8:00 am Registration & Networking

9:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Psychological Safety Workshop

9:30 am Workshop: Psychological Safety in Practice

Synopsis

  • How can we support our field employees with their mental health?
  • Learn about psychological safety beyond overarching theory
  • Attend Clayco’s session to learn how to deal with real case studies where psychological safety practical knowledge is vital

10:00 am Discover: Brain Training for Emotional Regulation

  • Lisa Marini Director of Learning & Development, Brinkman Construction

Synopsis

  • How can we build better leaders who are able to support their staff?
  • Teach employees how to emotionally regulate themselves
  • How Brinkmann Construction are creating awareness on the affects of stress and helping employees to understand how to manage their nervous system to enable them to function as happier and better employees

10:30 am Networking & Refreshment Break

Attracting Top Construction Talent

11:10 am Discover: Recruiting the Amteck Way, Attracting Talent Through Your Story

Synopsis

  • How can we find candidates who are genuinely passionate about the work we are doing, who are more likely to stay long term?
  • Attract talent rather than find it
  • How Amteck have created a list of values and are using these in recruitment marketing, honing in on their story and creating interest around the company, rather than head hunting talent

11:30 am Discover: The Importance of EVP Branding Across ALL segments of your construction organization: Why Your Benefits and Values Matter

Synopsis

  • DPR will discuss their efforts over the last 2 years to develop an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) that is comprehensive and tailored to address the unique needs of all segments within our construction organization. 
  • From entry-level positions and skilled trades to project management and executive leadership, our EVP reflects the benefits, growth opportunities, and values that resonate across every role in the company. 
  • This ensures that all employees, regardless of their position, can see themselves in our vision and understand the reasons to build their career with us. enhance their compensation and benefits program for all employees including their Craft population. 
  • Highlighting the importance of branding and how to effectively communicate your company's benefits and reasons to work with you.

11:50 am Develop: How Else Can We Ensure That We Are Recruiting Passionate, Quality Talent?

Synopsis

With a significant gap between the demand for skilled workers and the available workforce on top of many experienced workers are retiring, how can we prevent project delays and increased costs?

12:10 pm Action:What Are You Going To Change About The Way You Find Quality Talent?

Synopsis

Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair

Developing Home Grown Construction Craft Workers

11:10 am Discover: Constructing an Internal University Program Tied to Homegrown Career Frameworks

  • Stephen Hunt Manager, Training and Development, Gray Construction

Synopsis

  • How do we increase engagement with our training and development programs?
  • How Gray has built a human-centered internal university that utilizes personalized career frameworks and course catalogs tailored to each role in the company, displaying the skills required and recommended training pathways to advance in the organization, and how these efforts have led to a 70% increase in team member engagement while benefitting talent acquisition efforts and retention.

11:50 am Develop:How Else Can We Capture Knowledge From Our Most Senior Employees?

  • Stephen Hunt Manager, Training and Development, Gray Construction

Synopsis

Where construction workers are forced into project management positions that they are often unprepared for, on top of a quickly retiring workforce how can we effectively capture knowledge and create a cohesive and efficient talent development system?

12:10 pm Action:How Are You Going To Steepen The Learning Curve In Your Organization?

Synopsis

Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair

Building the Next Generation of Construction Talent

11:10 am Discover:Partnering with Schools to Workforce Plan for the Future

Synopsis

  • How can we create a stable pipeline with the necessary skills for our future workforce?
  • Partner with schools to create a mutually beneficial relationship
  • How JE Dunn Construction have hired a workforce development manager to go into schools and give them the necessary skills required for the job

11:30 am Discover:Mapping Out the Next Gen Talent Funnel

  • Rishona Harris Senior Director, Human Resources, Centuri Group, Inc.
  • Catherine Berry Senior Vice President & Head of Human Resources, Centuri Group, Inc.

Synopsis

  • How can we grow and scale and ensure we are ahead of the pipeline?
  • Map out where your current pipeline is current from and be intentional about sourcing from a range of areas
  • How Centuri Group have mapped out their current pipelines and are tapping into hidden workforces while diversifying their current workforce

11:50 am Develop:How Else Can We Build And Develop The Next Generation Of Talent?

  • Catherine Berry Senior Vice President & Head of Human Resources, Centuri Group, Inc.
  • Rishona Harris Senior Director, Human Resources, Centuri Group, Inc.
  • Nancy Phelps Vice President and Community Impact Director, JE Dunn Construction

Synopsis

With often long hours, little room for flexibility and sometimes unsafe working conditions, how can we change

the perceptions of the construction industry to set it up for future success?

12:10 pm Action:What Are You Going To Do To Attract The Next Generation Of Talent Into Your Workforce?

Synopsis

Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair

12:30 pm Networking Lunch

Retaining Top Manufacturing Talent

1:30 pm Discover: Implementing a ‘Quick Start’ Period for new hires

  • Dawn Boucher Director - Talent Operations, Faith Technologies Inc.

Synopsis

  • How can we increase engagement with our roles which subsequently increases retention?
  • Implement a ‘Quick Start’ training period before new hires go onsite to a project
  • How Faith Corporation have implemented a two week ‘Quick Start’ period that allows new hires to lean about the job before going onsite, building excitement and engagement and decreasing turnover from 26% to 16.5%

1:50 pm Develop:How Else Are We Able To Decrease Turnover And Retain Valued Talent?

Synopsis

Where home grown construction talent is becoming ever more important to build knowledgeable leadership and project managers, how can we develop programs to retain skilled labor and increase engagement to reduce turnover?

2:00 pm Action:Discuss in your round tables ways you can take these learnings back to your own organizations such as:

Synopsis

  • How can we retain our hourly craft workforce?
  • What can we do in the first 3-6 months to decrease high turnover in the first year?
  • What can we do to retain our younger generation employees who often prefer flexibility to stability?

2:20 pm Panel Discussion:Strategic Debate: How Can we Retain Our Craft Workforce?

Constructing Connectivity Between Our Floor & Corporate Workforce

1:30 pm Discover: Driving Change in HR – Moving Away from the ‘Admin Team’

  • Rebecca Moussazadeh Associate Vice President & Senior People & Culture Business Partner, Limbach Co.

Synopsis

  • How can we drive positive perceptions of HR and effect real change, aside from administrative processes
  • Change your HR departments structure, hire a ‘People & Culture’ Business Partner role
  • How Limbach have invested in a People & Culture Business Partner role which has enabled them to meet with employees, forward plan make accommodations, enhance overall culture and reduce attrition

1:50 pm Discover:Accounting for Culture to Impact Positive Change

  • Kevin Henry Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, PulteGroup Inc.

Synopsis

  • How can we create a positive culture that aligns with our companies values?
  • Operationalize your companies values and track measurements closely on a dashboard
  • How Pulte Group have developed a detailed ‘Culture Dashboard’ that assesses the companies live data against the companies values, informing strategic action needed to match the desired culture

2:10 pm Develop:How Else Can We Control And Impact Our Organization’s Culture?

  • Kevin Henry Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, PulteGroup Inc.
  • Rebecca Moussazadeh Associate Vice President & Senior People & Culture Business Partner, Limbach Co.

Synopsis

How can we decrease disconnect between our craft and salaried workforce? How can we utilize culture pulse checks to ensure that the our employees have positive relationships? How are other construction organizations set up for connectivity – do they have staff members dedicated to culture?

2:30 pm Action:How are you going to enhance your organizations culture?

Synopsis

The industry is harshly divided into corporate and floor workers, how can we change this us VS them mentality to build a culture of trust and harmony between our two distinct categories of workers?

  • How can we create synergy or shared goals between corporate and blue collar workers?
  • How can we create proximity between these workers?
  • Can we re-examine the way hourly workers are treated/ have exposure to be more similar to those in the corporate environment?

Re-Assessing Organizational Structure to Increase Efficiencies

1:30 pm Discover:Streamlining Communication within the Business

  • Milton Hardy Director of Human Resources, Fort Myer Construction Co.

Synopsis

  • How can we increase trust, retention and organizational efficiencies?
  • Open direct communication between senior leadership and onsite management
  • How Fort Myer Construction are being intentional about their relationship building between senior leadership and their craft staff to increase transparency, efficiency, trust and retention

1:50 pm Discover:Strengthening Middle Management to Create Reliable Future Leadership

  • Rod Branch Chief Human Resources Officer, Arcxis

Synopsis

  • How can we develop our middle management effectively?
  • Create a comprehensive array of resources
  • How Arcxis have developed focus groups, leadership groups, mentorship programs, book clubs and more to develop their middle managers

2:10 pm Develop:How Else Can Our Organization’s Structure Increase Or Decrease Efficiency?

  • Milton Hardy Director of Human Resources, Fort Myer Construction Co.
  • Rod Branch Chief Human Resources Officer, Arcxis

Synopsis

As more women and parents enter the frontline workforce, as well as our increasing desire to onboard next gen talent, how can we change our future focused strategy to make the construction industry a more desirable place to work?

2:30 pm Action:What will you change about the way your organization functions to increase efficiencies?

Synopsis

  • How can we implement technology to increase flexibility?
  • How can we implement job sharing where possible?
  • How can we re-examine the manufacturing shift schedule?
  • Can we mimic the gig economy’s ability to offer casual shifts for our production line work?

3:00 pm Break

Supporting Our Craft Workers with Mental Health & Wellbeing

3:20 pm Discover:The Frontline Employee Engagement App

  • Daren Jennings Chief Commercial Officer & Managing Director, Speakap Inc.

Synopsis

Say hello to an employee app specifically designed for your frontline workforce. Enjoy onboarding, training, task management, workplace messaging, scheduling and more – packaged in an engaging, social media-looking tool. No training necessary. All your company information, in one employee app.

3:40 pm Discover: Addressing Burnout through Constructing a Culture of Care & Mindfulness

Synopsis

  • How can we help our workforce avoid burnout?
  • Provide resources and break down harmful barriers to help
  • How Flintco are placing certified mental health first aiders on each project and piloting a daily meditating program to equip their staff with the resources to help themselves and each other

4:00 pm Discover: Designing a Comprehensive Wellness Program that Truly Helps Employees

  • Myra Ebarb Vice President of People & Perks, Sachse Construction

Synopsis

  • How can we recognize the problems employees in the construction industry face and provide support that is truly helpful to them?
  • Design an intentional, multi-faceted wellness program
  • How Sachse have developed a 6 pillared wellness program that covers: health, wealth, mind, body, connection and community wellness as well as an optional ‘Enterprise Connect Fund’ to help employees in need

4:20 pm Develop:How can we modernize internal cultures and open dialogue for mental health discussions?

Synopsis

With a growing concern around mental health coupled with rising health care costs, mental and physical wellbeing needs to be on the radar of everyone involved in the industry. Construction workers are five times more likely to die by suicide than the average worker. Addiction issues also affect many of them, leading to high overdose rates.

5:00 pm Action: How are you going to provide more care for your employees and their families?

Synopsis

  • How can we modernize their internal cultures and open dialogue for mental health discussions?
  • How can we increase financial education to help our employees feel financially empowered?
  • How can we provide care for our employees families?
  • How can we increase a culture of health and wellness that acts as preventative healthcare which can decrease business costs?

5:20 pm Speed Networking: Searchlight Lightning Round

  • Erica Roth Director of Talent Acquisition, Interstates
  • Leslie Schlaegel Vice President Talent Development, Royal Electric Co
  • Jaime Elgas Vice President and Sr. Director of Talent Management, JE Dunn Construction
  • Rosemary Adams National Director, Talent Acquisition, JE Dunn Construction
  • Rafael Guajardo Senior Partner - Talent Acquisition, Skanska
  • Alison Tripp Head of Human Resources, DPR Construction

Synopsis

Meet our Searchlight members. In this quick fire session, members will share what they have learned as part of our Searchlight membership. Engage in round table discussion of thoughtful HR Strategy

6:00 pm Chairs Closing Remarks