In many sectors, our clients are requiring that we prove our commitment to the local communities impacted by their projects. This includes listing our current relationships with Indigenous Economic Development Entities, detailing our current contracts and expenditures with Indigenous-owned companies, and listing our Indigenous team members. This requirement may vary by region but the need does not. We fully understand we provide greater value to our clients and the users of their projects by incorporating progressive inclusion and employment practices in our projects.
This makes perfect sense when our clients put the challenge before us. But, we also need to challenge ourselves to raise the bar and make it standard practice to evaluate the benefits of Indigenous inclusion in our projects. So, what can we do to make this change happen?
As managers and leaders, we can continue to seek out Indigenous candidates to fill positions across our company, and to support those individuals that envision their career as deeply connected to their communities and see Indigenous Peoples as their clients. As a company, we can realise significant social capital by reaching out and sharing our expertise and experience where that capacity is lacking. As individuals, we can learn about and appreciate Indigenous cultures and history, and take the lead in our teams and offices to be a part of the global groundswell of support for the historically impoverished Indigenous Peoples who continue to be disadvantaged in many ways.
The writing is on the wall as the future of the egalitarian, equitable, and civilised society that we all want to live in is destined to be increasingly Indigenous.