CORRECTION: This article has been updated to include North Carolina–based Kimley-Horn and Kansas City, MO–based Burns & McDonnell, which ranked No. 11 and No. 16, respectively, on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Dive Brief:
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Six companies representing different parts of the construction industry were named to Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. In its 20th year, the ranking uses employee surveys and other data to rank the largest U.S. firms on metrics such as leadership quality, personal and professional support, and coworker relationships.
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North Carolina–based Kimley-Horn led the group at No. 11 and was credited for its internal mentoring. Other commercial contractors Burns & McDonnell, TDIndustries and PCL Construction ranked No. 16, No. 44 and No. 98, respectively, and were each cited for their efforts toward inclusivity.
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On the residential side, Houston-based REIT Camden Property Trust ranked No. 22 and was described as having a welcoming environment with perks including college tuition stipends for the children of employees. Texas-based homebuilder David Weekley Homes followed at No. 24 and was commended for including job candidates’ families in the interview process.
Dive Insight:
Another recent Fortune ranking saw a strong turnout from members of the construction and homebuilding industries. Fluor, EMCOR Group, Jacobs Engineering Group, Peter Kiewit Sons’ and AECOM, along with Toll Brothers, Lennar, D.R. Horton, Cal Atlantic Group and NVR, were all named to the publication’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies announced last month.
Camden has made the Fortune list 10 times and last year ranked No. 9. David Weekley Homes also slid in the ranking this year from its No. 17 spot last year, and has been ranked for 11 years. PCL, in its 12th year on the list, fell from No. 60 to its spot near the bottom of the list this year. Meanwhile, TDIndustries jumped from No. 65, having made the list every year of the ranking. Kimley-Horn has been listed 10 times and ranked 7th last year. Burns & McDonnell rose from the No. 16 spot last year and has been on the list for seven years.
A number of these firms, and others in the industry, also showed up on another recent Fortune ranking based on feedback from their millennial employees. Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials included Power Home Remodeling Group, in Chester, PA, Swinerton, in San Francisco, DSLD Homes, in Denham Springs, LA, and Holder Construction Company, in Atlanta, as representatives of the AEC industry, along with David Weekley Homes, Camden Property Trust and PCL Construction.
Comments regarding inclusivity and work-life balance pervade these and other reviews, which is a critical factor in attracting and retaining employees across the industry — from back-office jobs with builders to trade work in the field with subcontractors. Amid a chronic labor shortage, acknowledging and responding to changes in the overall demographic of the American workforce is one way that construction companies can make their workplaces more efficient and forward-thinking.
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