Build socially responsible projects with a community-engaged construction company

When choosing a construction company for your project, you should consider the impact the company has on the surrounding communities. After all, whatever you’re building will become part of those communities for many years to come. A socially responsible construction company builds good relationships as well as good structures.

Social responsibility, the concept that businesses have an obligation to contribute to the well-being of society, is trending in the corporate world. A construction company that considers its social impact and that is willing to share its time and resources with its neighbors shows goodwill toward the community.

The Importance of Community Engagement and Social Impact in Construction

Community engagement is extremely important in this industry because construction helps communities evolve, erecting structures that can last decades. Establishing and maintaining open and effective communication among project owners, construction firms and community members is vital for the success of any construction project.

The construction industry can have a profound social impact. For example, designers and builders can reduce the environmental impact of projects on cities and society as a whole by focusing on green and sustainable construction materials and methods. Developers can create housing projects that help lift people out of poverty. Architects can design for social impact by considering culture, contextual relevance, diversity, inclusivity and social equity. Construction companies create jobs, and their projects add value to surrounding properties.

Advantages of Working With a Community-Engaged Construction Company

For the client, working with a community-engaged construction company comes with several valuable benefits, including the following:

• Enhanced Brand Awareness: more brand exposure, more opportunities to convey a positive message.
• Better Reputation: by addressing the concerns of community members and improving their quality of life.
• Happier Employees: “making a difference” increases employee engagement, collaboration and productivity.
• Customer Loyalty: from customers who want to “do the right thing” and support socially responsible companies.
• Good Business: all of the above serves to boost sales, revenue and profits.

How Construction Companies Give Back

Here are some of the things construction companies do to have a positive impact on the communities where they build projects.

1. Ask Community Members What They Need

A construction company that wishes to engage the community and have a positive impact on the people who live and work there makes an effort to inquire about the community’s needs. There may be services the company can provide, such as home repairs or renovations for the disabled and elderly, donating materials or volunteers, or refreshing the landscaping around a community center, library or recreational area.

2. Construction: A Risky Business

Construction companies can promote corporate philanthropy through a variety of causes, such as building sustainable structures that improve the health and well-being of residents and employees, supporting social causes that directly affect the communities where they build projects, and mentoring students and workers who wish to advance in the construction field.

3. Establish Workplace Volunteer Programs

Workplace volunteer programs benefit communities as well as the construction companies that establish and manage these programs. There are many volunteering opportunities in the communities that host construction projects–someone somewhere always needs something.

An atmosphere of volunteerism improves employee engagement, morale and loyalty in the construction companies. Project owners, too, benefit from being directly or indirectly involved in these programs.

4. Reduce Carbon Footprint

Construction companies and project owners can reduce their carbon footprint by following sustainable design principles, using eco-friendly construction materials and methods, mitigating the overall environmental impact of their projects, conserving energy and water, reducing waste and pollution, and building LEED-certified projects.

5. Connect with Nonprofit Organizations

Construction companies often make commitments with one or more nonprofit organizations to help build or restore homes for the needy, provide career guidance, grant college scholarships, and support minority-owned businesses, among other causes.

Make a Positive Social Impact With CIC

As a community-engaged, socially responsible construction company, CIC Group understands the importance of helping the communities where we work. Our corporate identity is deeply rooted in establishing and nurturing strong relationships with community members and having a positive impact on their lives.

CIC focuses its social impact on education, youth programs and human needs by working with nonprofit organizations to, for example, transform abandoned facilities for out-of-school youth capacitation programs, donate time and money, mentor high school students, build playgrounds, assist in disaster relief, and sponsor engineering students in national competitions.

In the end, community engagement not only benefits the communities but also contributes to the success of our construction projects.

For more information about CIC’s community engagement or to discuss your next project, contact us today.