Hey Millennials: We're Listening

by Julie Strong CEO and Owner of C1S Group

If you follow our social media pages or check out our website often, you’ll notice we have been doing a lot of celebrating lately at C1S. In 2014 and 2015, we were named to Outside Magazine’s “Best Places to Work” list and in 2016, we’re honored to be named one of Inc. Magazine’s “50 Best Places to Work” in the U.S.

Why do these awards matter? A shiny plaque and seeing our name in a magazine is nice, but most importantly, winning these awards tells us we are doing something right. We also see it as a crucial tool for recruiting and retaining the fastest growing, and now largest segment of the workforce; Millennials.

At C1S, we are working hard to appeal to the top young talent in the construction and engineering fields. We have made it a point to listen to our Millennial employees and as a result, have learned that things like the opportunity to learn and grow, and access to a strong mentor are important to them in the workplace. Furthermore, we have learned that providing a “work hard, play hard” culture keeps our team members fresh and motivated to work their hardest.

Jordan Meadows, a mechanical designer at C1S had this to say about our company’s work environment.

“In my experience, working at C1S allows you to grow professionally in ways that a lot of other places don’t offer. There’s no structured advancement where ‘you work “X” amount of time at this, then you’re eligible to take on “Y” responsibilities, which will let you be considered for “Z” promotion.’ The roles you have here are largely dictated by your own ability.”

Photo: Intern Ashleigh Jones works with the C1S construction crew on the job site.

Of course, engineering is a demanding career field, and construction is always driven by deadlines. Though it is important to us that our employees maintain a healthy work/life balance, we know there are weeks when a straight-up 40 hour work week won’t cut it.

“Don’t bother applying to work at C1S if you’re not willing to work hard. This company can do a lot of fun things for its employees because they’re first and foremost, dedicated to help the company (and its customers) thrive and succeed,” said Stephen Leask, a project assistant.

Speaking of fun things, that is just part of who we are and what we do. We understand our employees need the occasional mental break and we know providing it is going to lead to higher quality work in the long run.

Throughout the year, we have fun activities like quarterly happy hours, a chili cook off, Thanksgiving potluck meal, and a crawfish boil. Employees enjoy summer hours on Fridays, desserts on their birthdays, and recognition of their efforts and achievements through our Core Value Awards.

At C1S, our pool of younger generation employees is growing, but guess what? We love it. We welcome the, vision, appreciate the willingness to learn, and are thankful for how eager our Millennials are to take on the tasks critical to our success as a firm. As a company, we also think it is equally important that we continue to adapt and grow as well, and help our youngest team members grow as part of our team for many years to come.

Want to join our team? Visit www.c1sinc.com/careers!