By: Fara Foster, Director of Communications and Community Engagement
This year, due to a focus on our aging infrastructure system and increased funding to improve it, we were challenged with adding 50 new members to our team. Fortunately, a team of existing employees worked all last year to design an improved orientation process to welcome new employees.
After months of looking at processes from completing paperwork to viewing safety videos, the team created a day-long agenda and presentation structured to introduce our companies to new people and offer them a better understanding of our culture, values, benefits and programs. We kicked off this construction season with the first orientation in February.
Orientations are now held on alternating Mondays. After a welcome from our human resources team, a member of our Executive Leadership Team comes in to meet new employees and share the company history. Throughout the day, employees meet leaders from each department as they provide information on our plants, operations, safety, TPR and communications.
Our human resources team also details the benefits of working with our companies. From health insurance and our wellness program to our employee referral program and service year awards, the perks of employment are far greater than a paycheck. We want our team to know early on all that our companies provide.
As in the past, safety is a huge component of our orientation. Teaching people the proper way to perform tasks safely before they start working is an investment we are expanding constantly. For anyone who will be joining a paving or plant team, there is a second day of orientation during which traffic control or mining safety training is conducted.
Our companies are constantly looking for ways to invest in our people and improve our training and performance. While the immediate benefits are geared toward our new team members, our goal is to improve the work environment for everyone.
