Building and maintaining a vibrant, encouraging, and inclusive company culture is a key ingredient to ensure that employees are happy and a company succeeds. In the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry, technology is rapidly changing the way companies work and how employees collaborate with each other. As AECO companies find new ways to keep up with technology and stay ahead of the competition, creating a unique and collaborative company culture to attract and keep the right talent is becoming increasingly important.
Microdesk, an AECO consultancy, has been an integral part of the AECO technology evolution and a key player in building a unique work environment. Microdesk’s success has led to staff growth throughout their 12 nationwide offices. Earlier this year, Microdesk announced it would be relocating its mid-town Manhattan office to a larger, 10,084 sq-ft office space at 5 Penn Plaza in September 2016. The catalyst for the move is simple – a growing team of AECO and Application Development professionals. In Chicago, the Microdesk office has doubled in size in the past year, expanding from consulting and sales services, to now house the majority of the marketing staff as well. Impressive growth is being experienced throughout Microdesk offices in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London due to the company’s extensive experience with top AEC clients and their ability to attract top talent based on the unique, industry leading BIM opportunities.
So how has Microdesk been able to build such a strong company culture that drives both business and attracts the top talent? Here are some ways the company has found success:
Lay a Strong Foundation with Leadership
When building the foundation for a great company culture, one of the most important stepping stones is ensuring that leadership is involved and supportive of all its employees. Leaders at Microdesk are always looking for new ways to connect with employees and routinely implementing initiatives to improve the company’s culture. One example of this is a weekly all-hands meeting where the company’s Principal, Michael DeLacey, holds a video conference to talk about where the company is, where it is going, and recent achievements made by different employees. This transparency and constant communication with leaders has helped lay a solid and strong foundation of support for employees.
Jeremy Piela, a Senior Project Manager out of the New York office, has had first-hand experiences on how this has impacted his work.
“The relationship I have with Microdesk’s leadership team is very special,” says Jeremy. “We work very closely with each other and they have made sure to build a culture where we are not micromanaged. There is a culture of comradery where we are supported, always in constant communication, and accessible whenever I need them.”
Unique Opportunities, Unique Culture
When companies provide unique opportunities and experiences, it helps attract and retain the best talent. From working with Columbia University on the Manhattanville Project in New York City, to developing the revolutionary BIM to Asset Management solution, ModelStream, Microdesk staff have the opportunity to touch every aspect of the AECO industry. By providing employees unique opportunities to excel and stretch themselves, companies drive innovation from within—which can help drive revenue. As the AECO industry continues to evolve through technology, Microdesk has focused on being able to provide off-the-beaten-path career opportunities for people in the industry.
When Kevin Phillips, Director of Consulting in Chicago, had first learned about the unique opportunities at Microdesk he knew that it had the potential to be a career defining move.
“Microdesk is a good choice for someone that has a passion for the AECO industry and wants to have a well-rounded career,” says Kevin. “Microdesk offers unique job opportunities, which opens the door for employees to work with different firms on a wide variety of unique and monumental projects. In my role, I am able to work on complex problems and come up with interesting solutions. This is definitely not your typical AECO company, which makes for a great experience.”
A Culture of Rewards
Leaders are an integral part of ensuring a company’s culture stays intact, but it’s the hard work of the employees that can make or break an organization. Finding different ways to reward employees for their company contributions is a great way to build relationships and help ensure that your employees know they are respected, supported, and valued. This can range from providing employees free lunch on Fridays to giving employees gift certificates when completing a big project. One way Microdesk creates a culture of rewards is through the Gold Circle. Microdesk’s Gold Circle is an annual trip for employees and leadership who have achieved success and gone above and beyond in their work.
However, one of the biggest things that Microdesk has done to reward its employees was taking the entire company on an all expense paid trip to New Orleans for its 20th anniversary in 2014. This experience brought the entire company together, building lifelong memories and enhancing work relationships. Nivin Aboshaira, Architecture Solutions Specialist for Microdesk in New York, looks back at how the trip helped her feel more appreciative and fulfilled in her work.
“My favorite memory from working at Microdesk so far was the 20th anniversary celebration,” says Nivin. “That trip to New Orleans gave me the opportunity to meet all the Microdesk employees from all the different locations, and it was a great experience that made me fall in love with the company even more.”
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Interested in learning more about Microdesk’s culture and becoming a part of the team? Check out our careers page and apply today!
