Dome Construction’s Melissa Berg, left, and Rob Lynch, middle, joined AGC of California’s Yuhi Aizawa Combatti for the session, “Culture of Belonging as a Talent Strategy,” during CONSTRUCT 2022.


BELOW: Employees at the “State of Dome” quarterly all-hands meeting in October 2022.


process resulted in a 100-page report that offered 100 recommendations for how Dome could improve its culture and eliminate bias in its processes. Having an outside professional “help-


ing ‘right-set’ our organization’s mindset, and having eyes out for bias and inequity, was a big part of this journey,” according to Lynch. “It’s not a checkbox thing; it’s raising that awareness. You need to build that inclusive environment for people to thrive. It’s really about creating that culture where people come in, they stay, they thrive, and keeping that going.” Berg officially moved into a new role


overseeing culture and inclusion at Dome in early 2020. Since then, she has led the charge overseeing Dome’s efforts to implement many of the 100 recommen- dations and to improve the company’s culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.


Some of the key steps that Dome has taken since then include: • conscious inclusion training for every employee;


• a revamped mentoring program; • a vastly expanded recruiting program that reaches out to more diverse colleges and universities; and


• the Dome Includes “Allyship” program that allows employees to show support of the LGBTQ+ community and of other underrepresented groups in the industry. During their company onboarding, ev-


ery new Dome employee now spends time with Berg learning about the company’s approach to DE&I – setting expectations and underscoring the company’s culture from day one. On the horizon, Dome plans to “dig


into the trade partner diversity, our rela- tionship with nonprofits for internships,”


Berg noted, and well as “continuing to expand our recruiting efforts.” Tere is also a renewed focus on exploring ways to diminish the inequities between the field and office. In combination, these efforts foster an


environment of inclusion and belonging while also contributing to the company’s bottom line success and overall employee satisfaction, Lynch said. “Who doesn’t want to work in a place


with an inclusive environment, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, where they belong, are heard, and are given all the support they need to thrive and succeed?” he commented. “Tat should be everybody’s expectation, but I think our industry could do a better job making that a reality for our teams. We are just starting to have those conversa- tions and implementing positive change, and I think that is very encouraging.”


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023


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