A sit down with Kapitol’s People and Culture team

We recently sat down with our People and Culture team to find out how they support and maintain a positive workplace culture, aligned with our company vision and values, and the training initiatives they’re rolling out. Here’s what they had to say…

How do you stay connected with our workforce out on site given you’re based in head office? 

Claire (People & Culture Advisor):

It’s important for our People and Culture team to stay connected with all employees whether they are on site or at head office. Throughout the first 6-month onboarding period, we check in monthly with our cadets, graduates, and new starters to ensure they’re provided with a seamless transition into Kapitol and also address any queries or concerns.

We also visit sites regularly to conduct in-person training and information sessions. This is a great opportunity to interact with the teams, build relationships, and see firsthand the hard work that is being done. For example, we are currently doing a roadshow to all our sites to present and discuss our recent Culture Survey results and to gather feedback on areas we need to improve.

How does the P&C team help promote and embed our company values? 

Alice (Head of People & Culture):

Our values (Supportive, Authentic, Inspirational and Driven) are our culture’s foundations. They are never a poster on the wall. We have broken down our values into detailed lists of behaviours, we do and do not want to see. We train all new starters in this on day one so they understand both the behaviours we expect of them, and how they can expect to be treated at Kapitol. We ensure our values are discussed at team meetings by asking team members to shout out examples of the Kapitol team living and breathing our values. We also run sessions where we ask our people to tell us what the company is doing to move toward or away from our vision and rate us on how well we live and breathe the values ourselves. This is important because it helps us identify improvement areas and that feedback is then passed to our Senior Leadership Team for action.

Can you describe the role of P & C in promoting and maintaining a positive safety culture within Kapitol?  

Damien (Talent Acquisition Manager):

Psychological safety is a priority for us. One of our initiatives in this space is to provide a culture where people feel safe owning up to mistakes (which we call ‘lessons learned’) so we can learn from each other and avoid repeated mistakes. Lessons Learned are recognised and rewarded through a monthly ‘best lessons learned’ reward of a $250 voucher at our company all hands meeting. This initiative has made people feel comfortable speaking up when mistakes and issues occur and has had flow on effects to other areas of the business including diversity and inclusion. We also run a series of mental health webinars to help our staff to recognise and manage mental health issues in themselves and others.

How do you handle employee training and development in a construction company to enhance their skills and keep up with industry advancements?  

Terri (Learning & Development Coordinator):

We have subject matter experts who have been trained to share their knowledge via weekly training sessions. Topics are chosen from all aspects of the business including Technical Training, Systems Training, Commercial Training, People and Cultural Training, Safety, Quality and Environmental. Our subject matter experts keep up with the latest industry advancements by being members of industry groups and attending various conferences. They also connect with suppliers who are developing the latest products for use in the industry.

As mentioned earlier, we also have a culture of sharing ‘lessons learnt’ on Yammer, our internal communications channel. Our workforce understands the importance of learning from our mistakes and are not afraid to share what has worked well and what has not worked, so that everyone benefits from the knowledge.

What measures does the P&C team take to promote diversity and inclusion at Kapitol?  

Alice:

One of our values is ‘Authentic’ to ensure people feel comfortable to be themselves. Part of that value is being carried out through our recently formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as part of a new DEI strategy. This committee is a group of 10 employees who are passionate about DEI and want to see Kapitol be a safe, welcoming place for everyone. We also do a lot to help attract women into the industry, including schools talks, our partnership with Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT), as well as running our TogetHER group to provide Kapitol’s female employees with support and networking opportunities. We also have a Reconciliation Action Plan and working group, and we support Building Pride, who are working to make the industry a safer and more inclusive place for the LGBTQIA+ community.

As the Kapitol continues to grow, what challenges are you facing in maintaining a great culture?  

Alice:

Maintaining a great culture is actually harder than creating a great culture in the first place! The difference between ‘ok’ and ‘good’ is easier to bridge than the gap between ‘good’ and ‘great.’

We spend a lot of time with our leaders ensuring they understand how to maintain a great culture in their teams. Some of this is helping them have a people-first mentality when many construction professionals are trained on programme and profit first. I meet with our leaders monthly to check in on the culture of the team and what is going on for individuals.

As we get bigger and busier, it takes real discipline to not get complacent with the good habits that helped us create a great culture. We seek feedback regularly in many ways (forums, surveys, Yammer etc.) to ensure we are keeping a finger on the pulse and reacting quickly to the experience of our people.

We aim to be ‘a great place’ to work, how do you think Kapitol differs from other construction companies?  

Damien:

We are highly creative and entrepreneurial in our approach to achieving our vision, which stems from our inspirational directors who set the tone for our business. One of our key objectives is to ensure Kapitol employees continue enjoying their careers in the construction industry on a sustained basis by preventing burnout. In doing so, Kapitol openly shares what activities we are undertaking externally to lead by example and influence change for the better.

From the top down, we care about each and every employee’s career development, work/life balance, mental health and capacity to bring one’s true self to our workplace.  For these reasons, we pursue the most interesting and technically challenging projects with clients that offer great exposure to existing and new employees in our business, using the latest technology. All these elements aid in fostering a great place to work.