Nitsch is Committed to "Doing the Work" to Create an Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Workplace

Nitsch is an inclusive environment representing and supporting professionals of diverse race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability, where the unique combination of talents, experiences, and perspectives of each employee makes our business success possible. Our commitment to truly making change was recognized by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce with the 2022 Small Business of the Year Award in the Diversity & Inclusion category.

Our commitment goes beyond simply avoiding discrimination. Nitsch takes proactive steps to achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) – both within our company and on project teams. In addition to seeking out and working with a variety of women-owned business enterprises (WBEs), minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs), Veteran-owned business enterprises (VOBEs), and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, Nitsch works towards promoting a more diverse and equitable work environment and leadership structure in seven key ways:

Addressing wage equity: As a signer of the 100% Talent Compact and member of the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, Nitsch has demonstrated a true commitment to understanding – and closing – the gender and race wage gaps. Our wage process is rooted in fairness, as it involves assessing the salary of each employee and potential new hire, as well as their qualifications and experience, each year, and balancing as appropriate.

Integrating EDI into all that we do – including our benefits, policies, and procedures: Our Council for EDI ensures that EDI is incorporated into everything we do as a company. This task force reviews our policies and procedures for hidden biases, diversifies our spending with vendors and suppliers, increases access for employment to underrepresented communities, and invests in annual EDI training, regular workshops, and ongoing education.

Fostering a sense of belonging: Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) work to foster a sense of belonging and trust across the company and among individuals so that they may feel supported, seen, and heard. We have four ERGs:

• Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DI&B) ERG is tasked with carrying out Nitsch Engineering’s mission of striving to provide a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all employees so that they can bring their whole selves to work. Employees in this committee help guide the organization to achieve best practices, creates safe spaces for conversations, promote events/activities that celebrate our differences/uniqueness, and facilitate opportunities for learning and raising awareness on biases.

• Women’s ERG is tasked with helping employees find connections and support. Employees in this group help to create an inclusive community to discuss issues women face in the workplace and provide tools to support the continued growth of women in our industry. This group is open to all members of the Nitsch Engineering community who identify as cis- or trans-women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in spaces that center on the experiences of women.

• Parenting and Caregiving (PAC) ERG is a group of Nitsch employees focusing on sharing strategies for growing professionally while being the caregiver for their family. They are parents of children, high school age and younger (or soon to be parents), providing a sounding board of experience, tips and resources to help with the stress and challenges of balancing work and life when life includes kids. The ERG will also facilitate discussions around ways that Nitsch Engineering can assist parent-employees.

• LGBTQ+ ERG is a group of Nitsch employees who are interested in LGBTQ issues. The group aims to ensure that Nitsch Engineering is a welcoming workplace for LGBTQ employees and a place where these employees can build and grow their careers; exploring mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities in the AEC industry; and assisting with LGBTQ-related education efforts and working collaboratively with the other ERGs.  

Supporting work-life balance: Women make up 52% of the professional workforce, but only fill 39% of management roles. People of color only fill 28% of management roles. Nitsch believes that a critical component of this drop-off is a lack of flexibility in work environments, which unduly impact women and people of color. For this reason, we provide a flexible work environment that allows employees to stay in the workforce and continue to grow, even as they pursue other personal goals. Our Women’s ERG and PAC ERG provide an important support system for our employees.

Providing mentoring solutions: One key issue for women and people of color seeking to grow their career is a lack of mentors to help them learn to succeed. Through our internal mentoring programs, as well as support for organizations such as Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Nitsch provides opportunities for women and people of color to benefit from mentoring relationships.

Expanding employment opportunities and producing measurable results: Our Affirmative Action Plan summarizes our commitment to making sure that job opportunities are shared with women and underrepresented populations, and to making good faith efforts to fill job openings from these populations, as available. This includes leveraging established connections with organizations that focus on women and minority groups in engineering, recruiting online at schools and colleges with significant women and minority group enrollments, and advertising in appropriate trade publications.

Diversifying Nitsch’s staff: Nitsch is committed to taking affirmative action to ensure that no individuals are discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, mental illness, national origin, age, disability, protected genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, arrest record, military service, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law in the firm’s hiring practices, in employees’ performance evaluations, in pay rates, or in considerations for promotions or terminations. We have every intention of continuing to hire staff which includes qualified women, minorities, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other protected classes.