2021 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
BEST & BRIGHTEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & EMPLOYEE SOLUTIONS
EMPLOYEE ENRICHMENT, ENGAGEMENT & RETENTION
EMPLOYEE EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT
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RECRUITMENT, SELECTION & ORIENTATION
EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENT & RECOGNITION
COMMUNICATION & SHARED VISION
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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
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STRATEGIC COMPANY PERFORMANCE PAGE 22
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & EMPLOYEE SOLUTIONS HIGHLIGHTS • EV Youniversity training opportunities • Over 50% of profits shared through a performance-based bonus program • Gym membership reimbursement program for employees who choose to participate • Special training programs to assist with personal growth, including finances • An EV onesie, a gift card and a pack of diapers for new parents • Valentine’s Day treat for female office staff to get manicures or pedicures with wine and chocolate
During the pandemic, EV did not lay off any employees or implement pay cuts and was only closed for one day all year to determine our operational approach to new working conditions. • Full range of employee benefits: medical, dental, vision, life and disability available through an online, easy-access portal • Different medical plan types, with lower premiums added as an option for employees with low medical costs • Base pay increases averaging 3-4% • 401K matches totaling $176,688 in 2020 • $29,000 given in traveling bonuses throughout the year to compensate for time spent away from home • $2,550 in referral bonuses paid out to employees who successfully referred a new hire • Employee Assistance Program • Special holiday celebrations • Handwritten notes from the CEO to employees and their spouses • Hardship funds available to all employees • Employee Hall Pass: An extra paid day off to spend at school related events with children, siblings, nieces or nephews.
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• Tuition reimbursement with a paid day off and special gift after graduation • Free flu shots and TB testing during a companywide meeting, in order to capture as many employees as possible • Opportunity to donate blood onsite multiple times per year • Continuous performance management utilizing uMap™ and Thrive365™ programs • Live streaming available for all employees and all meetings to avoid close interaction during COVID-19 • Cyber attack training to assist employees in recognizing scams at work and at home • Various retreats and outings throughout the year for fellowship, planning and team building • Mental Health Awareness & Suicide Prevention Training • Fully-paid Financial Peace University for any employees interested in participating in the Dave Ramsey financial planning program, hosted by an EV executive and his spouse • Uniforms provided at no cost to employees
EMPLOYEE EVENTS
TABLETS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES In 2020, we provided every new field employee with an Android tablet to help with integration into the company. This 7-inch device was set up specifically to the new employee, with customized apps on the home screen to provide a single source device for things the employee needed to engage with throughout the year. The tablet is theirs alone for as long as they are employed. The pre-loaded apps included Microsoft Outlook, Employee Assistance, a safety training app, MIOSHA, Procore (access to construction drawings), Dropbox, HH2 (payroll/pay stubs), EV’s benefits app, Zoom and a direct link to the EV employee intranet. This tool has become very popular and has created solutions for many questions throughout out the year.
HEARING AID ASSISTANCE While EV makes hearing protection part of our team’s required PPE, not all companies do, resulting in many workers in the construction industry encountering hearing loss at some point in their careers. This year, EV collaborated with the State of Michigan’s Rehabilitation Services to educate our team on what options exist for individuals who think they may need hearing assistance. This program supports employees in continuing to function at work with their disability. Income is not considered in who receives assistance from this program; rather, it is open to all and financial support is based on what the employee feels they can afford along with their personal expenses. The state receives top-notch devices at warehouse pricing and passes the savings on to employees who apply for the program, often saving them thousands of dollars. The program also offers assistance with upgrading hearing devices for those who already have some if the aids no longer serve the need or are considered outdated technology. This program was instrumental in helping several employees move forward in receiving the devices they needed to change their lives.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS NOT CANCELED EV held a two-part event where employees were able to walk through a decorated portion of the office in socially distanced family groups to enjoy food and beverages while adding raffle tickets to prize buckets. Later that week, we held a virtual Christmas party to reveal the prize winners, celebrate service awards from the past year and watch a fun annual review video set to the storyline of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The feedback we received was thankfulness to still have a fun event with coworkers celebrating the past year of hard work, albeit a different event structure from other years.
SKI WEEKEND Early in 2020, EV Construction organized a group outing weekend where coworkers, family and friends met up at Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac, MI for a day of skiing and comradery. Colleagues were able to unwind on the fresh powder and enjoy a day of skiing, laughs and few cocktails at the bottom of the ski hill. Skiers of all skill levels were able to participate. Accommodations were recommended by EV and multiple families stayed at a nearby hotel.
EMPLOYEE ENRICHMENT, ENGAGEMENT & RETENTION HIGHLIGHTS
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Employee intranet showing birthdays, work anniversaries, upcoming events, etc. Outings for personnel Continued improvement of our employee onboarding process Charity outing participation Employee advancement and performance bonuses Continuous business expansion and opportunities Business planning retreats Monthly employee newsletter “Friday Celebration” weekly meeting to share personal and professional good news with the whole office Monthly safety and company update meetings - via Zoom®! Nationally recognized safety program Employee Christmas party Leadership open door policy Annual project management, field management and trade retreats Christmas bonus program Education reimbursement Online employee store to purchase logoed apparel Facilitated a logo competition during the corporate rebranding where employees were encouraged to re-create the company logo at home with their families in any creative new material to compete for prizes.
FAMILY PIZZA NIGHT Following the COVID-19 shut down, the EV experience team worked to plan a family pizza night with coordinated pizza kits for build-yourown, take and bake pizza. We were able to partner with a local pizzeria on this opportunity. Families were notified on Monday that they had four days to place an order with our team for the number of pizza kits they would need for their family; no limits or restrictions. Pizza kits were available for pick-up that Friday. Families were asked to submit a picture of their family enjoying the tasty treat. We had 93 photo submissions of employees and their families (mainly their kids) tossing dough, spreading sauce and piling on the toppings. A few families got creative and used toppings to display our logo on their pizza. It turned out to be a great way to encourage family bonding at the beginning of an uncertain and scary time.
COMPANY OUTINGS Traditionally speaking, EV Construction has always hosted several outings throughout the year to foster relationships between different divisions, management and ownership. This year, hosting outings took a bit of maneuvering given the limitations due to COVID-19. Through a lot of planning and coordination, the experience team safely hosted two outings that would not risk anyone’s health. Office employees and field management staff were invited to play in a four-person scramble tournament at a local golf club. Beverages and snacks were pre-packed and lunches were ordered, individually labeled for each participant. 52 golfers participated in the outing and an additional 15 employees hosted games and activities throughout the course.
EMPLOYEE RETENTION Below are the number of long-term employees who have been with EV for a good portion, if not all, of their careers!
Over 5 Years: 31 Over 10 Years: 9 Over 15 Years: 3
A second outing was hosted for EV Construction trades personnel. Participants were given the option to golf or shoot sporting clays. The golf outing was very similar to that of the office and field management outing, but separate to help control numbers. Over 60 tradespeople spent an afternoon honing their shooting skills and building relationships with each other.
Over 20 Years: 7
EMPLOYEE EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Training and certification tracking program Corporate, company-wide safety meetings with a main topic presented each month by an industry expert In-house training through the EV Youniversity Program Project management and field management meetings for cross-training Educational reimbursement programs for MBAs and other education programs Mentorship programs Summer internship program Corporate safety manual distributed to all employees and continuously updated Quality standards manual distributed to all employees and continuously updated Field manager/foremen meetings where industry experts are brought in to discuss best practices of their trades Field personnel onboarding and new hire training that is specific to their position Online safety training with over 300 courses available 24/7 to all employees Hosted lunch and learns to bring in industry experts and introduce new products Michigan Safety Conference attendance Project management site safety walk throughs Paid time to attend training programs through local industry associations or renew certifications Employee participation in leadership programs through local Chambers of Commerce Executive team attendance at multiple training/educational sessions hosted by the Young President’s Organization (YPO) Operations staff attendance in leadership training through the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western MI chapter Supported the CORE Construction Skills program through the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Michigan Continued attending events for our insurance captive, a self-insured program
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where we are required to attend two board meetings and two workshops annually with our co-owners of the GCI Captive Covered costs of various training certifications for our field employees
EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION BY THE HOUR • 11 EV Youniversity Sessions: 410 • 2 Lunch and Learns: 41 • 13 Smart365 Trainings: 188.5 • Many Fully Paid Industry Courses: 306 • 12 Company-Wide Safety Meetings: 1,160 Total Hours of Employee Participation:
2,105.5!
A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO TRAINING In 2020, our training schedule had to quickly adapt to the changes in our lives. Instead of simply canceling courses, those leading our educational opportunities moved each option to a virtual experience, either via conference call or by having course leaders pre-record lessons as a video. In addition to logistical adjustments, the subject matter was also reviewed and changed to meet current needs. We worked in more sessions on mental health awareness to ensure our employees felt equipped to address their own mental health needs and learn practical skills to help others. EMPLOYEE TESTIMONIALS “I’d like to take a brief moment to inform you on the benefits of after-work training like the EV Youniversities we hold every month for an hour, or the more in-depth classes we might take at Grand Rapids Community College, like carpentry skills. There are many opportunities to broaden your skill base; you just have to take them. I’ve personally picked up a lot of knowledge that applies to my career at EV Youniversities. For example, we were doing a Youniversity on fire suppression systems and a picture showed up on the screen of all the different sprinkler heads and different color glycerin fluids. I’ve always wondered why some are red, or blue or any of the other colors they come in. So, I asked the question, and found out the different colors represent the temperature at which the glycerin will expand and break the glass causing the sprinkler head to activate the water flow to put out the fire. That’s just a small takeaway from a one-hour training! I want to encourage anyone who is on the fence about the trainings and Youniversities to take advantage of the education that EV has to offer. It’s a free education that will stay with you for a lifetime.” Scott Scherer Facilities Services Supervisor “Today I sat down with our new framing foreman. I asked him if he could give us some feedback on EV’s opportunities towards continuing education and development compared to his previous employer. He is impressed with our monthly EV Youniversities and is surprised with all the opportunities he has here at EV. He told me his previous employer offered one course annually; print reading. Once you took that course, that was it for your career. He said they never brought in other trade contractors to teach them about their trade like we do at EV. He feels like he can excel in his career here at EV, whereas, he felt like he was stuck in his position at his previous company, no matter how much extra effort he put in. He plans on taking full advantage of the educational opportunities we have to offer in the future!” Ryan Fuller Interiors Division Manager
VIVID TRAINING SOFTWARE At the start of 2020, the EV safety leadership team decided to move forward with replacing our previous safety training program with a far more robust program called Vivid (or HSI). This allowed us to expand on the training we provide for the team exponentially! The new program has proven itself to be a huge asset by taking over the maintenance of these trainings and automating certain parts of the follow-up process, allowing our safety leadership team to be a little more hands-off on the coordination side. We are now able to house all our EV Youniversities within in the program to make them available to every employee - meaning ALL our available trainings are now in one place! This program was very helpful this year, and we are eager to see how it will grow with our employee education plans and allow us to provide more trainings to a wider employee audience in the future!
Over $71,000
Was Spent on Employee Training and Development in 2020
RECRUITMENT, SELECTION & ORIENTATION HIGHLIGHTS • College internship program • Career fair attendance – college and others • Jump Start participation • Student mock interviews • Student project site tours • Online application system • Incentive program for employees who work out of town • Employees involved in teaching trades classes and student assessments at local tech centers and community colleges
• Employee referral program • Open positions announced at safety meetings, in the company newsletter and on EVinsite • Our custom Blueprint for Success onboarding program was revamped in 2020 to include 101, 201 and 301 level programming that is role specific • 90 day check-ins
• New office hires complete a uMap™ prior to their first day to introduce themselves to the rest of the company • New field hires complete their uMap™ prior to their 90 day check-in •
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• Office buddy system for new hires • New employee orientation with CEO & COO
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Entry level field employees spend a day on a project site shadowing someone who currently performs the role they have been hired to perform Peer interviews Thrive365 - A platform to assess the quality of a new hire at a 90 day check-in and beyond, in addition to facilitating more meaningful reviews Virtual career fair participation
• Swag bag and small celebration for new office hires on their first day • 30 and 60 day check-ins with an office leadership team member
REFERRALS
Referrals continue to be EV Construction’s most fruitful and successful recruiting tool. Out of the 29 new hires in 2020, 15 of them were a referral from an existing employee, and many more from other friends in the industry. The company paid employees $2,550 in bonuses for these 15 referrals. While many companies shy away from hiring friends and family of existing employees because of the issues it may cause, we find quite the opposite. When someone comes into the organization with an established connection, they’re more mentally and emotionally invested in the organization. Existing employees also take more ownership of ensuring the new team member is successful when they know it is a neighbor, friend or family member of someone they already know, respect and trust. 10
VIRTUAL CAREER FAIRS Because of very limited ability to meet and interact with people in 2020, EV had to adjust our internship and college hiring process. Several universities offered virtual career fairs where we built out a site where our team could virtually connect with college students in search of an internship or full-time role. The new recruits could visit our ‘virtual booth’ to review job postings, general information about the company, watch a short video and initiate contact with our team.
2020 BY THE NUMBERS
29
new hires
15
people referred a hired employee
$2,550
in referral bonuses paid
$29,000
paid in incentive bonuses for employees who worked out of town
BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS REVAMP The Blueprint for Success onboarding program was re-tooled to give new hires the necessary modules in a more appropriate timeline. Typical onboarding programs have a new employee drinking through the proverbial fire hose, retaining very little information learned during their first days on the job. The Blueprint for Success program was broken down into 101, 201 and 301 level courses very similar to a college course catalog. Some modules have specific pre-requisites, building on other modules, and some are prescribed to be completed at a specific time so that the training is delivered when it can be applied immediately on the job.
All open positions are advertised internally at our monthly companywide safety meetings, posted on our internal employee intranet and shared via word of mouth, in addition to being posted publicly.
EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENT & RECOGNITION HIGHLIGHTS • Public recognition for major project wins • Performance-based bonuses • Personalized notes and gifts of appreciation from the CEO and C-suite executives with a year-end gift • Recognition and rewards for small successes • Special recognition for completing higher education, training and certifications • Milestone celebrations for birthdays, work anniversaries and retirement • Recognition for job promotions • Service awards with gifts • Good job letters displayed at companywide meetings • Employee growth plans and goal setting through the employee uMap™ software program • Safety milestone celebrations • Shout out cards to recognize a coworker’s accomplishments • Personalized notes for new hires with a small token of appreciation • Men’s and women’s retreats • Tradesperson outing
FACEBOOK GROUP RECOGNITION Our company was an early adopter of the technology required during 2020. Given that we aren’t able to have as much face-to-face interaction, we have focused our efforts of recognition not only through Zoom® calls, digital newsletters and e-mails – but through our a private, team Facebook page. We are recognizing whole teams on the project, certain teams/departments or specific individuals for the hard work and virtues portrayed on the job. It has been well-received by both field and office employees, as well as their spouses, whom are a huge part of the EV family. Two examples of this recognition are posted above.
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TUNA FLAGS When commercial fishing vessels want to alert those on shore that they are carrying a large catch, they fly specific flags as they approach land. We have adopted the practice of creating “tuna flags” to update our team when we land substantial or special projects to our company. These updates are to inform our team of a particularly large catch for the EV team. It is a fun way to celebrate our wins.
PLEASANT SURPRISES EV always tries to recognize employees for their dedication to getting the job done, even if that means working long hours, out of town or away from family for weeks on end. Personal notes of encouragement, call outs at a company-wide meeting and project site cookouts are a few of the many ways employees are shown appreciation for their efforts. This year, we gave team members gift cards and surprises for handling 3rd shift project shutdowns.
COMPANY RETREATS
The men’s, women’s and tradesperson outings, while not new, continue to evolve into amazing events where each and every employee is encouraged to take paid time off from work to spend the day/night to reconnect with their peers. Oftentimes, within the hustle and bustle of the construction industry, we can become invested in our projects/work and forget to take some time to get to know the people we spend more time with than our own families. These outings are an important way to build lasting relationships and meaningful connections to remind each other that we are on one team that works together for the common goal of being leaders in the industry. This year with the challenges and respect for Covid, we decided to do a company-wide social distanced golfing retreat. It was a hit and a much needed break from reality. We also had a social distanced water balloon fight and games after our annual company summer meeting. ACKNOWLEDGING EXTRAORDINARY SAFETY PRACTICES Cash awards and thank you lunches with a member of the executive team were given to field employees who were noticed going above and beyond in safety. Extraordinary safety practices and making safety a top priority on every project site, every day, is EV’s motto. So, when employees go above and beyond, we always try to recognize it!
We also recognize others in the industry for a job well done or to support them in times of need. COVID-19 was hard on many people and industries, so we volunteered labor where able, let a local hospital borrow some negative air machines to make a few isolation rooms and, when a trade partner who we’ve always enjoyed working with became seriously injured outside of work resulting in paralysis, our team volunteered to build him a ramp and ADA bathroom. We are always seeking to bring some light to our team and the world around us.
COMMUNICATION & SHARED VISION HIGHLIGHTS
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Monthly safety meetings - via Zoom®!
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Business plan maps publicly displayed in the office
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EVinsite (employee intranet)
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Monthly company newsletter sent to homes
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Monthly project- specific newsletters
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2023 painted picture - Our three year business plan shown graphically and developed by all employees
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Smart365 Program - Sharing better ways to do things via team videos
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Leadership teams in place for field and office personnel to interface with
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Annual retreats for various teams
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Quarterly touch point conversations
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Friday celebration meetings
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Office buddy program
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Mentorship program
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Weekly departmental meetings
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FLT Connection - A touch-point from our field leadership team
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Training computers set to automatically open EVinsite for company updates
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Library of EV Youniversity videos added to EVinsite
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uMap™ Review Software + Thrive365™ Add-On - Used to facilitate communication between managers and their direct reports on personal and professional goals and responsibilities
COVID-19 COMMUNICATION 2020 has been a year fraught with unique business circumstances. Like many others, the pandemic forced us to change the “normal” flow of work and how we communicated with each other. No organization was prepared for the economic and mental toll this pandemic would come with, but EV was determined to face it head on. As a construction company with a strong safety culture, we are no strangers to circumventing the many dangers of our industry. As the shutdowns loomed in front of us, the leadership council met and discussed a simple concept; either we could let this consume us or we could go on the offensive and treat this like any other safety factor that needed to be solved. With that mindset, EV pushed forward. Our operations teams spearheaded safe working practices, policies and procedures and kept work moving forward. To do this effectively, however, communication was key. Before the pandemic, we had already invested in a corporate Zoom® account, so thankfully EV was already well equipped to handle virtual meetings. The next task was to “figure everything out”. How would we go beyond the norm and not only operate business, but also promote a sense of understanding and calm in a world that seemed to be falling apart? To start, the leadership council would meet on a weekly basis to discuss any new developments with government orders. Certain members of that team met daily to review CDC guidelines that were updating by the hour. From that, other teams would meet to develop and produce new policies and procedures to stay in compliance. Once those new tools and policies were ready, company-wide zoom meetings were held to discuss the impact this would have. We held dozens of company-wide and management meetings and created visual flow charts to aid in how communication would travel in the event of a positive or suspected case. We continue to discuss what the pandemic forced our company to do in terms of communication and how we can keep incorporating the positive changes in the future.
A CORPORATE REBRANDING In 2020, a year and a half of work from the executive team and marketing department came to fruition with a full corporate rebranding campaign. As Elzinga & Volkers Construction Professionals changed to EV Construction, internal and external communication strategies were vital in achieving a successful launch of the new brand. The launch included a public and legal name change, new logo, new typography, new corporate color palette and new email addresses for the entire 150+ employee company. To further illustrate the undertaking, any business form or template, signage, piece of documentation, uniform, vehicle, piece of equipment, tool, or login that contained the former logo, name, colors or email address had to be updated and ready to launch at the same time. To add a little unnecessary excitement to the rebranding, Michigan shut down due to COVID-19 two weeks prior to the formal launch date, driving our teams to their remote work locations and creating new obstacles with sharing information and progress.
UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY Communication and quick dissemination of information during the COVID-19 pandemic was of utmost importance during the many changes to business operations. Utilizing technology was an obvious need this year. We were one of the first companies in our area to develop QR check-in systems, sent out EV president vlogs via our YouTube channel to share messages of calm and positivity, developed google forms to track and manage required trainings, implemented a company-wide texting system to ensure our messages reached every employee and invested in video and audio technology to allow for better virtual experiences. We pushed past every obstacle that we met, developing new and better ways to communicate with each new business challenge.
To ensure everyone was on the same page internally, we had monthly meetings with the marketing department and executive leadership, updates at each company-wide safety meeting and written talking points for employees to share consistent messaging on “the why” with their business contacts and family or friends. We also put together 150+ custom boxes for every employee to receive newly logoed swag and apparel.
To inform the community and our industry partners of the changes, we timed a formal press release, website blog, two new websites, videography and imagery, social media posts and an advertising campaign in a massive marketing push. In addition, we sent custom mailers to our top clients and trade contractors and inserted reminders of the name change with our checks and invoices sent across the country. The rebranding was a successful and exciting operation that impacted every area of our business all at once. We are very proud of the entire EV family for coming together to make the launch a success!
EV TEAM FACEBOOK PAGE We launched an EV Team Facebook page as an additional avenue of communication. This page, meant for EV employees and their families, was designed to allow people to share informal updates with the rest of the EV community, providing more immediate communication. This platform is optional to join and provides a place for announcements that may not make sense in other, more formal, communication mediums.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION HIGHLIGHTS •
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Met or exceeded 6 of our 9 diversity goals established for 2020 in our Diversity Goals Matrix • 100% increase in our in-field female workforce • Implemented a diversity and inclusion scorecard that is regularly reviewed by executive leadership • Met with other company committees to discuss ways to develop new recruitment channels, increasing our exposure to more applicants of nonwhite racial or ethnic classes • Increasing our monetary donations to organizations who support minorities • Finding and developing partnerships with organizations who support minorities that we’ve never worked with or donated to before – strengthening the impact of our community-based diversity and inclusion initiatives • Increasing our event sponsorships and engagement with community organizations Female appreciation event Retreat for female employees Provided job applications on project sites to focus on hiring in the communities in which we work Worked with bidding software that has added attributes for finding minority owned business, women owned business, veterans, etc. Ensured site signage is bi-lingual Revised and updated our Spanish site safety rules document Created a Spanish site safety video welcoming Spanish-speaking tradespeople to the project site Distributed Spanish-English translation guides containing construction industry specific words and phrases to field personnel for use when working with Spanish speaking crews
BUILDING FURTHER Throughout 2020, the Diversity and Inclusion committee has focused on building upon a 2019 committee accomplishment: determining and pursuing new ideas, action plans and initiatives to meet the goals set forth in our Diversity Goals Matrix. These diversity goals, indoctrinated into our corporate master-plan in 2019, were set up with full corporate buy-in and with support from executive leadership to increase company-wide inclusivity and communitybased diversity and inclusion. BILINGUAL SIGNAGE & SAFETY EV has recently hit a major milestone in the construction industry of reaching 5,000 days without a lost time injury. To give this some context, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, the American construction industry experiences 79,660 incidents that resulted in time away from work. The average duration of time away was 13 days; more than 1/3 of the total cases resulted in 31 days, or more, of time away. With safety coming first on our project sites, ensuring the majority of tradespeople are able to read and interact with our posted safety signage and onsite safety rules was vital. This year, we revised over 100 signage templates to include Spanish sub-text and created Spanish versions of our site safety rules and practices. To go one step further, we had one of our bi-lingual employees create a video welcoming Spanish speaking tradespeople to our site and walking them through our top best practices related to site safety to better ensure comprehension and retention of site rules and regulations for Spanish-speakers.
DONATIONS & SUPPORT Below is a partial list of organizations we support with diversity in mind.
WORK/LIFE BALANCE HIGHLIGHTS • • • • • • • • • •
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Flexible work schedules Family focused benefits Special paid holidays on top of major holidays (Black Friday, Christmas Eve, etc.) A goal of work free weekends Wireless remote workplace technology Remote work sites Onsite cookouts Hall Pass program Inter-office encouragement program (good job notes, etc.) Birthday wheel - Every employee is allowed to spin the birthday wheel that has prizes of different cash or gift card amounts to win a prize they can use with their friends or families Annual Christmas party Company retreats Valentine’s Day pampering Changes from vacation and sick time to all paid time off Additional time off for maternity/paternity leave for biological children, adoption or foster care
FAMILY LEAVE BEYOND FMLA In addition to qualifying for FMLA, EV covers the cost of short term disability plans for every employee. This plan may be used for maternity leave to receive partial pay for time off after having a child. EV also now provides an additional two days of paid time off for both mothers and fathers when a child is born, adopted or at the time of foster care placement.
EV SPIRIT WEEK During the first COVID-19 related quarantine in the spring of 2020, people were looking for a way to connect with the company while at home spending more time than ever with family or friends in their household. EV decided to host a Spirit Week for all employees to inspire friendly competition and get employees interacting with each other, despite the distance. The days included a pajama day, superhero day, wacky hair day, occupation day and a crazy clothes day. We had some great submissions! The competition connected employees and brought some fun into staying home.
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A NEW BALANCE IN 2020 In 2020 our focus shifted from promoting work/life balance to finding ways to use all the newly found “life” time. For so many, a new level of balance was experienced for the first time, and we had to adjust to a new normal. Below are just a few ways we engaged with our employees this year: • COMMUNICATION: As part of the monthly company newsletter we shared links to websites offering free concerts, movies and family activities. We also shared tips on staying mentally and physically active during quarantine. • DINNER ON US: All employees had an opportunity to order take and bake pizza kits at no expense to take a break from thinking of what to make for dinner. This was a great way to promote family time and support a local business. • CHRISTMAS PARTY GOES VIRTUAL: For the first time, our annual Christmas party went virtual and the entire family was welcome to participate. In years past, employees and significant others participated in a prize raffle, but this year even the kids got involved. Dozens of prizes were up for grabs in every age category and kids were able to enter for a chance to win the item of their choosing. In addition, every family was provided a gift card to purchase pizza on the night of the Christmas party! • WORKING REMOTELY: With nearly 100% of our office staff working remotely off-and-on throughout the year, we discovered some unanticipated pros for some employees. Time was spent engaging with employees to get feedback on working remotely. An effort was made to understand what they liked and disliked about working remotely, how many remote days might be effective/ideal in the future and whether they heard of any unique ways of staying connected while working remotely.
SWEEPING OVERHAUL TO PAID TIME OFF This year, EV made sweeping changed to its paid time off program as a direct result of feedback received from the Best and Brightest employee survey and our internal Best and Brightest committees. In lieu of having separate sick time and vacation, we moved to one pool of paid time off (PTO). The total number of PTO days was calculated by adding 2 days of PTO to employees’ level of vacation days at the time of the change. PTO can now be used for vacation or sick time, whatever the employee chooses! This new plan allows more flexibility for rolling over time that wasn’t used, as opposed to sick time being a “use it or lose it” benefit in the past. Our hourly field employees were also given 2 additional days of PTO to be used as sick time, which is the first time this group was given paid sick time! In addition to making paid time off more flexible, we shortened the tenure needed to earn additional PTO! New employees will begin with 12 days of PTO. After 5 years of service, 5 Additional PTO days will be added for a total of 17 PTO Days. After 10 years of service, 5 Additional PTO days will be added for a total of 22 PTO Days. Formerly, additional time was not earned until after 7 and 14 years of service. EV understands taking time off from work is a much needed balance for employees. These new policies were implemented to ensure everyone is taking time off to focus on their physical and mental well-being.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES HIGHLIGHTS • • • • • • • • • •
Blood drives at the office Giving our employees opportunities to help the community beyond their checkbooks Getting our hands dirty and participating in volunteer opportunities Supporting our employees’ passions through assisting organizations close to their hearts Created ways to maintain community involvement safely through the pandemic Community Safety Fund - an employee paid initiative to support safe practices within the community Building comradery between employees through community service Employees participate in the selection of non-profit and community beneficiaries Participating in local parades for various holidays We, as a company, are proud partners of many local organizations corporately, but our employees also use their time to serve on boards and committees for several local non-profits like the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, Clays for Kids, Ottawa County Skills Center Construction Program, 4H, Cadets, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Young Professionals organizations, many educational and religious organizations and more.
UNITED WAY DAY OF CARING Team members rolled up their sleeves and got dirty at a local animal shelter. We trimmed bushes, laid many yards of stones for the landscaping and weeded a very overgrown outdoor play area for the dogs. 20
FALL CLEAN UP We enlisted team members to help a local elderly family with their yard work. Due to life circumstances, they were not able to prepare their yard for the winter months ahead of time. Team members gathered the day after Thanksgiving to mow, rake, weed, trim and edge their entire yard. In total, 24 bags of yard waste were collected!
BLOOD DRIVES EV has a long-standing relationship with our local blood bank. Employees are offered the opportunity to give back three times a year through a blood bus that comes to the office. In total, 57 employees donated blood, potentially saving 146 lives in the community! POLAR PLUNGE The cold doesn’t get in the way of bringing awareness and funds to a great cause! Several EV team members jumped into bitter cold water in the middle of January to raise over $3,100 for the Special Olympics of West Michigan.
2020 DONATION RECIPIENTS While we can’t donate time to every organization we want to, we donate a significant amount of funds to support local foundations and charities, including:
ADOPT-A-FAMILY EV adopted two local families to take care of for the holiday season. Our team members went above and beyond to ensure they had a wonderful Christmas. Outside of the families’ needs and wishes, EV team members also banded together to provide a traditional Christmas dinner for both families, complete with gift cards for anything we missed.
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FOOD DRIVE Team members and trade contractors on our project sites donated over 75 pounds of food to a local organization, Kid’s Food Basket to support feeding children experiencing food insecurity through the pandemic. COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREE The City of Holland raised funds for a giant Christmas tree for all to enjoy throughout the holiday season. EV contributed a monetary donation to the cause.
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MOVEMBER A dozen team members rallied together to support men’s mental health awareness in November! The men who participated grew out their facial hair and the women logged in miles by either walking or running! Overall, the participation raised over $1,500 dollars!
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SCARECROW CONTEST An EV team member made out of straw and pumpkin?! Yes! Our Coldwater team, participated in the Coldwater Chamber of Commerce’s fall event to show support for local businesses. Residents walked through the downtown area to view all of the entries and voted on their favorite ones. Our team dressed the scarecrow as a tradesperson!
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DONATED HOURS EV leadership recognized the need to help our community and gave the collective group of employees 250 hours of time to be used for community initiatives. This donation will be used in 2021 to help even more community members. While undecided how or where they will be spent (think building homes, spending an afternoon at a local rescue mission, etc.), we’re eager to begin planning how this allotted time will be used to make the biggest impact.
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Associated Builders and Contractors, Western MI Chapter Backpack Buddies Be The Match Boys and Girls Club of Holland Branch County 4-H Career Center Building Trades Catholic Charities of West MI Catholic Central High School Clark Retirement Foundation Coldwater High School Sports Construction Workforce Development Alliance Eagle Crest Charter Academy Fight the Fight, Find a Cure Flags Across Coldwater - Kiwanis and Boy Scouts Grand Haven Area Community Foundation Grand Rapids Children’s Museum Holland Christian Schools Holland Hospital Holy Spirit Schools Humane Society of West Michigan Lakeshore Advantage Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity North Ottawa Community Hospital Pine Rest Mental Health Services Porter Hills Foundation Ronald McDonald House School of Hope St. Mary’s Parish Stick it For a Cure Gymnastics Sunset Retirement Community Foundation The Right Place United Methodist Retirement Communities United Way Van Andel Institute Walk a Mile In Their Shoes West Michigan Works! Windemuller Women in Construction YMCA Camps Zeeland Recreation
STRATEGIC COMPANY PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
we BRING OUR CULTURE OUTSIDE THE WALLS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE we Leverage technology TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL CLOSE, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE
our culture scaleS with our size & travelS WELL with our business
WE properly balance PROCESS/SYSTEMS with the human connection OUR people are OUR TOP PRIORITY, even if a task IS not Precon leads the way Precon deliverables FAR in ‘safety BY design’ exceed the competition’S pm’s & fm’s are we have a strong INDISTINGUISHABLE culture of accountability we have a robust trade IN THEIR DELIVERY contractor rating system there is seamless communication Sage & procore systems between ALL OPERATIONS & accounting are FULLY INTEGRATED WE HAVE robust business WE EFFECTIVELY USE technology to be development KPI’s bigger than we are
we have sUBJECT MATTER HIGHLY EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERTS for all aSPECTS of EXISTS IN ALL DIVISIONS our safety program THERE ARE advancement we encourage healthy living pathways FOR EVERYONE EXPANDED leadership OF national operations
we have an office outside of michigan Growth RELIES on flawless execution
Known for safety, quality & OUR CENTRAL focus on employees We have 10 new, long term accounts in 2023
Accounting is ‘defaulted’ to automation BROAD BRAND EXCELLENCE
WE Help our employees EXCEL IN everyday life
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WE promote THE STRENGTH OF ALL SERVICE OFFERINGS
we encourage the development of secondary skill sets for everyone.
robust traveling self-performed trade teams
we have 10 fm’s/pm’s that live outside STANDARDIZED precon process THEY will know what of michigan for all projects, markets & we do, without explanation locations DEDICATED SAFETY we have expAnded ‘ALIVE365’ RESOURCE FOR NATIONAL in size and impact OPERATIONS we offer bilingual SUPPORT to our TEAM/partners
Friday Celebration - everybody in the office stops what they’re doing for a half hour to celebrate good news. People share personal and professional wins from the week. Painted Picture Retreat - A planning event for team members to collaborate and share their thoughts on how we can improve and grow together as a company. The retreat was centered around a list of questions in each of the company’s divisions. These questions are tailored to get our minds thinking of what we could change and creative ways to implement those changes. Over 75 people participated. Company Newsletters - The introduction section of the newsletter is written by a member of the executive committee, office leadership team or field leadership team and highlights something notable going on in the company. Scorecards - Functional groups and departments have meetings that occur at a regular cadence and each of these teams has a ‘scorecard’ for reporting KPIs. Rebranding - A change not only representing a new look for the company, but a new focus on who we are and the work that we do. Blueprint For Success Onboarding - A prerequisite structure was created to provide a frame of reference for new hires before diving into the heavier, more in-depth topics. The structure is designed with 101, 201 and 301 level programming.
PROCORE IMPLEMENTATION - WAVE 1 As part of a continued focus on strategic growth, our teams have furthered our adoption of Procore Project Management software to better automate and synchronize our accounting and project management operations. This software allows our teams to view real-time financial information both on a project and corporate level and supports informed and intentional decision making. This is critical as projects get larger and are located further from our home office. Adoption of this software and new features has been organized into three “waves”. Our focus in 2019/2020 has been the implementation of Wave 1, which created a strong base of both data and process for our teams to build on as we look forward. Waves 2 and 3 will bring improved reporting, forecasting and interfacing with trade contractors, clients and other project stakeholders.
IMPROVED TIME CARD PROCESS One of our goals in 2020 was to make time card entries more efficient for all employees and help the overall process of payroll become more streamlined. We did just that. Payroll formerly took almost two days to finish. Now the whole process can be done within a half to one day. All our field employees enter their time into Procore, which eliminates errors since there is no data entry on the payroll side. When finished, we are able to export all the time and import it into our accounting software. As for office employees, they utilize HH2. HH2 was already used for our pay stubs, so it made sense to fully utilize the software for entering time cards. Each employee is responsible for entering and approving their own time. Managers now have the ability to see their team’s time cards and approve their hours. Office employees had previously been using Excel to track their hours and email them to the correct person. Using HH2 helps streamline the process and eliminate user error. Once everyone has their time entered, we are able to export all hours and import it into our accounting software. One of the biggest benefits that came from utilizing both Procore and HH2 for time cards was the reporting options. We can now easily track different information that used to take hours to obtain.
SIMPLE IN/OUT Simple In/Out is a new software that we implemented to get real-time updates to where employees are. Whether you are in the office or out at a project site, Simple In/Out helps employees report where they are without the hassle of being tracked down. The program can be utilized by all employees without much thought by downloading the app and turning on the GeoFences function. By doing this, the app will auto-update your status just by entering or exiting a location. The Simple In/Out app was implemented by EV during the COVID-19 quarantine when after offices were allowed to open up again and some employees were still working from home for various reasons. To help keep track of who was working remotely or who was in the office, it was important all employees updated their location status. Collaboration is important in construction, so just knowing the location of a teammate can save valuable time throughout the work day.
KNOW B4 TRAINING KnowBe4 is a security awareness training and simulated phishing platform that helps employees manage the ongoing problem of social engineering. It enables our employees to make smarter security decisions every day. Security threats are always happening and always evolving. It is important that our employees understand and know the signs of what to look for in order to avoid potential threats. We require all new hires to take a 30 minute training exercise. It will help inform and protect them to spot dangerous/spam emails or links in their everyday life here at work or at home. Every once in a while, they will receive an email, sent from KnowBe4, to test if they are using what they have learned.
THRIVE365™ We have been utilizing uMap™ software for a couple years, but just this year we expanded our licensing to include Thrive365™. This is an improved employee performance management module within uMap™ software, which allows team members to self-score on performance, KPIs, personal and professional goals, etc. These are quarterly or semi-annual conversations between employees and their manager. Employees are able to give feedback on their performance in a variety of areas. Managers are then able to view the employee’s comments and make their own comments. Once both parties complete their section, they meet and go through the comments together. This allows open communication between both sides and the ability to go back to review what was said at any time. This not only creates more accountability, but also a more supportive environment between employees and their supervisors.
PRESIDENT VLOG As many companies experienced, EV felt disconnect with everyone working remotely this year. Our president/ CEO took it upon himself to create and distribute company-wide vlogs to keep people informed about what was happening in the company and industry. Some of his topics included: visiting the projects still running, the company rebranding, COVID procedures, award wins, etc. These videos were very laid back and short to keep people engaged, but helped employees feel more comfortable approaching our CEO.
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