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During times of unrest, upheaval, or uncertainty there is a guarantee of only one thing: change.

Because the construction industry was deemed essential and many of our projects remained open, we needed to act immediately to protect our workers, trade partners on our job sites, and those in the communities where we were working. Comprehensive responses must be a carefully balanced blend of both proactive and reactive measures, while taking into consideration that our choices will impact both our employees and the outside perception of our company. We took a holistic approach to our response plan.

COVID-19 Task Force

Our first step was to set up a task force to respond to and plan for any issues that may arise. Having this dedicated team that meets regularly allows them to prioritize and focus on making the best and well thought-out choices, while talking through what-if scenarios. This proactive measure is key to the proper and consistent dissemination of information to the rest of the company.

Limiting Workers on Site 

We also acted quickly to scale back risk of virus exposure on our job sites by prohibiting food trucks, visitors, and all other non-essential personnel. We analyzed the staffing needs on each project to determine the appropriate level to keep our job sites running, while limiting our staff and trade partners’ exposure to any unnecessary risk.

Virus Screening

For those who are allowed on our job sites, we implemented a more detailed field screening process to evaluate and certify that workers are healthy and safe to work. We created signage and documents in both English and Spanish for increased comprehension. We also put in place a form of contact tracing by determining that new subcontractors to our site were not leaving their previous job sites due to a shut down from a COVID-19 outbreak. 

Mental Health 

It is important for us to keep in mind that this transition is far from an easy and seamless process for our employees and that no two people will experience this the same way. We’ve continued to promote the resources provided through our Employee Assistance Program. We also hosted a guest speaker via video conference to discuss creating and maintaining hope in difficult times. In addition we gifted our employees a copy of the speaker’s book for those interested in a deeper dive into the topic. To maintain the connection between our employees while working remotely we’ve introduced fun themes to our weekly virtual All Hands meetings, such as Hat Day or sharing a photo of their favorite vacation. These lighthearted motifs foster our CEFamily even when we’re not together in person. 

Office Reintegration Plan

We have developed a slow-phased office reintegration plan. One aspect of this was a complete rethinking of how an office fundamentally works by creating new protocols with social distancing and prevention of cross contamination in mind with the use of signage and a Smartsheet for keeping track of those in the office. Preparing for transition into the New Normal with employee safety in mind is absolutely imperative for success.

Supporting our Clients and Trade Partners

We strive to live by our mission and core values, so for us it is crucial to support our trade partners and clients. Many of the measures we have put in place are for the good of everyone who steps foot on one of our job sites. We’ve also ordered PPE to supply all workers in case some don’t have adequate equipment. We care about our clients and their people too. We reached out to our clients to determine the best way of meeting their needs and received a variety of responses ranging from snack boxes and produce deliveries to monetary contributions. Tailoring the support we provide to our clients ensures that our assistance is as effective as possible and reaffirms our commitment to Building Visions and People through our dedication to partnership, even in times of uncertainty.  

This is by no means a comprehensive discussion of the changes we have made. Regardless of the type of measures we’ve implemented, they all share a common goal: to support our employees and our partners.

Contact us to learn more about what we're doing in response to COVID-19 now and going forward.