More Than 90% of Our Employees Recommend Working at Gannett Fleming – Here’s Why

Excellence Delivered as Promised might be our tagline, but it embodies a commitment to not only our client experience, but to our employee experience as well.

Every three years, we engage an independent third party to conduct an employee engagement survey. The survey, which was conducted in May of this year, is anonymous, and all full-time and part-time employees are asked to participate. The survey is employees’ opportunity to tell us how they feel we’re performing in key areas, including:

• Quality
• Leadership
• Communications
• Culture
• Training and Development
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Benefits
• Recognition.

The employee engagement metric has proven to be highly correlated with the underlying themes of employee satisfaction, tenure, and overall future corporate success. We have a strong commitment to our culture of innovation, lifelong learning, and creating a sense of belonging and inclusion, and we know that hearing our employees’ feedback is the only way we can continue to evolve the unique culture that makes Gannett Fleming a great place to work for everyone.

We use the feedback we receive in the employee engagement survey to help us determine where we should make investments and how the feedback can be used to inform our Strategic Action Plans (SAP). In our 2018 employee engagement survey, we received excellent feedback that resulted in the following:

• More support for diversity and inclusion, including training and resources
• Investments in more employee training and development
• The launch of a virtual onboarding program, including a Gannett Fleming overview, 401(k) information, and comprehensive benefit offerings
• More resources for our innovation programs.

Given that 2020 was a landmark year for everyone navigating the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we were hopeful that our employees would still report feeling engaged in our 2021 employee engagement survey, but we suspected there might be dips in areas impacted by our pivot to remote working. However, the results were clear – employees at Gannett Fleming feel engaged, valued, and that their work is appreciated and held to a high standard.

A staggering 91% of employees said that they would recommend Gannett Fleming as a place to work, and we exceeded best-in-class and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry norms in many categories. And with a survey participation rate of 77%, we’re particularly proud of the statistical relevance of these results.

The survey included a series of statements that asked employees to use a 5-point scale, ranging from (1) Strongly Disagree to (5) Strongly Agree. The only question to not use this structure was the one used to measure engagement, which asked employees to use a 10-point scale, ranging from (0) Not at All Likely to (10) Extremely Likely, to indicate the likelihood that they would recommend Gannett Fleming as a place to work. For the following statements, Gannett Fleming exceeded the AEC industry norm:

• We set and enforce high standards for performance.
• I am actively helped with my professional development.
• I am informed about what is happening at Gannett Fleming.
• Communication between management and people at my level is very good.
• Goals and accountabilities are clear to everyone on my team.
• My last performance appraisal accurately reflected my performance.
• Considering my work group as a whole, the compensation system is managed fairly.
• We regularly discuss our progress toward our goals and objectives.In the past six months, someone has talked with me about my progress.
• I routinely receive feedback from my supervisor.

Overall, we were thrilled to see that our employees rated us highly. However, we also know that there are always areas where we can improve and appreciate the opportunity to do so.

One area employees indicated they would like to see improvement is in providing opportunities to socialize and celebrate special events. Regrettably, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel many of the in-person events we typically hold – such as employee appreciation events like Gannett Days and winter holiday celebrations – but we are taking this feedback as a welcome challenge as we navigate our new normal and fully transition to a hybrid work model in 2022.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) are taking up the charge to provide new ways to socialize and build virtual communities. LGBTQ+ of Gannett Fleming holds a virtual monthly meetup called “Rainbow Connection,” an hour for discussion and allyship on LGBTQ+ topics. Additionally, Future Generations of Gannett Fleming holds “Ask Me Anything” sessions highlighting different Gannett Fleming employees and important topics, such as 401(k)s. And Connected Women at Gannett Fleming™ holds panel and group discussions on topics like parenting while working from home and self-advocacy.

We are excited to find new ways to connect and celebrate with our Gannett Fleming family!

We have already begun the work of using the survey results to inform Gannett Fleming’s future. Every year, our leadership and ERG teams meet for a Summer Summit. This year, the results of the employee engagement survey were front and center to help the teams develop goals and objectives to be included in our next SAP. Additionally, the results were shared with our business group leadership teams to develop targeted goals and strategies to ensure employee engagement for years to come!

If you’re ready to advance your career, apply to our open positions and join our talent community today!