SEE WHY HARRIS’ EMPLOYEES STAND OUT IN OUR INDUSTRY

(ST. PAUL, Minn.) – Harris isn’t settling for the reality of labor shortages in the construction industry – the leading national mechanical contractor is making sure its office team members, on-site and off-site job crews, job hunters, partners and customers see first-hand just how hard the company is working to become a destination workplace.

Check out video here.

“Since 2016, we have been on an internal journey of transformation making “Talent and Culture” not only a strategic imperative at Harris, but our game-changer,” says Angela Mork, director, Marketing + Communications. “Harris executives and team members nationwide have made tremendous progress towards engaging in open dialogue and honest feedback so we can continually improve.”

Mork expresses how rewarding it was to capture the personal sentiments of employees throughout the country who shared what makes Harris special and why it stands out above the rest, adding, “we get to show our dedicated, unified teams in action and what makes us a trusted partner. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Fostering a positive, transparent and unified culture also makes good business sense. According to LSA Global, culturally aligned organizations return 286 percent more value to stakeholders, report an increase of up to 25 percent in productivity, have twice as many employees stay, and find 44 percent more employees are engaged.

Harris believes employee engagement is essential to creating a strong, positive culture. Recognized in 2021 with a Top Workplaces USA award, Harris annually enlists Energage, a third-party research firm and the nation’s most credible employer recognition program operator, to conduct anonymous employee engagement surveys to gain valuable recommendations and insight about Harris as a workplace.

One recommendation from employees was to create a Leadership Fundamentals Program, which Harris did in 2017. To date, it has trained over 200 leaders. Internal feedback also included launching a strategic team focused on talent and culture. Harris did that as well in 2017. Now known as the Talent + Culture Focus Group (TCFG), the employee-driven group is comprised of 10 individuals, each in varying roles and from different Harris locations and divisions. The team’s initial work included creating Harris’ culture statement which exemplifies how the company works together and the workplace culture it’s striving to build.

With a rotation of members determined yearly based on interest and recommendations from leadership, TCFG’s more recent work includes 1) developing Harris’ new Inclusion + Diversity Statement 2) signing on to Culture of CARE, an initiative of the Associated General Contractors of America to make the construction industry the choice for diverse and talented workers and 3) adding an Inclusive Leadership Behaviors module to its Leadership Fundamentals Program. Recognizing those at the top set an organization’s tone, Harris added the course to ensure its leaders foster a culture of psychological safety, which research shows to be extremely important when creating an environment where team members feel comfortable to speak up.

Harris’ coordinated team approach extends to the work it does in the construction industry – collaborating across its 14 offices in eight states to deliver design and engineering, construction, building automation, service, manufacturing, conveyors and end-to-end building systems to customers, including stadiums/arenas, hospitals, K-12 schools/universities, government projects, data centers, airports, hotels and casinos across the country.

CONTACTS:
Angela Mork
[email protected]
651.602.6538

Gina Swanson
[email protected]
612.298.2631

About Harris
Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Harris is a leading national mechanical contractor specializing in design and engineering, construction, controls, service, manufacturing, conveyors and end-to-end building systems with twelve offices nationwide. Customers who partner with Harris benefit from our national reach, with 14 regional offices nationwide, local expertise and more than 70 years of experience. From power plants to stand-alone hospitals, stadiums to concert halls, we bring a spirit of creative problem solving and a commitment to excellence to every project, no matter the size, complexity or location. Harris was named 2021 Top Workplaces USA.