Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Policy :: Blackney Hayes Architects

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Policy

Blackney Hayes Architects is committed to creating a work environment where individuals of any race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity feel accepted, respected, and celebrated for their individual contributions to our firm.  At this time, the firm is comprised of 41% female and 24% minority employees.

We encourage open dialogue and a respectful exchange of ideas with both our employees and our clients, which we believe is essential to a creative field such as architecture. We understand this is an on-going effort and we are ever vigilant for opportunities to improve.

We understand the importance of work/ life balance and provide the flexibility for our employees to work remotely or on a part time basis as required to care for their children, family members, or other varying needs.  

Each individual employee comes to our firm with a unique skill set and level of knowledge, and we provide the training and mentorship needed to allow each employee to reach their full potential.

We encourage the inclusion of MBE and WBE firms when selecting consultants for our projects.

We will continue to offer an internship program in our office for Philadelphia school students to introduce them to the architectural profession and the design and construction industry as a whole.

We support the efforts of the ACE Mentorship Program through our staff members as mentors and donations to their fundraising efforts.

We are committed to expanding our recruiting efforts to actively engage more diverse populations, whether through HBCU, NOMA, or other minority organizations.

We are committed to working with our staff to increase our sensitivity to DEI issues through seminars, discussion groups and training exercises using outside facilitators. 

We are aware of the lack of diversity in our profession and the need to improve upon these numbers. For an example, in 2019, according to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, African Americans represented only about 2% of all licensed architects in the United States. BHA hopes there will be a day when true diversity and equal opportunity are achieved, but until that day, we feel that the best city is a vibrant city where everyone reaches their maximum potential, and we are committed to keep working to achieve this goal.