How You Can Bring Your Culture Into The Construction Industry

Did you know that the construction sector is one of Australia's most culturally diverse industries? Yep – you heard right! Around 52% of employees working in construction were born overseas and a further 39% come from a non-English speaking country. What’s even more impressive is that construction has emerged as the #1 employer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland (source via CSQ)!

Despite what you may think though, having people from different backgrounds doesn’t just affect what languages you might hear out on-site or in the office; it can also positively influence how things are built, help people feel included and bring fresh, new ideas to the industry.
Regardless of your background, you can contribute something special to the construction sector. Let’s find out how:

Bringing new ideas to the table

Diversity in the workplace is so much more than a box-ticking exercise, or a way to make the company feel good about itself. Your culture, your family background or where you’ve lived in the past all shape the way that you approach problems, make decisions and relate to other people.

The construction industry is going through loads of changes at the moment as they try to improve their designs, materials and building processes to become safer and more efficient. Your unique background can help bring new ideas to the table and change the way things are done for the better.

You can be a role model

Contributing to a workplace isn’t just about your ideas and skills, it’s also about the unique life experience you can offer and in turn, how you can inspire others to follow in your footsteps.

Everyone at some point in their life has gone to a social event and seen a crowd that doesn’t really look like the usual people they might spend time with. It can feel a little intimidating, right? Usually, all it takes is a few familiar faces, or finding something in common with someone to help you feel more welcome.

The same idea applies at work. By embracing and being proud of your background while you’re working in the construction industry, you can be the reason that someone else from a similar background decides to apply for a job in the sector as well. You can also come up with new initiatives and ideas to help people feel more welcome and comfortable at work, such as a prayer room on-site, or a range of dietary options at work functions.

Supporting others

Of course, anyone (regardless of background) can contribute to a diverse culture at work as the other big aspect of diversity is inclusion.

It’s important to remember that inclusion is different to acceptance. One way to think about it is imagining you’re at a school formal, hitting some moves on the dancefloor. Acceptance is giving someone an invitation, but not really hanging out with them, whereas inclusion is seeing them and inviting them for a boogie.

If you find yourself in a situation where you see someone being ignored in a meeting, in a class or on-site, you can help them feel included by asking for their opinion, or supporting them when they bring their ideas to the table.

The construction industry has loads of opportunities for you to make a positive difference.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the different kinds of job opportunities out there, as well as some of the ways you can get started, make sure you check out The New Print Of Construction. We’ve collabed with Construction Skills Queensland to chat through how you can build a fun, challenging and fulfilling career in the construction sector. Take a look over here.