In the words of Monte Thompson in his originating “I AM ZACHRY“ article, “I’ve seen first-hand the dedication Zachry has to its employees…constantly looking for people who want to learn and advance their careers.”

An article in one of the company’s Force Report magazines developed this theme by talking about the impact of supervisors. Here’s a summary:

According to the SASHA Corporation (a company that develops training for front-line supervisors) when workers leave a job, 85 percent do so because of morale issues like poor communication and dysfunctional relationships in their workgroup. In contrast, working for a “good boss” is one of the top three reasons employees stay.

So, as one of the industry’s top employers, Zachry is focusing training effort on front-line supervisors — foremen.

According to Dan Barrow — now the enterprise training & development manager ­— “To be the employer of choice, Zachry needs supervisors of choice.” So, new foremen learn technical and administrative routines, but they also learn to deal with personalities and attitudes — more complex skills that have no forms, procedures or checklists. That’s why the program targets communication, teamwork and relationships.

Dan works with Mark Dalgleish, now the senior manager, training & development and his experience comes from his background as a craft worker who migrated into employee training. He went on to say, “The training has to reflect Zachry’s culture, and we encourage all management levels to be part of the training sessions. And when the basics like communication and teamwork are strong, that’s when morale, motivation, trust and productivity all fall into place.”

The delivery system is also important. As Mark said, “Field workers don’t always have access to a desk or a computer, so we have materials in portable formats. This lets them work through the material in a setting that works best for them.”

Dan added, “This level of investment in employees really sets Zachry apart. People who feel valued and respected will move mountains and keep the passion to stay with Zachry for the long haul.”