Introduction

Municipalities are struggling to attract new workforce talent as the existing institutional knowledge is nearing retirement. It may be even more difficult if there is a lack of diversity in their existing staff to mentor young professionals. Additionally, municipalities, banks, real estate developers, utilities, etc. all have to work together for a development project to come to fruition. This emphasizes the importance of being aware of how our actions and words impact our working relationships. Finally, as Economic Development professionals workforce talent retention and attraction may once again become a hot topic post-COVID-19. As part of the services practitioners provides to local firms, encouraging them to look at the diversity of their workforce may become increasingly important to the longevity of the firm.

As a white, married, heterosexual woman, I recognize that my experience in a male-dominated industry is narrow compared to others from different racial groups, gender identities, and abilities who experience similar and worse challenges/behaviors/discrimination. Based on what experience I do have, organizations looking to further their workforce talent attraction and retention goals should pluck the following low-hanging fruit:

  1. Achieve personal and organizational awareness
  2. Offer mentorship
  3. Create a culture of healthy dialog
  4. Compare compensation within the commuter-shed
  5. Collaborate on talent attraction efforts

Achieve personal awareness

I remember my first professional meeting with a real estate developer from Chicago.  He was 45 minutes late and frazzled.  I asked him if I could get him something to drink before we sat down.  He looked me up and down and asked for coffee. He didn’t seem to need any additional caffeine, but I complied. When I brought the coffee back to him, he asked me to leave the conference room so he could make a phone call while he waited for my boss, a man, to return from closing a deal. I was irked that he seemed to think that I was not in the position to be discussing potential development plans, but I had only been at the job for two weeks and didn’t want to blow it. So, yet again, I complied. 

Fortunately, supportive male co-workers encouraged me to not spend any more time with him. They were as offended as I was. Unfortunately, for him and other women he meets, I lacked the courage to confront him about his behavior assuming that in doing so, he would change.

Questions for personal reflection:

  • What assumptions do I make when meeting with someone for the first time that may be erroneous?
  • How do I respond when confronted with new information that challenges my previous assumptions?
  • Do I validate or dismiss grievances shared by coworkers?
  • Am I giving credit where credit is due? E.g. if a team member proposes a brilliant idea, am I taking credit for it or am I affirming their creativity?
  • Do I speak up when dominant voices speak over, interrupt, disrespect, or make insensitive comments about non-dominate social groups?
  • Are we addressing both covert and overt forms of discrimination when they happen by taking immediate action?

Achieve organizational awareness

My next meeting was with the committee that oversaw the revolving loan fund for the downtown. I was the only woman at the table surrounded by men with salt and pepper hair. Some had more salt than pepper. At the time, I had no idea how commercial lending worked or what the underwriting criteria were. I was also an outsider among colleagues and friends, some of who had worked together for decades.  Given my previous experience, one could imagine my apprehension to make a proposal to disburse limited funds. Stress sweat is a real thing! These men, however, warmly welcomed me and eagerly shared their knowledge of the industry.

Questions for your organization to consider:

  • How are we helping our existing workforce talent reach their personal and professional goals?
  • How is institutional knowledge disbursed throughout our organization?
  • Does our organization have a culture of affirmation or critique? e.g. praise for how they handled a tough customer vs. what mistakes were made.
  • Have potential leaders been identified and how are we developing them?

Offer mentorship

In addition to professional development, time spent mentoring young professionals are exceedingly valuable.  In one organization I was a part of, this occurred organically post a public meeting, development proposal, etc. The senior managers would loiter in cube land or perch themselves on a file cabinet to debrief the meeting. They shared their institutional knowledge, past experiences, best practices, and loads of encouragement. Mentor relationships like this do not happen organically in all organizations. Furthermore, in organizations where it does happen organically, that may not be the case for women and racial minorities. Additionally, both gender and racial diversity within the management team may provide the opportunity for staff to effectively mentor younger/new staff who see themselves reflected in management and executive positions.

One manager also provided introductions at networking events with other professionals which expanded my professional mentoring net. (One such contact helped facilitate my current employment with Redevelopment Resources.) His accolades during the introductions, while embarrassing for a Midwesterner, affirmed my credibility with the new contact. Hearing my manager affirm my work publicly as well as in the office, strengthened my confidence and workplace satisfaction.

Healthy Dialog:

Within the Organization

A workplace culture that can discuss hard topics, like equity, together with mentorship strengthens talented voices. Within the first six months of working for a municipality, my coworkers and I were required to participate in an annual diversity training.  (The training is required as part of the municipality’s insurance agreement with the carrier.) Rather than sitting in rows with someone lecturing to us, the facilitator arranged the chairs in a circle for a more discussion-based approach.  There were some hard conversations that took place, but given proper ground rules, the response was positive and rewarded with honest dialog that continued after the training. Conversely, I participated in a different organization that was also required to attend the same training. My perception of the results of that training was that it was simply an exercise to fulfill an annual requirement, but no further meaningful dialog occurred. 

Furthermore, it also helped me to develop friendships with other women in male-dominated departments (like the planning, public works, and transportation departments).  More experienced in navigating gender diversity in the workplace, they became my support group. We met regularly for lunch and the conversation primarily revolved around less intense topics of family and pets. Since we had spent considerable amounts of time together this paved the way for those challenging workplace conversations no one is immune to.

Within the Community

Communities should engage stakeholders in a dialog that strategically identifies and advances the diversity and inclusion goals of the organization or community.  Ensure that there are multiple disciplines and representatives of various non-dominant social groups at the table with decision-making authority. Your community or organization may want to hire an experienced facilitator to help set boundaries and guide the conversation. While there are no “stupid” questions, there can be awkward and insensitive ones. Experienced facilitators can extract the intention of the question being asked and teach the group why what they said can have a negative impact on the very issues they’re discussing.”

Workforce Compensation

Compare compensation within the commuter-shed

So, your organization is already progressing with difficult conversations, developing initiatives, and investing in the existing workforce, but you’re still having a difficult time attracting talent. It may be time to examine the compensation of other firms within an hour’s commute.  The talent pool isn’t as mobile as one might assume for a number of reasons.  For example, parents of middle school and high school students may not want to pull their kids out of the school district if they’ve developed roots, a family member needs more immediate access to specialized medical clinics, or the location of a partner’s employer may limit mobility options.

Some municipal employers base their compensation rates on similar-sized communities within the state, however, it may be more prudent for these municipalities to look at similar-sized communities within their region.  If the talent isn’t going to change their residency, they will shop around for the highest bidder within a desired commute. 

Compare compensation within the Organization

Organizations should also review their payrolls for wage equity for non-dominant social groups. Since 2015, Salesforce has invested $10.3 million to ensure pay equity. Companies with high levels of racial diversity (25% or more) have been found to have mean revenues that were nearly 15.5 times higher than those with low levels of racial diversity (less than 10%). (Check out last month’s blog.)[1]  That the same study found that workforce with high levels of gender diversity (45% or more) have been found to have mean revenues that were over 14 times higher than those with low levels of gender diversity (less than 20%).[2]  Some questions to prepare for a pay equity analysis include the following:

  • Do wage gaps exist that cannot be explained by education and experience?
  • Are there any differences in opportunities for advancement?

For more information on conducting a pay equity analysis check out PayScale.

Collaborate on workforce talent attraction efforts

Economic Development professionals need to also conduct their business retention and expansion visits with the human resources directors of local firms to strategize creative methods of addressing the workforce talent attraction and retention issues. By discussing their labor force needs, creative solutions can be developed. For example, there may be firms that furlough their labor force with compatible skills during alternating times of the year. It may be advantageous for these firms to work together to share the same labor pool. 

Additionally, by working with regional employers, municipalities, utilities, and workforce development boards, job opportunities and the communities within which they are located can be marketed in a centralized location. As previously pointed out, prospective employees have multiple needs that will be factored into their decision-making process. These talented individuals will be conducting internet searches as part of their research which will likely include real estate availability, cost of living, school systems, community organizations, recreational opportunities, etc. One example of this is JobsinRockCounty.com.  This jobs portal provides opportunities for visitors to find job postings, upload the resume of an accompanying spouse, arrange a customized tour of the community, and much more.

Conclusion

Lessons I’ve learned in assisting local firms in their efforts to attract and retain diverse talent include encouraging workplace cultures in which consistent, healthy dialog and mentorship are a part of the organizational fabric; regional approaches to comparing compensation rates; and collaborating with other economic development organizations to attract talent. This list is by no means comprehensive and is merely a personal reflection from the field meant to inspire further dialog and creativity.

[1] Herring, Cedric. Is Diversity Still a Good Thing?. 82 American Sociological Review. 868, 871

[2] Carter, Jennifer, et al. (2019). Economics of Diversity. Intellectual Property Owner’s Association. Pg. 2. Retrieved from: https://ipo.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FINAL-White-Paper-on-Economics-of-Diversity-1.pdf