Improving the Lives of Everyone in Construction Beyond the Building Part – The 3% Conference
This is one in a series of blogs about our attendance at the 3% Conference, a gathering of marketing professionals designed to help attendees explore how to create a more diverse and inclusive world — starting with the creative marketing orgs we belong to.
From the beginning, Procore has been on a mission to improve the lives of everyone in construction. Since joining Procore in December 2019 as Executive Creative Director, I’ve seen firsthand how the company has worked to achieve that, first by building a complete construction platform that helps every stakeholder build smarter and better together, but more critically by putting together programs like Women in Construction and Building Inclusion, as well as a deep investment in empowering the construction industry to strengthen the communities we serve through Procore.org.
That’s why, when this year’s virtual 3% Conference was announced, more than a few of our marketing creatives (designers, writers, and filmmakers) jumped at the chance to attend. Originally started when one of its founders noticed how few women had been promoted within ad agencies to the creative director ranks, today’s conference is committed to growing the creative world not only for women, but also people of color.
Here are just a few of the observations some of our delegation came away with from this year’s conference, held in late July.
-- Malachy Walsh
Executive Creative Director
MADELINE REED (she/her)
Graphic Designer
How can I continue to work towards a truly inclusive workplace? While my own research is largely in educating myself, going to the 3% conference was an invaluable experience that furthered my growth in supporting inclusion and diversity. It was refreshing to see a conference that not only seeks to educate others on this topic, but also leads by example. Speakers from all walks of life presented their stories and experiences of the strength that comes with inclusion. Along the way, there were also stories of times where a lack of inclusion led to hardships for themselves and, just as importantly, the companies they worked for.
One story that has stayed with me was told by Kai Núñez, Senior Director, Research & Insights at Salesforce. She spoke of a time where she was asked to present at a large conference, but was incredibly nervous about public speaking. She went through weeks of training to prepare for the event. Despite all of her preparations, after her presentation she left the stage feeling she hadn’t done as well as she had hoped for. However, later on during the conference she had a young woman of color thank her for her presentation. The young woman was so happy to see someone who looked like her speak at such a large event. While Kai may have not felt great about her performance, it was an empowering experience for the young woman and truly shows how important representation is.
As I continue my career, I will keep the lessons from the 3% conference in mind while creating my work. It was a great learning experience, and it is worth a look if you are on the search for a conference focusing on inclusive and diverse workplaces.
JUSTINE DIAZ (she/her)
Senior Copywriter
Attending this year’s 3 Percent Movement Conference on “The Radically Inclusive Future of Work” gave me a greater appreciation for the amazing work that Procore’s Inclusion & Diversity team are doing at Procore. While most of the conference covered topics that Procorians are lucky enough to already be exposed to, the biggest takeaway that I gathered was the importance of inclusion.
#1: Honoring your own experience makes ample space for others whether you realize it or not.
During a session on code switching with Maya Dukes, Creative Director of Jack Henry & Associates, she explained that no matter where you fall on the spectrum of privilege, talking about diversity and inclusion is a balancing act of honoring your own experiences and making ample space for others. While she was talking specifically about the Black experience, this is something that I will never fully identify with. But, as a LatinX woman I can empathize and work toward building stronger connections by sharing my story. One simple way that everyone—both members of marginalized groups and allies to others—can forge workplaces that are more inclusive is by sharing your personal relationship with inclusion.
#2: Don’t hire for culture fit, hire for culture add.
When a diverse workforce is the ultimate goal, hiring for culture fit leaves too much room for unconscious bias to impact hiring decisions that exclude unfamiliar perspectives, experiences, and abilities to drive change. Instead, emphasizing culture adds leaves room for hiring committees to evaluate how an individual could thrive in Procore as it is today, and help Procore grow into the future.
#3: Without inclusion, intent has little impact.
Ultimately, diversity is about representation in the workforce and inclusion is about building a culture where everyone has a sense of belonging, connectivity, and empowerment to speak up and share their ideas.
In a year when we’re simultaneously grappling with a global pandemic, a national reckoning with systemic racism, polarized elections, and an economic recession—our ability as creatives to tell authentic stories that help us connect to and reflect on the world around us is dependent on having creatives that authentically bring a point of view that also reflects the world around us. This is where we all have work to do and we can start by expanding our talent pools through groups like those listed below:
#4: Taking A More Expansive View
We also have to remind ourselves and others to take an expansive view of what “marginalized” means. While conversations around people of color, women, and the LGTBQ+ community are crucial, people with visible and invisible disabilities, veterans, people without college educations, people without financial stability, and people with and without families also often feel marginalized at work.
This is just one in a series of blogs about Inclusion and Diversity and the 3% Conference. To learn more about how Procore is committed to Inclusion and Diversity in our industry, register for the Groundbreak Premium Pass experience and check out how we’re helping move the industry forward.
