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Strong Bonds Hunzinger employees can expect the best By Candace Doyle Hunzinger Construction Co. President John Hunzinger said he was honored his firm was tied for first place in Wisconsin Builder's Job Satisfaction survey. Honored, sure. But when you're doing all the things you can to make sure your employees are satisfied — and your company is successful — the recognition can't be all that surprising. "I always wanted this to be the kind of place where I would want to work," said Hunzinger, who leads the Brookfield-based firm with brother, Jim, and Kevin O'Toole, both executive vice presidents. In fact, Hunzinger said the company is very deliberate in charting the company's growth — and that of its employees. He said the company surveyed its employees a year or two ago to find out exactly what they liked and didn't like about their jobs and their employment with Hunzinger. "What would it take to be the employer of choice?" Hunzinger said he wanted to know. "And what does that mean?" The responses were varied but largely positive. "We heard things like they were initially attracted to our company by the types of projects and the reputation we had," he said. "Actually, we were surprised and pleased with the responses that we got."
But Hunzinger also said the survey let management know areas where employees felt there was room for improvement, namely increased training and career development. "We almost want to find some negative things because those are our opportunities for improvement," he said. And the company wasted little time making some changes. "We have a very formal training program here," he said. "We also have a mentor program here. We got more aggressive in trying to provide opportunities to our new people. Those are things we continue to work on." O'Toole said that commitment to training is evidenced in Hunzinger Construction University, where employees can delve into a variety of topics that will benefit them personally, professionally or technically. Topics have included instruction on how to improve presentation or negotiating skills as well as how to read financial statements. "We share our financials," O'Toole said. Hunzinger said the firm practices open-book financial management, which he said is an attempt to help employees have a sense of ownership. "That's what launched HCU," he said. But Hunzinger offers even more. The firm has its own fitness center, a recognition program for employees, subcontractors and vendors and "lots and lots and lots of outings," Hunzinger said. One such outing that helps employees become familiar with each other's role is Swap Day, when office workers head to the fields and those in the field learn what goes on in the company's offices.
Hunzinger said a national peer-review group he started about three years ago identified Swap Day, the open-book financial management style and HCU as ways the company excels. The group, made up of seven general contractor members from across the country, meets quarterly and takes turns being audited by the others. Another plus the group found was Hunzinger's culture, what Hunzinger and O'Toole call a family atmosphere. "We're in our third generation of this family business," said O'Toole. "We're in our 96th year. The whole family atmosphere is really strong here. I think we take that philosophy, and that's how we run the company." O'Toole said occasionally a Family Friday Night at the Movies is held in the conference room; kids bring their sleeping bags and eat popcorn. That culture, he said, pays off, too. Seventeen people in the field are third-generation laborers and 22 are second-generation ones, he said. "I think that's particularly telling about our company," O'Toole said. "We have very, very low turnover." "Generally speaking, people feel this is more of a nurturing family atmosphere," said Hunzinger. |
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Best
of the Best Employers: Tied for first