When thinking about innovation in construction, areas such as technology, virtual construction, or advancements in tools and equipment are likely to come to mind. While innovations in these areas are a regular occurrence at Miron Construction Co., Inc., another space in which the company is strengthening its innovation muscle is company culture. A culture of innovation allows Miron to attract and retain top talent, increase productivity, and foster a sense of community in the workplace.
Miron is actively progressing efforts and knowledge in diversity, equity, and inclusion. The team continuously advances toward the more equitable inclusion of all people. Understanding that diversity drives innovation, Miron is dedicated to building a workforce comprised of a variety of backgrounds, skills, and views, and cultivating a workplace of belonging that is the right fit for every person inside of it. Miron’s commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, ability, and experience drives them forward together every day.
After becoming certified in workplace DEI from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sara Montonati, Miron’s communications and culture manager, took steps of progress that have embedded accountability for DEI throughout the organization.
In a conscious effort to create lasting, impactful change, Miron started executing various strategies in 2020 to move them toward a more diverse and welcoming workplace. In the beginning, Miron’s efforts focused on actively recruiting from diverse populations. They were guided by diversity-focused workforce organizations, highlighting traditionally marginalized individuals to show that Miron is a place for everyone, and learning the basics from external experts. These actions were shifting practices, elevating equity, and activating diversity at Miron. The needle was moving in the right direction, but it wasn’t far enough.
Within Miron’s employee base exists a broad range of people with traditionally marginalized and intersecting identities. “We needed to learn how to show up as allies for one another, to help everyone feel supported and included,” Montonati said. “I knew that so much of Team Miron thought of themselves as allies, but some individuals still weren’t receiving the allyship they deserved.”
The team learned there was a gap between intent and action. While it was true that the majority considered themselves allies, few were performing allyship actions, which can feel uncomfortable at first. Enter: Allyship at Work workshops.
Allyship at Work Workshops
Allyship is everyone’s work, and it’s largely the work of people with privilege to support and advance those with less privilege. During the Allyship at Work workshops, participants learn what allyship is (and what it isn’t), unpack their personal privilege in and outside of Miron, learn about inequities that impact people with less privilege, discover what power they have to enact change in the workplace, and learn specific actions to practice allyship. The workshops have resulted in participants deploying real allyship actions and have inspired them to serve as change agents.
“The personal privilege exercise and discussion we dive into during Allyship at Work requires participants to look inward and be vulnerable,” said Montonati. “Understanding our privilege is central to allyship; it’s important to see examples of how some of our identities may provide us advantages, while others may put us at a disadvantage. We can’t show up for our colleagues unless we first understand what barriers are in their way. We must remember that having privilege doesn’t mean one hasn’t suffered, but simply that one’s identity hasn’t contributed to their suffering.”
Since the beginning of 2022, more than 160 Miron employees have taken part in the company’s workshops. The feedback from each session has been overwhelmingly positive, and testimonials from past participants have resulted in each round reaching capacity, forcing overflow to future sessions.
At its project sites, Yard Operations, and each of the seven offices, Miron has trained, confident, compassionate allies showing up in little and big ways for their colleagues. Past participants continue to share real examples of active allyship with Montonati, who facilitates the workshops. If they’re people in a traditionally marginalized group and have been discriminated against in the past, they feel seen, heard, and protected. If they’re someone who possesses more privilege, they share concrete examples of how they’re using their power in new and meaningful ways.
Examples of active allyship happening at Miron include employees educating themselves about the experiences of people of color, male employees publicly giving female colleagues credit for their ideas, craftspeople confronting discrimination when they see it, and middle managers mentoring and advocating for new opportunities for individuals with different identities than their own.
Simply put, allyship is a powerful force for good.
IDEA Council
A newly formed group at Miron called the IDEA Council is comprised of members from diverse backgrounds, which includes diversity in race, gender, ethnicity, and orientation, as well as diversity in role and tenure with Miron and within the industry. The IDEA Council (which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Allyship) has four pillars: inclusion and retention, attraction and recruitment, messaging and metrics, and community and partnerships. The members of this group discuss opportunities for improvement in each of these focus areas and help champion innovation throughout the company’s culture.
Culture of CARE
Miron joined thousands of general contractors and construction managers across the nation to become an Impact Champion of the Culture of CARE, an initiative created by the Associated General Contractors of America.
As an Impact Champion, Miron Commits to hire based on skill and experience regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, race, religion, sex or orientation; Attracts prospective employees by creating inclusive workplaces that are free from harassment, hazing, and bullying; Retains high-performing employees by identifying and removing barriers for advancement; and Empowers every employee to promote a culture of DEI.
“At Miron, we’ll always have more work to do in this space, but we’re invested in and committed to being transparent in our purposeful evolution, continuous learning, and intentional ideation,” said Montonati. “Our team actively lives out our core values so that inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative.”
Company: Miron Construction
Innovation: Embedding allyship into company culture
Website: miron-construction.com
