At Continental Realty Corporation, employee surveys flagged the need for expanded communication and collaboration. So, the company launched several initiatives, including the Elevate Team Week. Photo courtesy of Continental Realty Corporation.
Somewhere in the midst of all the shifting work norms caused by Covid-19, the post-pandemic era, the emergence of AI, the growing labor shortage, and the mingling of so many generations in the workforce, companies have to figure out how to be attractive employers in order to thrive.
Within Maryland’s commercial real estate industry, several companies have been recognized as outstanding employers in local and national competitions. Becoming an outstanding employer, however, doesn’t happen without rigorous, ongoing effort, deep listening and a willingness to change.
“We try to make very data-driven engagement decisions,” said Crystal Frey, Senior Vice President of Human Resources/Shared Services at Continental Realty Corporation.
In addition to completing surveys for top-workplace competitions, Continental regularly commissions its own engagement surveys and uses that data to make improvements in its work processes and employee benefits.
Faced with those big influxes of data, the Continental team resists the urge to “boil the ocean” and instead focuses on making a few key changes each year, Frey said.
For example, Continental expanded during the pandemic and post-pandemic years, opening offices in new cities. That broader company footprint, however, made communication and collaboration more challenging. So, over the past year, the company focused on conducting quarterly town halls and other new communication programs.
“We launched Elevate Team Week where we bring our teams in from all over the country and spend three days in learning events, team-building events, networking and relaxing,” Frey said. “We also started Coffee and Conversations, which is a more interdisciplinary learning event. People in different disciplines spend just 30 minutes talking about something they’re working on. It may be the leasing process, negotiating tactics or the rollout of IT and AI.”
After starting work at David S. Brown Enterprises in 2022, Chris Krummenoehl, Vice President of Human Resources, conducted “a company-wide survey to get a feel for the overall culture and employee feedback.” It turned into an annual activity.
“I could see the shift from employees feeling like they didn’t have a voice to a progression of each year getting more and more feedback,” Krummenoehl said. “They could see we were listening and taking actionable items. In essence, they had a voice that was heard.”
In response to that feedback, David S. Brown has refined the things it does to be an attractive workplace. Those include training programs and professional development opportunities, celebrations of employee achievements and milestones, and wellness initiatives that cover mental, physical, emotional and financial wellbeing.
“When you get feedback from your people you have to really listen,” said Lisa Tenley, Vice President of People and Communication at Plano-Coudon Construction. “Don’t be defensive and honor it as the gift that it is.”
High interest among employees in professional development has spurred Plano-Coudon Construction to organize regular training sessions and shop visits. Photo courtesy of Plano-Coudon Construction.
Plano-Coudon has continually sought feedback from employees and made extra efforts to ensure it was hearing from and responding to all types and demographics of workers.
That has produced not only annual improvements in working conditions and benefits, but also improvements that are tailored to individuals. The company began giving employees two floater holidays each year so individuals could celebrate days that are meaningful to them. The company expanded benefits to include access to Life Lock, a credit union and pet insurance.
When it wanted to celebrate and thank superintendents, instead of giving generic gift cards, the company gave cards that related to employees’ hobbies or passions, and issued electronic or physical cards, depending on the individual’s preference.
The company follows a “lattice model” of training and professional development opportunities to cater both to people who want to move into positions of greater responsibility and management, and those who prefer lateral moves that enable them to build expertise or lead special initiatives, said Aarika Wood, Senior Human Resource Manager.
Through conversations and exercises, the company also “helps people connect their work to their own personal values and motivations,” Wood said. “Most people are in this industry because there is some aspect of it that they’re passionate about.”
By highlighting the benefits of construction projects — whether they are the creation of great learning spaces, senior care facilities or medical centers — and celebrating the workers that built them, Plano-Coudon “helps people connect with what gives purpose to their work,” Tenley said. “You can overcome a lot of stress on a project when you know you are delivering something that is important to you.”
At Klein Enterprises, a key to being an attractive workplace is the company’s structure.
Within a vertically integrated and flat organization model, “team members have the opportunity to gain exposure across multiple departments, providing a comprehensive understanding of the entire investment and management process, spanning asset classes and the development and management of cash flow,” said Daniel Klein, President. “We also cultivate a team of generalists rather than specialists. Our flat structure ensures that everyone has a significant role, develops a diverse talent base, and gains exposure across departments and disciplines.”
Recent years have challenged the company to meet the changing expectations of the workforce.
“The pandemic amplified the importance of flexibility, balance and purpose-driven work,” Klein said. “We also recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in today’s diverse workplace.”
The company offers a range of employee engagement and professional development services, including mentorship, skill-building, career progression, leadership development and work-life integration practices.