By Project Solutions Manager Ralph Kreider and HR Specialist Bonnie Cronin
An integral component of the Harkins philosophy is People Development. This means we mentor, train, and support our employees so they can become the best they can be. When the global pandemic changed our world, it not only affected where we work but how we work, too. Adapting rapidly to this new environment opened a new door for Harkins to innovate the way in which we offer professional development opportunities for our employees.
Since March 17, 2020, Harkins employees have been participating in virtual training classes and webinars. We knew the use of Microsoft Teams would be vital to helping us maintain business as usual and facilitating meetings, both internally and externally. What we did not anticipate was the momentum this gained and how technology helped fuel our organization to be more human-centric.
The “11 am Series” as it is now known, has given employees across the company a unique opportunity to learn new things and gain deeper insight into other departments and topics. With a robust offering of courses, over 55 classes were taught by a variety of internal and external subject matter experts.
Topics included:
- Understanding the GMP Process
- Procore Procedures
- Scheduling Basics
- Using Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Understanding Harkins Financials
- Virtual Site Tours by Drone
- Creating Investment and Emergency Plans
- LinkedIn 101
- Innovating in a Time of Crisis
The average class size was between 30 and 40 people. For those unable to join the class, all sessions were recorded and put in our online library so that they can continue to be used for future learning opportunities. While these unprecedented times have created uncertainty in the world around us, Harkins has embraced it as an opportunity to foster growth and connectivity. We welcome new ideas, expertise, and the people who can present them, and continue to prioritize training and development throughout our organization.