By Amanda K. Lowe, Contributing Writer
According to both employees and management, Shawmut Design and Construction empowers its employees. And along with an atmosphere of respect and a recognition of the occasional need to lighten up, it is no wonder that the general contracting and construction firm has been named one of Rhode Island’s Best Places To Work for the second year in a row.
“I think the primary reason employees like it [here] is because we make a very, very large effort to make everyone feel respected and appreciated,” said company CEO Tom Goemaat. “We have what we call nagging rights, where everyone can question me and management. They can ask us why we do things and anything they want. This really makes everyone feel respected and they know they have a voice in this company.”
Andrew Keating, a project manager for Shawmut, has been with the company for five and a half years. He said he was drawn to the company after getting a sense of the firm’s culture during his employment interview.
“I was just trying to get into the construction industry,” Keating said. “I interviewed with 12 different people. I was led from office to office, area to area and I got to see the company from the perspective of a lot of different people. I really got a taste of the atmosphere of the company, and I thought that it was very different from any other company. … It really appealed to me.”
Shawmut’s success is due to the hard work of all its employees, according to Ron Simoneau, director of construction operations in Rhode Island (the company has offices in Boston, New York and Providence).
“We hire really driven people and then immerse them in our entrepreneurial environment, with the primary goal of delivering the highest level of service possible – a level so far above the industry standard that many of our clients have never experienced it before,” Simoneau said.
“The only way to deliver consistently at such high levels is through happy employees. If employees are unhappy or uncomfortable, they won’t deliver the high-touch service our clients demand. You can’t fake it, it’s too hard.
“We work hard to create an environment of trust and respect and we empower our employees to make decisions to do their jobs and deliver world-class client service – even if it means spending money.”
As one would expect, Shawmut provides significant financial benefits to its employees. For example, it pays 100 percent of family health and dental insurance coverage and provides a 401(k) plan. And, the company is 100-percent employee-owned – all eligible employees are stockholders, according to Simoneau.
But it goes beyond the strictly financial. Employees also have the benefit of celebrating “Beer Fridays” during which the company provides beer, food and snacks for employees to enjoy before the weekend. They also allow employees one day off a year to participate in any type of volunteer work, Goemaat said.
Keating said that employees also enjoy the benefit of Shawmut University, a series of elective courses that employees take each year to improve themselves.
“From day to day, month to month, and year to year, it is an ever-changing job. We tackle different projects, and it is never repetitious,” Keating said. “We are given the autonomy and chance to come up with new ideas and adapt to each project. I never feel boxed in to a corporate identity or corporate structure. It makes things very interesting. The company trusts its employees and the decisions we make.”
