BUSINESS
It is well known and documented that when you use best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of your business, you can expect continued growth and improved sustainability. – Kirk McElwain, U.S. Small Business Administration
“Innovation is often bred by necessity but also gives competitive advantage,” Encalarde says.
New perspectives Sal Crespo, ASBC, an accredited small business consultant with Ten2 Consulting in Biloxi, Mississippi, says develop- ing a focus on DEI provides additional perspectives that a single business owner might not have on their own or by working only with people who have a similar background. “Te more diversity you have in a population, the
more opportunities you have to draw from that pool and expand your business,” he adds of the benefit of DEI in addressing labor issues. “I’m from Puerto Rico and I live in the Deep South,”
he says. “Believe it or not, we have a ton of diversity. Ob- viously, having diversity increases the opportunity to dig deeper into the mindset of what each individual brings to the table. Te more different types of ideas, the better and the stronger your company will be.” DEI efforts may contribute to a workplace culture
where outcomes include employee retention and employ- ees putting in extra effort in job performance, notes Lehr. Cherisa Chapa, a process management consultant with
Recharge Digital Consultancy in Burkburnett, Texas, notes that developing a company culture that encourag- es DEI benefits the team in that “everybody knows that they’re part of a team and that regardless of any differences they have – color, race, creed or whatever it may be – that they’re accepted. And when you feel accepted, you’re more a part of a team. If everybody feels a part of the team and appreciated, they’re going to be more apt to work harder. “If they spot a problem out there with the irrigation
system, they’re more apt to say something instead of say- ing, ‘Tat’s not my job,’” she points out. “When they feel valued and that their skill set is valued and what they say and do and how they do their job is appreciated, then they’re going to contribute more. Tey’re going to natu- rally work harder. “Tis is back-breaking labor. Tey’re going to push
through the hard parts or think smarter because then they’re going to care about the company that they feel cared for by,” she says. When the team works harder together and presents itself as a team to the client base, “that increases the prof- its because your quality will increase,” Chapa points out. DEI promotes teambuilding through opportunities to work with people with differences in culture, appearance
26 Irrigation & Lighting June 2023
and ability, such as “folks who may have been previously injured because maybe they’re a veteran or they’ve been injured on a previous job,” notes Encalarde. “It’s a great exercise in empathy and teambuilding in
really having to shore up where maybe their weakness is your strength and vice versa. It brings a stronger sense of camaraderie, but it’s all based off of the organizational cul- ture and the leadership skills of those who manage those folks.”
Payback in profits
Revenues may be improved through DEI efforts, says McElwain. “An engaged and diverse workforce results in optimal individual and organizational performance. It is well known and documented that when you use best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of your business, you can expect continued growth and improved sustainability.” Building a company with DEI best practices at its core
can reduce overall turnover, which is costly, both in the time and money spent and the lost opportunity of hiring and retaining, Lehr points out. “In a robust, broadly defined DEI culture, there is less
siloing, more workforce engagement and a greater sense of ‘oneness’ as an outcome,” he says. When you have varying perspectives from a multitude
of different people who represent diverse groups and ways of thinking, “then you’ll start to get better process im- provement, which will drive down margins through effi- ciency. You’ll start to get access to greater networks,” says Encalarde.
He points out that small business revenues are many
times derived from word-of-mouth and performance more than from advertising efforts. “To have a diverse population of workforce definite-
ly will help to spread the word amongst those different communities,” he says. “If you have great employees from diverse groups and you manage a team well, then they will naturally promote your company and your services because they also see the company as an extension of themselves in that space.” Among the steps companies can put into practice now
to develop DEI efforts include building a coaching and accountability system, notes Chapa. “You’re going to coach and mentor somebody to de-
velop their skill set and to better their work environment or your work environment,” she adds. “Accountability is a
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