Employee-Driven Values: BCC Engineering's Path to Enhanced Commitment
Location: Miami, FL
Industry: Engineering
Employees: 150-499
Objective
To understand what matters most to employees and improve engineer retention
Solutions
Workplace Survey, Pulse, Insights, Consulting Services
Results
BCC Engineering solidified its commitment to talent retention and fostered a thriving, engaged workforce through the implementation of employee-driven core values and a people-first culture
BCC Engineering's culture initiative targeting employee retention
At BCC Engineering, delivering top-tier engineering solutions across the Southeast U.S. is more than just a mission — it’s a passion. Recognizing that exceptional talent is the cornerstone of their success, employee retention is a big initiative. “Engineers are definitely hard to find,” said Maria Padilla, Vice President of HR. “We think we have a good culture, but we know we can always improve. We wanted to see what we could do.”
Maria saw an opportunity to make a real change. After experiencing the benefits of third-party, confidential employee engagement surveys, she proposed this as a new approach. “I used the Energage Platform at a prior company, and I really liked the data we got.”
Employee survey results identify a need for clear, defined core values
The insights from the first employee survey revealed an alarming result: Employees felt the company lacked clear, defined core values. This feedback prompted Maria and her team to take an even deeper look. That’s when she turned to Tom Devane, an Energage Consultant known for his expertise in organizational development.
“Tom is super enthusiastic about what he does, and you can tell when you start talking to him. He’s like a big kid in a candy shop, except the “candy shop” is employee engagement stuff,” Padilla said. “He brought that same energy – in a professional way – to working with our leaders.”
Tom and the team quickly realized that BCC had no stated core values, which explained their low survey score. His insight was crucial, pointing out that employees can’t operate by values if they don’t know what those values are. So, they got to work.
Unifying core values through employee feedback
Tom facilitated workshops and strategic sessions with 20 members of BCC’s leadership team to define, communicate, and foster core values. But instead of dreaming them up in the boardroom, they looked to employee feedback for direction. The timing was especially good because BCC had recently acquired a company.
Maria launched a Pulse Survey to collect feedback from BCC employees and those coming from the acquired company. The synthesized data revealed commonalities, including community, professional development, and teamwork, to form a unified set of values representing the entire organization. By involving the new employees in the feedback process, BCC avoided cultural misalignment between employee groups.
“Our corporate values are now in our training and development programs, on our website, and in our performance reviews, and we’re working on posting them on our walls. People know what our values are, and they know because they’re real and they’re a part of our living culture.”
Maria Padilla, Vice President of HR at BCC Engineering
Employee-driven core values fuel commitment and lay the groundwork for growth
The impact was immediate and profound. Employees have embraced the new values, incorporating them into daily work and discussions. “Hearing them talk about BCC’s core values, how they live them, and feel a connection to those principles is pretty cool,” Maria shared. “We saw a huge, huge jump in our Values scores.”
“BCC’s creative approach during the values workshop, coupled with diligent follow-up efforts, played a pivotal role in crafting a robust list of core values and demonstrating leadership’s commitment to the culture,” said Devane. “This effort enhanced the current workplace experience for employees and established a foundation for future growth and profitability.”
A 12% jump in the Workplace Survey Values statement shows employees and leaders alike are connected to BCC’s core values.
Maria credits BCC’s success to the leadership and clear vision that guided the project. “The experience with Tom was good on its own and validated that the Energage Platform focuses us on the right things.”
BCC’s core values resonate with and empower its people because they are built on employee feedback. This commitment to listening drives a people-first culture, giving employees a strong reason to stay and bring their best to work every day. By continually prioritizing employee input, BCC ensures a thriving, engaged workforce for years to come.
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