Civiltech is thrilled to be named the ISPE 2021 Best Place to Work in the Large Firm category. We are grateful to be nominated by a member of our team whose nomination was then supported by a large number of additional staff by participating in an anonymous ISPE survey.
Jack Ringness, P.E., nominated the firm in July of 2020. When asked why he chose to nominate Civiltech, Jack explained that he has been impressed with the success of the company’s employee-focused response to the COVID crisis. Jack is a Project Manager on the Civiltech led Chicago Neighborhood Engineering and Construction Team (C*NECT) that includes over 60 people from many companies. As the lead firm on this team, Civiltech engineers provide Program Management and Design and Construction Inspections services in addition to supplying the Program’s IT needs and infrastructure. Jack observed how over the course of a single weekend at the beginning of the pandemic, Civiltech was able to shift this complex team structure and their technology to remote working.
Also, demonstrating the ability to adapt, Civiltech’s entire staff quickly and seamlessly mobilized their remote work stations in anticipation of the mandatory closing. As a company, Civiltech was ready to roll when the Governor announced the first shut down. Our robust technology and flexibility allowed us to continue to advance our client’s initiatives and meet their needs, while our teams moved into home offices, dining rooms, spare bedrooms, and basements.
Jack also credits Civiltech’s response noting that the company successfully weathered the pandemic, stayed busy, and met our deadlines. Also, we not only retained 100% employment but grew. New hires have been smoothly on-boarded throughout the year despite the entire company working remotely.
What Makes Civiltech a Great Place to Work?
Often Best Places to Work nominations focus on a company’s benefits and culture, and indeed Civiltech staff enjoy great benefits, a positive company culture, and an outstanding level of organizational transparency. But 2020 and the COVID pandemic revealed another outstanding quality, a company leadership that is guided by grace and compassion.
Jack Ringness helps his child with one of the crafts delivered to Civiltech families for our Virtual Halloween PJ Party.
While no company could have prepared for the unimaginable situation created by COVID, Civiltech smoothly and quickly pivoted, rolled with the punches, and approached everything on a day to day basis. Civiltech leadership understood that everyone on staff looked at the COVID crisis through a different lens; that everyone’s experiences, needs, and struggles were unique. With this understanding as a guiding principle, the company has worked to ensure that staff have the support they need. That support covers a range of initiatives. Civiltech ensured that camaraderie was maintained through Zoom socials, team calls, and a socially-distanced golf outing. Also, the company worked to help staff maintain work-life balance with webinars on navigating mental health struggles through the pandemic and with an adjustment of the company’s fitness benefit, shifting from a specific facility to a stipend that staff can use for subscription fitness services at home or local facilities. Civiltech has also continued to promote a family-inclusive atmosphere by replacing traditional on-site kid-focused events with programs and activities personally delivered to Civiltech families with follow-up photos shared on the company intranet of kids enjoying the event.
Civiltech is honored and humbled to receive this award. We believe it is a testament to the core values that our founders envisioned and that are still strong today. We also believe that no amount of benefits or programs can make a place of employment enjoyable without an outstanding team of people contributing to the services provided and the company culture. Civiltech thanks Jack and the entire staff for this honor.