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Across the world, companies are struggling to figure out how to attract more women and minorities to careers in engineering and other science-related disciplines. They might do well to take a lesson from HDR Inc.

With nearly 8,000 employees around the world, HDR maintains a holistic approach to hiring and promoting to meet demands of a growing marketplace in engineering, electronics and transportation.

“It’s not just about hiring women,” said Dave Moyano, diversity program coordinator in HDR’s Portland office. “We’ve seen the benefits of broadening our perspective in the marketplace. Currently, nearly two-thirds of our applicants are women. That reflects a change that we’re paying attention to.”

Forty-six percent of HDR’s professional staff and more than 50 percent of the company officers are women, a far cry from the perceived white male-centric standard that defined the industry for decades.

“HDR embraces me,” said Cathie Hastie, a projects scheduler in the firm’s Portland office. “HDR supported me in my professional outreach and contacts. It’s more than affirmative action. It’s a part of the culture.

“This is a great place to work. It’s dynamic, supportive and profitable. What more could you ask for?”

As part of its culture, HDR conducts annual internal audits that include minorities and women to verify that employees are classified and compensated correctly, and to ensure that there are no issues related to discrimination.

The effort drew the attention – and appreciation – of the industry trade group Women’s Transportation Seminar. Last year, the Portland WTS chapter named HDR its employer of the year for promoting diversity in the workforce. The company also received a similar honor from the international branch of WTS.

In an era when the glass ceiling is often a topic of conversation in the workplace, HDR has sought to make it nonexistent, choosing instead to look for the most qualified people, with an emphasis on diversity that serves their market in a way that extends far beyond the company and its immediate clients.

“Clients are only part of the picture,” Moyano said. “We ask how what we do serves the people that benefit from what we build. Having a voice for minorities and women in answering those questions helps us achieve better results.”