These San Diego workplaces strive to make the workforce more equitable and inclusive

A year after the COVID restrictions loosened and employees began going back to the office, employers are fine-tuning their approach to diversifying their employee makeup. But results remain somewhat disappointing, some say.

Energage, the company that conducted a workplace survey for The San Diego Union-Tribune, distributed a secondary survey focused on diversity, equity and inclusion for the third year and found that companies are increasingly devoted to making progress.

“They think that it’s important for their business in so many ways,” said spokesman Bob Helbig, “that having a workforce that is diverse and inclusive makes for a better workforce and drives business outcomes.”

The general survey was completed by 105 companies and among those who filled out the diversity survey, 10 with the most complete answers were shared with the U-T.

Questions addressed hiring and retention practices, compensation, ongoing training and accountability. But companies were not asked to enumerate changes in employee makeup or quantify the effectiveness of their efforts.

Perhaps the poster child in San Diego for making the workforce more equitable and inclusive is Pricilla Piekunka-Madrigal, a 23-year-old Hispanic manager of a Soapy Joe’s carwash in National City. She developed her work ethic and management skills in her father’s concrete business and rose rapidly from car washer in 2020 to become the company’s first woman store manager.

“He gave me my start,” she said. “I wanted to be like him and run a business.”

Here are some observations from five of the local companies that participated in the diversity survey:

Modular Medical: Startup medical device company in Rancho Bernardo; founded 2017; 52 employees in San Diego.

With fewer resources than more established companies, Modular Medical finds other ways to attract a diverse workforce, said Tracey Manson, a senior human resources manager. Recruitment at colleges has resulted in placing many women in various positions and sponsored visas help attract international and racially diverse software engineers.

The focus on science and math in public schools has made a difference as well.

“It’s driven minorities and women into fields that they maybe would not have gone into in the past.”

But African Americans have been harder to attract because not as many proportionately go into tech fields.

More opportunities lie ahead because the company hopes to grow to 500 or more employees by 2024.

“With that, we hopefully will have the luxury of having a fully documented diversity and inclusion plan,” she said.

Soapy Joe’s Car Wash: Headquarters in Santee; founded, 2010; 420 employees, 18 locations, all local.

Human Resources director Julie Smith said the primary focus lately has been attracting women to a traditionally male-dominated business. In the last three years, they have grown to occupy 35 percent of the workforce. The disabled, veterans and LGBT individuals also are being courted.

“We want to be a top workplace and break the mold for what people might expect from us — not being just a carwash but a meaningful employment opportunity for the community,” Smith said.

The company prides itself on its career development program and hopes opportunities for advancement will continue to reduce the turnover rate from the present 100 percent to below 45 percent annually. The typical retail turnover is up to 160 percent, Smith said.

One other incentive attractive to new hires is flexible work hours, especially for those with complicated family lives.

To generate an inclusive work environment, Soapy Joe’s holds company picnics and community service events like beach cleanups and encourages participation in such things as the annual Pride Parade and Susan G. Komen fund-raising walks to cure cancer.

CBIZ: Business services; based in Ohio; founded, 1996; 130 employees in San Diego.

San Diego companies are in an ideal place to experiment with diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, said Steve Sublett, who lives in Ramona but oversees the company’s national diversity programs.

“We are a perpetual melting pot, in juxtaposition to other locations,” he said.

More mentorships, flexible work options and training sessions have been introduced, especially in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 death at the hands of Minneapolis police. That incident underscored the difficulties African Americans still face in overcoming centuries of discrimination.

“You have to be proactive and intentional,” he said. “We definitely want the best and brightest, but we have expanded the places that we go to seek talent.”

Despite robust recruitment efforts, however, retention remains a challenge, especially for Black women, who seem to move into other fields where there are Black women around them.

“That’s a very real thing that happens,” said Sublett, who is Black. “You have to sometimes get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That’s a hard thing for a lot of people to get past and through. It can be changed.”

Marsh McLennan Agency: Insurance brokers; based in New York; founded, 2009; 511 employees in San Diego.

Besides a variety of recruiting and retention efforts, “MMA Voices” forums highlight the life experiences of various employees as a way to combat “unconscious biases,” said Mara Crain, a human resources manager for western states.

“It’s been a slow and steady progress,” she said, adding, “Systemic racism is unfortunately deeply ingrained in our society.”

As a sign of the company’s success to date, Crain said its clients have asked for advice to create similar programs.

Sempra Energy: Parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric since 1998; more than 5,000 employees locally.

The company used the pandemic, when so many employees worked from home, to enlarge its annual summits when diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are discussed. Attendance ballooned from the 300 who attended physically to nearly 2,000 watching remotely.

A new app, “I Belong,” was created to connect employees with resource groups, provide access to a library of books and other educational and training materials and engage in chat sessions.

Through mentorships and other programs, the company hopes to diversify its management pool and retain employees who might otherwise go elsewhere.

“By giving training to employees earlier, it entices them to stay a little longer,” said Mitch Mitchell, senior vice president for diversity and community partnerships.

Another focus has been on addressing mental health issues.

“Everybody will have a situation where, mentally, they may be feeling a little ‘off,’” Mitchell said. “What do you do about it?

Roger Showley is a freelance writer for the U-T