CH2M is one of America’s largest private companies, offering a diverse range of environmental and engineering consulting services in the U.S. and internationally. It’s common to hear companies of this magnitude tout a diverse culture, but at CH2M, you can actually see it. For starters, the company is led by CEO Jacqueline Hinman, one of the only women to run a major U.S. engineering firm. In addition, the organization has received countless workplace recognitions including Corporate Golden Torch award (via the National Society of Black Engineers) and WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) Employer of the Year.
CH2M received a Diversity Runner-Up DirectEmployers Member Award for their “All-In Diversity Program,” an initiative designed to expand their already successful diversity efforts to include transitioning military/veterans and people with disabilities. Their success is undeniable – 500% click increase and 55% uptick in applications. How did they do it? Let’s take a look at some of the program’s key elements.
Employee Network Groups
CH2M has eight network groups that promote and nurture a rich array of perspectives. These groups are open to all employees and serve as a source of support and solidarity and promote employee engagement.
CH2M employee networks for people with disabilities and service members play an active role in recruitment and outreach efforts to include:
- Providing outlets for employees to connect, share and network with employees with similar affiliations and interests.
- Providing valuable input and consultation on recruitment outreach strategies, media resources and marketing materials.
- Assisting in staffing career and business development events.
- Utilizing networks to support and inform employees on recruitment efforts.
- Representing CH2M in individual memberships of other diversity organizations.
The company’s Talent Acquisition team has involved members of the veteran employee network (VetNet) in this initiative even prior to the group’s formal inception in November 2013 to provide input on strategies, potential partners, marketing materials and social media ideas as well as participate in career fairs. Similarly, they have built a mutually rewarding partnership with their disabilities employee network (A.C.E.), whereby members have provided valuable input, support and collaboration toward recruitment efforts.
Internal Resources
CH2M has dedicated sourcers who specialize in recruiting diverse candidates including military personnel/veterans and individuals with disabilities. They also hired a full-time employee designated to coordinate targeted diversity outreach efforts at national and local levels. Another team member is dedicated to diversity recruitment marketing, branding and outreach.
CH2M’s recruiters are accountable for sourcing and maintaining active pipelines of diverse candidates. This activity includes measurable goals and is tied to their performance evaluations. Some of the actionable tasks recruiters perform to meet their goals are to:
- Include a conversation on diversity opportunities in hiring manager meetings.
- Research and identify effective sources which provide them with a diverse candidate pool.
- Build relationships with diversity employees to learn from them and ask for referrals.
- Participate in recruitment outreach programs, e.g. volunteering time to work with agencies that help with career transitions.
Their recruitment managers are also provided with monthly diversity hiring reports to monitor the progress in meeting their recruitment goals, enabling them to consult with their teams and make adjustments as needed throughout the year.
Partnerships & Outreach
CH2M has developed partnerships with organizations such as National Society for Black Engineers, Society for Women Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Military Engineers, Military Officers Association of America, Hero2Hired, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, disABLEDperson, inc., Think Beyond the Label and others.
CH2M’s Military/Veteran tab on Facebook.
Recruitment Marketing
The company supplements all of the outreach and internal efforts with thoughtful recruitment marketing initiatives. For example, CH2M increased diversity recruitment media resources in U.S. and Canada (Aboriginal and disability communities).
The company also developed new marketing creative and messaging customized for diverse audiences, then rolled out online and print advertising, editorials, increased its social media presence, promoted job postings and acquired access to resumes for select diversity audiences.
As part of the expansion of diversity outreach to include veterans and people with a disability, CH2M created both a Military/Veteran and Diversity & Disability tab for Facebook. The career site has also been updated to include a Military Occupational Specialty skills translator to make it easier for current and former service members to find relevant CH2M jobs that match their skill sets.
Results
When analyzing the veterans and disability outreach efforts in 2014 compared to 2013, CH2M saw over a 500% increase in the number of clicks to their career site from the military and disabilities media resources and a 55% increase in applications. In 2014, the firm also implemented a targeted veteran hiring program in Anchorage, Alaska, which included an extensive training program for skill labor roles and resulted in the hiring of 15 veterans and one dependent of a qualified veteran.
Congratulations to CH2M on their continued success and recognition! Learn more about CH2M by visiting http://www.ch2m.com/careers.
Has your company rolled out a successful diversity outreach initiative? What specifics worked well for you?
