Year: 2022

By: Harkins Virtual Design & Construction Engineer Patrick Scarpati

After an unsettling period in the construction industry, one thing has remained constant: the emerging acceptance and usage of technology. Harkins has always been a proponent of utilizing technical tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), virtual reality, and drones to assist in project collaboration, both internally and externally. We believe that technology provides our project teams, owners, architects, engineers, and trade partners the insight to communicate and plan more efficiently. According to a survey performed by Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and FMI Corporation, 58% of construction professionals expect to see technology-driven changes that will drive the success of their organization in the next five years.

Trending technology is nothing new. In fact, BIM made its way onto the scene in the late 1970s, and although it was cumbersome and expensive at first, it began to transform the industry’s perspective about project planning. Today, Harkins benefits from BIM through utilizing its cloud-based process with all team members in the Project Controls Department. The tool allows us to coordinate the model to enable unparalleled visibility between disciplines. Everyone can work from the same model with the same data, quickly identify and resolve problems, and work through those problems virtually. Imagine detecting a clash with a pipe or wall before anyone steps onto the jobsite, simulating schedules, planning site logistics, or using the latest technology to review for constructability. The possibilities are endless. With new technology workflows and capabilities provided by BIM, the ultimate payoff happens during construction, with increased cost savings, safety compliance, better quality, prefabrication, and improved scheduling.

At its core, technology is only as good as the team behind it, and ours not only brings the technical acumen, but field experience as well. By having both trained and knowledgeable employees, our team can see the true value of combining the old way of doing things with the next generation of virtual technology. There is a power to the combination of expertise that enhances mutual understanding and communication. Simply put, utilizing BIM or drone technology would not be where it is today without our internal team and partners involved to engage, adopt, and champion this new way of looking at a project. In the end, technology is a tool that bridges different opinions so we can have better coordination, collaboration, and communication. This streamlined approach provides opportunities for higher quality design and construction as well as greater insights for everyone involved, all while mitigating risk and increasing client satisfaction.

Friendship Court Phase I Demonstration

By: Harkins Director of Human Resources Kathy Humm

Recruiting plays a key role in the success of every organization. With the right candidates, we can cultivate desired skillsets and continue to provide a culture that aligns with our vision, purpose, and goals. While recruiting top talent is challenging on any given day, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges that caused many businesses to shift their approach to conform with restrictions in the marketplace. One of the biggest changes was the shift to a virtual recruiting strategy. Hiring managers quickly adapted to this new model of doing business, which allowed Harkins to continue hiring top talent based on project staffing needs.

Harkins was fortunate to have launched Microsoft Teams company-wide prior to the onset of the pandemic, which was a major advantage in the virtual interview process. This technology allowed hiring managers to interview candidates using video capabilities for quicker access to responses and to better understand their body language in comparison to a phone screening. In addition, video interviews provide immediate insight into the candidate’s ability to communicate and use technology effectively, which are important skill sets that we look for in potential hires.  Although in-person interviews are preferred, virtual interviews were an optimal solution considering the circumstances. Harkins continues to use a hybrid model of Teams and in-person interviews, which have proven to be successful in our recruiting efforts.

While the world shut down and transitioned to virtual hiring practices, Harkins developed new strategies to attract and retain top talent.

• Virtual Career Fairs – Harkins planned and hosted virtual career fairs to attract candidates with non-traditional degrees.
• Winter Internship Program – Harkins kicked off its first program in January 2022 that welcomed nine aspiring construction workers to be placed on some of our most challenging projects with no construction management experience or education necessary.
• College Champions – This approach has allowed our alumni to get in the classroom, meet professors, and determine the right candidates through networking and mentoring current students.
• Expanded Interview Process – This now includes on-site walks with hiring managers and lead superintendents on active jobsites to gain insight into the candidate’s knowledge of construction, their strengths, and areas of opportunity, which has already proven to be a game-changer for Harkins.

Onboarding new hires during a pandemic has had its challenges, but Harkins continues to have ongoing conversations about our new hire experience to ensure that building relationships is a top priority for employee growth and development. When feasible, our teams have utilized an in-person and/or hybrid collaboration model to acclimate new hires to the Harkins family. As a company, we pride ourselves on grooming the next generation of leaders through building exceptional talent, and we will continue to do so for years to come.

By: Harkins CHST, Safety Officer Tyler Schulz

At Harkins, we take great pride in the role we play to improve people’s lives in our marketplace, in our communities, and in our company. But even more than that, we carry an unwavering responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure that our people can return home safely to their families. Through heightened awareness and continuous training, Harkins continues to uphold the highest standards of safety.

We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to communicate and initiate protocols across the company. This year, we plan to focus our attention on our current safety program, which has provided leadership and guidance to ensure the safest working environment for all employee-owners and trade partners. With the ever-changing rules and guidelines, it is important to continue refining our program to stay ahead of the curve and up to speed on
all things safety. Some of these changes include:

• Harkins Safety Policy – We will be reviewing the entire policy and verifying that it is up to date with best practices in the industry, including the addition of heat and cold stress programs, ergonomics, working alone, and a leading indicator program.
• Safety Manual – All sections will be restructured into separate documents to provide employee-owners an easier way to search and access specific information.
• Safety Exhibit – This exhibit will be enhanced and incorporated into all commonly used documentation as a tool for our field teams.
• Fire Safety and Temporary Heater Programs – These programs will be upgraded to the new NFPA 241 requirements that began in 2022, including changes to the types of heaters allowed in wood-frame buildings, fire watch durations, and on-site security measures.
• Safety Submittals – Create a standard procedure for safety submittals and for all new projects to request, receive, and utilize.

Harkins prides itself on making training a top priority for the company. In 2021, we achieved an EMR rating of 0.56, which is the lowest in our company history and truly exceptional. The average rating is 1.0. If your EMR dips below 1.0, this
means you are considered safer than most. This ranking signifies the dedication that we have to safety on our jobsites. We offer Harkins University classes, OSHA10 and OSHA30 certification opportunities, Click Safety webinars, toolbox talks, and quarterly Safety Stand-downs as a way of educating our field personnel on various safety rules and regulations.
We plan to implement Shaping Accident-Free Environment (SAFE) workshops to explore why individual employee-owners continue to be at-risk in spite of regulations in place, allowing them to be directly involved in a new culture of creating an incident-and-injury-free workplace.

With the help of our marketing team and safety committee, we have completed the filming of a new corporate safety orientation video that will be shown to all trade partners before they enter the jobsite. This replaces our current video with more up-to-date industry standards and company policies that we feel will better educate our partners.

With these changes and more in the coming years, Harkins will continue to be a leading contractor with safety top of mind.

Safety Orientation Video