving fewer opportunities to creatively contribute, lead, and innovate.

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TAKE YOUR PULSE:

• Are the same team members frequently assigned highly visible projects or high risk tasks? Are more vocal team members rewarded more frequently?

• Do some team members routinely volunteer to perform stereotypical gendered roles? For example, women more frequently take on “office housework” and event planning. 

• Are some members overlooked for certain tasks because they are quieter, work flexibly, or remote?

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TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP:

• Assess current patterns in team assignments. 

• Use clear parameters to assign tasks that are project specific; review metrics to observe trending patterns.. 

• Define value and compensation for special projects.

• Design employee development plans that identify and recognize additional work performed by individuals.

• Focus on holistic talent development including all phases of design and all aspects of firm management.

Rigid schedules that focus on presence over impact ignore the diverse life experience of individual team members. Universal design for flexibility and wellbeing provides greater job satisfaction, higher engagement levels, and lower stress. Focus on wellbeing is good for all.

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TAKE YOUR PULSE:

• Is “busy” the most common response of your team members when asked how they are doing? 

• Do your leaders practice flexibility and wellbeing for themselves and support it within their team?

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TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP:

• Build a robust caregiving leave policy, including paid-time off for all types of parental and family care responsibilities. Provide options for both short and long term care situations. 

• Interrupt the “proximity bias” that offers preferential treatment to full time, in-office team members. When determining promotions or assigning high-profile projects, provide the same consideration for team members with flexible schedules. 

• Support family leave with a period of ramp-down and ramp-up before and after time off. Allow for a gradual return to responsibilities as required. 

• Offer healthcare options, including generous PTO, to support both physical and mental wellbeing. 

• Normalize use of PTO by removing the expectation of “light work” while off. Cover all work communications and responsibilities for those on PTO, e.g. individuals do not call into meetings when on leave. 

• Stop overvaluing overwork. Remove overtime as a consideration for promotions, compensation, or bonuses.