The following Viewpoint is written by Chris Hurley, ddirector of field operations at Columbia Construction in North Reading, Massachusetts.
Construction is a complex endeavor that benefits from talented people in many different roles, from virtual planning to sustainability, safety, health and wellness to energy, scheduling and estimating. But, of course, nothing happens without the workplace team.
Due to the nature of their work, workplace team members may feel removed from company leadership and initiatives. With a focus on time-sensitive and location-specific work, it can be more difficult to keep track of training and development opportunities and company news, and the possibility of building beneficial working relationships with office colleagues can seem far out of reach.
At Columbia, the North Reading, Massachusetts-based construction management company where I work, we can have more than 30 projects running at any given time, making it difficult for leadership to spend significant time at any one project site to build close working relationships with the field team and gain a real understanding of the day-to-day pulse of the projects.
Our president, Shaun Lover, and other members of the leadership team recognized these concerns and made an effort to ensure that field staff were better informed, included and heard. Together, we began laying the groundwork for a new field structure in Columbia. This focused on building a field leadership team to ensure the field had representation in the office, resources allocated to projects and that there was a more defined field structure with a focus on staff development and career growth.
Having previously worked as a superintendent and as a project manager, I am well aware of the challenges our field teams face. For example, annual employee reviews of the workplace could be conducted by different people each year, depending on the specific projects where the team member spent most of their time. Without enough consistency in the review process, measuring an individual worker’s career goals and progress or addressing their concerns was difficult.
Annual reviews are now conducted with regular assistance from myself or my colleagues Josh Blake and Russ Parady, who were appointed as the new Field Focused Vice President | general superintendent positions. Along with our constant presence on job sites, this new policy ensures that Josh, Russ, and I get to know our colleagues on the job site better and understand how to help them achieve their career goals. In the meantime, field team members understand that they can bring any work-related or career-related questions to us and we’ll provide guidance, updates, and solutions.
It’s also important to give field staff the opportunity to spend time at our corporate headquarters, where they can meet colleagues they might not otherwise interact with. We now schedule regular meetings in North Reading for workplace leaders and team members to hear and collaborate with company management, industry leaders and other peers, as well as to attend training and other development sessions with consultants or special educators.
While our safety leaders have long worked with workplace teams, Columbia now also schedules other supportive staff members, such as our Health and Wellness Specialist, Amore Douglas, and our Community and Membership Manager, Jerrett Jones, to make regular visits to our workplaces. Amore, for example, leads regular “Stretch and Bend” warm-up and exercise sessions for field staff before they start their workday, often bringing blood pressure cuffs, healthy snacks and the opportunity to discuss health and exercise goals.
In addition to bringing these company-wide programs to our workplaces, Columbia also sets aside a budgeted amount of money for each team member, whether they work at our corporate headquarters or in the field, to pursue the career-related training programs of their choice. For example, right now one of our jobsite superintendents is taking a Microsoft Projects training class to better understand the intricacies of the programming software, while another just completed stormwater management training.
Additionally, while each field staff member is hired to work under a sector leader (academic, commercial, interior design, healthcare, hospitality, science + technology and energy), they are given the opportunity to sample different sectors to grow their construction experience. Projects in each sector have unique characteristics that require a level of knowledge and experience. This is an area we pay close attention to in order to offer cross-sector experience in projects that give staff greater experience and help them build a diverse professional portfolio.
It’s been nearly five years since we renamed our field structure, and over that time it’s become increasingly clear to us that taking a dedicated approach to the needs and concerns of Columbia’s field team has paid off. Being able to communicate with company leadership and colleagues at our headquarters has created a sense of belonging, ownership, and a satisfying awareness among my colleagues that their hard work and expertise is valued. Josh, Russ, and I are inspired by what we’ve already seen and eager to find new ways to advance these efforts.
As Director of Field Operations, Chris Hurley contributes to the continuous improvement of Columbia’s field operations, acting as a liaison and advocate for field personnel between operations, preconstruction and the executive team.
