VOICEThe The official magazine of The Construction Users Roundtable Register For Upcoming CURT Events https://www.curtevents.com The Power of External Mentorships: Construction Workforce Growth & Success Issue 2, 2024The Construction Users Roundtable 3 IN DEPTH WORDS OF WISDOM 5 This Issue’s Experts 7 A Message from Jim Ellis, CURT Chairman of the Board THE COVER 12 Off to the Races! CURT’s Sprint Teams Are Already Delivering on Goals, With Much More to Come 21 Effective Onboarding: A Well-structured and Comprehensive Onboarding Process will Keep Your Construction Craft Professionals Safe LEADERSHIP The Power of External Mentorships Could mentorship be key to attracting AND retaining employees in the construction industry? As of 2022, nearly 45% of workers in the industry were 45 years and older, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. To sustain and grow the industry – and meet current and expected demand – the sector MUST do something to ensure that new hires stay for the long haul. 8 VOICE The The official magazine of The Construction Users Roundtable :M OQ[\MZ. WZ=XKWUQVO +=: <-^ MV\[ P\\X["___ K]Z\M^ MV\[ KWU <PM8W_MZWN-`\MZVIT5MV\WZ[PQX[" +WV[\Z]K\QWV?WZSNWZKM/ZW_\P;]KKM[[ Issue 2, 2024 Your Subscription Your Way! Scan this QR code or email distribution@matrixgroupinc.net to subscribe or update your existing subscription information. Note, The VOICE is free for representatives of CURT member companies. FEATURES WHAT’S UP ONLINE 23 Hourly Workers vs. Salaried: Understanding the Difference Between Managing Hourly and Salaried Employees is Crucial for Effective Leadership 26 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS5 Ben Smith, CRIS, Construction Underwriter at CNA, has two years of experience working with commercial contractors primarily operating in Texas with nationwide operations. Herb Strong is the Corporate Accounts Manager for HazTek Safety Management. Herb has earned his Master of Science in Safety and Health Management and has a diversified background in the field of occupational health and safety. Robert E. Wagner is a Site Construction Leader with Procter & Gamble Family Care R&D. He has over 40 years of experience in construction and project management roles. For the past five years, he was CURT’s Lean IPD Project Co-Committee Chair, and now he leads the Lean IPD Sprint Team. Thank you to the contributors who shared their expertise this issue. THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS Mark Benacquisto is the Executive Director, MW/PD First Trust at United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America. Mark is a fourth-generation union millwright with 30 years of experience. James Boileau is the Construction Segment Director – Risk Engineering, for the Zurich Services Corporation, where he is responsible for the technical direction of services offered to clients and underwriters. Scott Greenberg is author of “Stop The Shift Show: Turn Your Struggling Hourly Workers into a Top-Performing Team.” Daniel Groves is the CEO of Construction Industry Resources (CIR) as well as a consultant for the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT). Jacqueline Handy is a Business Advancement Manager for the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. She has over seven years of experience in the transportation and safety sectors. Marni Hogen, CSP, is Vice President Health and Safety, for Mortenson. She is a Certified Safety Professional, and a member of the ASSP and the National Construction Safety Executives. Jill Kozur is Director of Business Development for She has worked in the construction industry for over 25 years in different roles. Jill has a deep passion for advocating for the construction industry to get the message out to young people about its diverse opportunities. Bill Lewis is Director Global Modularization with Microsoft ® Data Center Engineering (DCE) and is responsible for consulting and setting strategic directions for project modularization and execution using the latest proven lean implementation processes. Holly Livengood is Underwriting Director – Middle Market Construction, for CNA Insurance. She is an experienced middle market underwriter with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry Jessica Miller SHRM-CP, is Sr. HR Manager for MetroPower/PPC Partners Inc. Jessica is also the Chair of PPC Mentor Network’s Leadership Development Committee. Edison Odeghe is Senior Director of Manufacturing Engineering for The Coca-Cola Company. Matthew Vane Phillips is a Principal Consultant with HazTek, with over 15 years of experience helping global organizations evolve and elevate their HSE. Dominic Rotunno is Senior Director, SS&P, for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. He is a construction industry/supply chain procurement professional with 30 years of domestic and international experience. Jerry Shupe is the Chief Health and Safety Officer for Hensel Phelps. He graduated from Montana Tech and is involved with the Construction Safety Research Alliance and the National Construction Safety Executives.The Construction Users Roundtable 7 WORDS OF WISDOM A message from the CURT Chairman of the Board. “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” – Steven Spielberg I like to believe that in my 40+ years in this industry, I have positively impacted those around me. In some cases, I am sure the impact has been informal and brief, and in other cases I am aware that the effect has been long-lasting and powerful. While I am grateful for any small positive influence I have had, I feel energized knowing that there are people succeeding in their chosen construction career because I spent my time mentoring them. Interestingly, working with my younger peers during my career, and through my work with CURT’s various Committees over the years, has benefited me far more than I ever could have imagined. Not only is it vital to hear and learn from those who are younger than us – with their interesting views and insights into the world around them – but in all honesty, it is revitalizing to be in the presence of their enthusiasm! I harbor absolutely zero “kids these days” attitude. In my opinion “kids these days” are absolutely crushing it. Sure, they might do things differently than I would have (just like when I was younger and wanted to do things differently than those who came before me), and they may have different expectations on their managers and work environments, but different does not equal bad or less. The focus CURT is placing on mentorships – and in particular, external mentorships – is something that everyone of us should pay attention to and learn from. We should want the construction industry to grow and thrive, and we should want to share our many years of knowledge with those who will take our places as we retire. We’ve built our careers in this sector, and we’ve enjoyed the lives we’ve lived because of this industry. Let’s pass the baton in a way that benefits our younger peers and ensures that they, too, can find success. Many companies across all industries have formal mentorship programs, and I applaud them for this! What makes CURT’s mentorship aspirations unique is the idea of external mentorships and it’s only through an organization like CURT that this is possible. There is much to learn within our own organizations, but imagine having the opportunity to ask questions of leaders in different positions at different companies. For capital project professionals, who are quite literally in charge of building and rebuilding infrastructure across the globe, the chance to learn from a wide array of experts will not only benefit their own careers and employers, it will benefit the wider construction industry – and this is something we can all be grateful for. This is your call to action. I invite you to contact CURT through Ronna DuBro, CURT Director of Membership and Member Services, at rdubro@curt.org or 513-981-2773, and ask how you can participate in CURT’s new mentorship program. We need men and women to step up, and perhaps step out of their comfort zones, to work with our younger counterparts. While it may not seem like much, by sharing your journey with them, and answering their questions, they are more likely to stay in construction, and they’re more likely to reach for loftier goals than they may have otherwise reached for. On May 8, 2024, CURT’s new Mentorship Sprint Team is leading a workshop on The Power of External Mentorships: Construction Workforce Growth & Success. Learn more from Sprint Team Leader Edison Odeghe on page 13. The construction sector has been my home for many decades. I owe it my time mentoring the next generation. If you feel the same way, please join us on this journey of knowledge transfer. All the best! The focus CURT is placing on mentorships – and in particular, external mentorships – is something that everyone of us should pay attention to and learn from. We should want the construction industry to grow and thrive, and we should want to share our many years of knowledge with those who will take our places as we retire. ‘ ‘8 Helping owners achieve the most productive use of every capital dollar. COVER STORY The construction workforce can grow and succeed by tapping into the sector’s biggest asset – the knowledge of its longtime and experienced leaders. T he construction industry is facing a significant workforce shortfall. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, as of 2022, nearly half of all workers in the industry were 45 years and older and nearing retirement. To sustain and grow the industry, as well as to meet current and expected demand, the construction sector must do something to ensure that new hires stay for the long haul. Could mentorship be the answer? The VOICE had the opportunity to sit down and speak with industry professionals to ask about their experiences with mentorship, and about what role they believe mentorship will play in securing the workforce of the future. Here is what they had to say. Edison Odeghe, Senior Director, Manufacturing Engineering, The Coca-Cola Company: People right now have opportunities within their organizations to ask questions and seek advice, but many simply don’t feel comfortable bringing up new and innovative ideas on their own. External mentorship provides an avenue for people to connect outside their usual networks and bring in some new insights and perspectives to do things differently. When I reach out to somebody who’s outside of my organization, I will likely see one or two things that they do better than we do in my organization. I will likely also see one or two things the other individual has learned by virtue of being in a different organization than mine. My intent is then to find out how to imbibe what they are doing better and bring that to how I conduct myself and drive improvements at my own organization. Jessica Miller, Senior Human Resources Manager, MetroPower: External mentorships outside your company can help to ease anxiety in individuals who may have concerns about their conversations or mentoring work not being kept anonymous within their own company. It also widens the pool of potential mentors because you may be pleasantly surprised to find someone that you connect better with and who may be able to offer the same – or higher – level of skills and experience than someone within your own company. Holly Livengood, Underwriting Director-Middle Market Construction, CNA Insurance: Mentor/mentee relationships can be immensely beneficial for any organization. This is true both internally, where there can be certain nuances that are in play that a mentor can help the mentee navigate, as well as externally, where you can have a different kind of lens and remove any biases about how you think things should be done, and then be better able to advise somebody without having those filters. Mark Benacquisto, Executive Director MW/PD First Trust at United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America: Studies show that both internal and external mentorships can be successful. I have been guided through my career as a millwright and labor leader by several external mentors, and I can count on reaching out to external mentors to get career path advice that may be restricted from an internal mentorship. An external mentor provides a unique perspective and provides different insights that can’t be seen from within the company structure. Ben Smith, Underwriter Construction, CNA Insurance: There are certain questions that you may have throughout your career By Paul Adair, Staff Writer External Mentorships Power The ofthat you may not feel comfortable going to your direct manager about – especially when you are new to the job. My mentor was great to connect with and to field those types of questions, some of which were directly related to my work and others being a little less so. I really came to value how down to earth they were and how it was not strictly business all the time, and how I could let my guard down around them. Now that I am a mentor myself, I try to provide specific guidance but also just talk about the day-to-day stuff. Part of being a good mentor is being a friend and offering some reassurance that they are doing a good job, which is what a lot of employes are looking for early in their careers. Odeghe: The reason I have passion for mentorship is because I am, myself, a product of mentorship. I have been blessed to have had multiple mentors at different stages of my career who have all helped me really become better rounded in terms of breadth and depth of expertise that I need to do my work. Some of these people are not in my direct line of function, but they’ve been able to help me understand what it takes to do better in the business world, to deal with organizations, or to become a better communicator. If you come from a technical background like me, mentors can open your eyes to some of the softer skills that were not reinforced during your technical education. Livengood: You need to find out what a potential mentee is expecting from you. They sometimes have an idealized or unrealistic view of what a mentor is supposed to be, so it’s good to have an open and honest conversation at the start of the process about each others’ expectations, roles, and responsibilities. Once that’s done, a great mentor/mentee relationship can grow. And it goes both ways. As a mentor, you need to be as honest and as transparent as possible. If you’re trying to put torshipsNext >