< Previous Creating undocumented workers “is one of the most serious negative impacts of the programs on the Canadian labour market,” continues Richard. “It leads to lower training dollars in the industry, because why do we have to train a whole new generation of workers when com-panies are allowed to bring in foreign workers from elsewhere?” Mark asks. Also affected are Indigenous groups and women who would welcome a prominent role in construction but are seeing few opportunities. “Bottom line is there’s really a wage shortage in the construction industry, not a labour shortage.”Some restrictions were placed on the IMP by the Conservatives under public pressure. The Liberals have undone some of the stipulations related to enforcement and control of the program, and according to Richard, it appears that they “are bowing to the pressure of the employers who like the program. They haven’t shown us, at least to this point, that they’ve really done anything to crack down, and in fact, they seem to be following in the footsteps of the Conservatives.” Even to discuss the IMP is difficult for the Liberals who, “act as if it doesn’t even exist,” continues Richard. Mark relates that LiUNA has suggested an inquiry about the impacts of the TFWP and IMP on the construction industry. In 2016, because of LiUNA’s influence, the federal labour minister, Mary Ann Mihychuk had agreed to a study of the programs and their impact on the construction labour force. But in 2017, Mihychuk was replaced by Patty Hajdu who has not indicated whether or not she is open to such a study. In 2018, the federal government, in conjunction with Build Force Canada, produced a report that only discussed the TFWP briefly. “It doesn’t even mention the IMP which is the bigger issue.” Also in 2018, the federal government will initiate random audits, and although there were some initiatives Local 1258JUNE 201820taken, there was never a proper inquiry. “We’re going to continue to push it,” Jim says. One of the studies Richard prepared for LiUNA was about the TFWP’s Employer Liaison Service, a two-year pilot program (2017-2019) in Alberta being conducted between the provin-cial and federal governments. In part, the study examines the connection between the construction labour force, unemploy-ment, and TFWs during a time of recession in the province. Included in the Employer Liaison Service was a ‘refusal list’ in which, “Employers would no longer be allowed to bring in foreign workers,” says Richard. LiUNA looked at the previous two years to assess how many TFWs were coming to Alberta into occupations that are now restricted and discovered that more migrant workers were being employed in construction occupations not on the refusal list. “I think we’re in support of tracking and where necessary, restricting foreign workers so local people can take advantage of those opportunities,” explains Richard, who does not believe the program will be successful. “It’s not operating in the way that it was hoped or promised in terms of screening out workers who had displaced Canadians because the list is not comprehensive enough.” Mark concurs. “It’s not holistic enough. On top of that, it doesn’t include the IMP. It only covers the workers that come in through the TFWP.” There is some discussion, however, about getting IMP numbers for those coming into Alberta and Richard believes that there is a need for country-wide data of the numbers of migrant workers and which construction trades they are employed. “We see all kinds of abuse in the system,” says Jim. “It really is the opposite of what Canada is about. Canada was built by immigrants coming here with full rights and full opportuni-ties. They were able to bring their families, raise their families and become part of our country, vote, participate and to build their lives here.” LiUNA has thirteen recommendations including: Have a full inquiry Create a pathway to Canadian citizenshipDo not apply the IMP to the construction industryHave the government establish a proper prevailing wage rate Have both provincial and federal government enforcement oversight and penalties where necessary Hospitals are where diseases are treated, but workplaces have become a force to be reckoned with in terms of preventing, stalling or even reversing health issues. Workplace well-being programs are employer-sponsored efforts to encourage long-term employee health and fitness in the workplace and, when they work, also have immense benefits for a company.Written by Jessica FerlainoCorporate wellness programs have become a multi-billion-dollar industry in the United States and Canada and continue to show growth potential for the future. Human resources management software and services provider ADP, Inc. conducted a study that showed that seventy-nine percent of large companies and forty-four percent of medium-sized companies offer wellness policies that have at least five or six different components of wellness such as weight-loss, resources to quit smoking, health screen-ings and exercise. There are many examples of successful workplace well-being programs, but the best are those that understand that health, happiness and productivity are interrelated concepts and inte-grate healthy activities to become a permanent part of a com-pany’s culture. Dr. Bill Hettler co-founded of the National Wellness Institute, and in the mid-seventies, he advanced an idea of wellness that included what he called the six dimensions of health: physical, occupational intellectual, spiritual, social and emo-tional. Dr. Swarbrick, adjunct volunteer associate professor in the Rutgers – School of Health Professions, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Profession, built on that to develop her “eight dimensions of wellness,” that added financial and environmental wellness to the list.A focus on workplace well-being can have a number of advantages including improved morale, productivity and work culture, lower healthcare and insurance premiums and stronger profits. Workplace well-being programs must be com-prehensive, set out clear objectives and endeavour to achieve deep-rooted changes that have long-lasting results. They will be most effective when Dr. M. Swarbrick’s eight dimensions of wellness are considered.Programs like these commonly have incentives attached when individual and group goals are achieved. Employers often have greater success engaging employees with a rewards-based approach. The Kaiser Family Foundation 2016 Employer Health Benefits Survey showed eighty-three percent of firms with two hundred or more employees offer a wellness program, and of these JUNE 201822Written by Jessica Ferlainofirms, forty-two percent offer financial incentives such as lower premium contributions or cash rewards for participation. Many companies will use financial inducements to motivate its employees to participate in such workplace well-being ini-tiatives as smoking cessation or weight loss challenges. While incentives are a good way to encourage active and healthy life-styles, these alone will not guarantee a successful workplace well-being plan. The major barriers to active employee participation are lack of interest, lack of awareness of what is being offered and what advantages could be derived from the program. There could also be a misunderstanding regarding an employer’s intentions. “A focus on workplace well-being can have a number of advantages including improved morale, productivity and work culture, lower healthcare and insurance premiums and stronger profits.”Employees should feel that they are genuinely valued by their employer. The motives for investing in workplace well-being should never be strictly financial. Enticements need to be smart and target employees in a meaningful way that engages them in adopting a healthy lifestyle that leads to better outcomes for the individual and the organization.When an employee is happy and involved, output improves and so too does customer satisfaction. When considered, it will have a positive consequence on a company’s earnings. Desirable effects include weight loss, smoking cessation, improved diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol manage-ment, stress management, improved sleep and overall decreas-es in chronic health issues which result in lower healthcare costs and insurance premiums. Wellness programs should be regularly evaluated to maintain accountability and ensure they are meeting objectives. There are two ways to go about measuring the effectiveness of wellness programs: return on investment (ROI) and value of investment (VOI). 23CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS While ROI is important, it will not be able to measure the true impact of a workplace wellness policy. VOI, on the other hand, considers intangibles such as morale, the ability to attract and retain talent, absenteeism and so much more.A workplace can make several modest changes that can have outstanding results. Onsite gyms, standing desks, team-building activities, resources such as readily available healthy food and beverage choices, cooking demonstrations, walking meetings, lunchtime yoga, naps, health assessments, employee assistance programs and ensuring that vacation time is taken are examples of factors that can support a healthy workplace. However, these must be ongoing to have the kind of results employers want to see when they invest. Some of the challenges associated with establishing a work-place well-being program derive from the changing nature of work in a global market, as many employees work from home, operate out of mobile offices or are spread across vast territo-ries. Take construction, for instance. Many employees are out in the field, and traditional workplace well-being programs can often fail to reach them.Workplace well-being strategies are great when there is a central headquarters, but what happens when workers are out on a site or working from a satellite office? How can these plans be effective over a wide area? What accountability can be implemented to ensure everyone benefits from these programs equally?K2M Design, Inc. is a great example of a company that has developed a successful workplace well-being program and a culture to match. April was Stress Awareness Month, and the firm took a multifaceted approach to overcome the impact of stress. Stress can lead to adopting an unhealthy diet and decreasing physical activity, which, in turn, results in weight gain, increased blood pressure, higher cholesterol, burnout, depression and even serious health issues. K2M Design, Inc. encourages activities like walking, provides opportunities for meditation and lunchtime yoga and promotes a healthy, active lifestyle that is conducive to well-being. It empowers its employees to engage with coworkers. Employees not only come together to do an incredible job on the projects they undertake, but they also they celebrate birth-days, milestones, accomplishments and important moments for individuals and their families.Likewise, Merit Electrical has found a way to enrich the lives and careers of its employ-ees out in the field, while improving the abilities of the company. As an NCCER-certified (National Center for Construction Education and Research) training facility, it ensures that its JUNE 201824employees in the field have the same opportunities of those who work out of its headquarters. Merit developed a mobile training facility that can provide classes and certify workers who are unable to attend classes in a traditional institutional setting. This helps to ensure that skilled and highly-trained talent is available while offering opportunities for promotion within the company. The program is facilitated by its project managers, fifty-sev-en percent of whom are NCCER-certified trainers. Project managers have trained in the technical aspects of the job as well as the human facets of leadership. Employees appreciate the work environment created by their supervisors and the opportunities for advancement. Where distance or geography is a problem, data is the solution. For example, software platforms and technology like the Apple Watch or Fitbit can provide insight into the usefulness of wellness programs and better reach employees wherever they are. Wearable devices can track certain activities making it easier to measure progress in achieving well-being objec-tives. Companies can also create employee engagement platforms that offer wellness incentives. Creating an online platform or website that serves as a wellness hub can help to keep employees informed and active in ongoing programs, monitoring activity and measuring participation and results. Two things are necessary to ensure the success of a wellness program: employee engagement and support from manage-ment. The best workplace well-being platforms find a way to balance the various dimensions of wellness and will ensure that the necessary tools and education for employees to be a success are easily reached. It is the responsibility of management to provide the tools that are required to see results. It is also critical that employees are provided with the time and freedom to use those resources each day. Workplace well-being can be the centre of joint health and safety committees to ensure that this is not a fad but an effort that permeates the lives of employees and company culture to become a lasting way of life. For the amount of time people spend at work, workplace wellness programs make sense. They makes employee health and well-being a priority, builds camaraderie through shared culture. People to feel good about themselves and others and the work they do, and that helps to improve a company’s bottom line. 25CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Written by Jessica FerlainoIn 2017, eight local and state government agencies in Minnesota undertook a joint disparity study to examine whether or not minority and women-owned businesses operated on a level playing field. They sought to find out if discrimination affected equity in the market and what could be done to address this issue. Disparity analyses compare the percentage of entity contract dollars going to minority- and women-owned firms with what might be anticipated given the relative availability of MBEs and WBEs for individual entity contracts and subcontracts.The findings were not shocking. Disparity is a real problem affecting minority- and women-owned businesses in construction. The results show a disparity rate for women-owned businesses at an average of 50. The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) has been addressing this challenge for women-owned businesses in the construction industry in Minnesota since 1995. The Association of Women Contractors (AWC) grew throughout the years. Once composed of 10 members, today, its membership has grown to over 220. Members are women-owned businesses that bid work in the construction industry such as general contractors, specialty subcontractors, material suppliers and even trucking companies.JUNE 20182627CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS AWC offers education, networking opportunities and advocacy in Minnesota, and the state will remain the organization’s geo-graphic focus. “Our growth alone tells you that we’re succeeding as probably one of the fastest growing trade associations in the State of Minnesota over the last ten years, and I think we want to stay in this sandbox,” Executive Director Barb Lau explained.“I think there is a lot of risk when you go national because what we provide really has to do with the right people, the right support and having the connections,” she continued. These connections are something that AWC has worked hard to achieve.The organization’s inspiration was drawn from a presentation sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 1994 that was meant to encourage women to empower each other. The presentation was attended by a number of women business owners who took heed of the message. “Women business owners in the industry at that time felt like we could do this; we could actually empower each other and actually do something to move the industry forward, so they started the Association of Women Contractors,” said Lau. “It started with some women business owners in highway heavy construction, but now we probably have sixty percent of our members that do commercial, vertical construction and another twenty-five percent that are doing highway heavy and then fifteen percent that does residential.” AWC also has associate members. For instance, professional service firms such as accountants, insurance agents, and lawyers that do business with women-owned businesses, the general contracting community at large, and government agencies are types of associate members. “There has to be at least fifty-one percent of our membership that is women-owned business. And when we say women-owned businesses, we are referring to women-owned busi-nesses that are construction businesses; that is, they set foot on a job site or are involved in the design of a building and anything in between,” said Lau.AWC promotes opportunities for its members, monitors leg-islative matters and encourages the development of public policy and industry practices that directly advance the industry while strengthening the standing of women-owned businesses in construction. “We’re a member organization. Education is heavily in our struc-ture, and we feel that is how we help businesses: the more they learn, the more capacity they can grow, and the better they can become,” explained Lau.AWC developed a training room that is equipped with the resources and technology necessary for the organization’s monthly education program. This program was developed to replace the time-consuming full-day workshops that were pre-viously offered by the organization. “We are continuing our two-hour, once-a-month educational program, and we also partnered with the Associated General Contractors here locally and put on a day and a half conference around construction,” noted Lau. Networking is crucial to the mission of AWC and the success of its members, according to Lau. “Networking is so important to building relationships with potential clients and with each other,” which is why “everything we do is centralized around a component of networking.” Three years ago, AWC introduced monthly Member Mingles that bring together its members for informal networking hosted by the members in their space. Another networking opportunity that is exclusive to members is what AWC calls the general contractor round robin. This event is best described as “speed dating with general contrac-tors.” Members get the opportunity to meet with over a dozen project managers and estimators from local general contrac-tors in one afternoon. This level of one on one would take a small business owner over a year to complete on their own. Through watching the interactions of this group, Lau has dis-covered that women network differently than men. “Women need to develop relationships and trust with each other first. Once they have that, they are open to sharing involvement, dialogue and peer support,” Lau said. This creates a unique energy at AWC events. One of the most important efforts of AWC is its annual FUNdraising golf tournament, which is held to raise money for its scholarship program. The organization’s inaugural golf AWC Scholorship ProgramJUNE 201828tournament was held in 2001, and while it was a marginal success, there was promise that in the years to come it would grow in both size and impact.In its first year, the golf tournament raised $1,000, followed by $1,200 the second year, and started to grow exponentially after that. To date, over $150,000 in scholarships has been awarded. Last year, ten $2,000 scholarships were awarded to deserving individuals. “The mission for this endeavor was to increase the number of women in the industry by supporting them financially for education, because it’s pretty well known that future business owners in construction are ex-trades people or project managers. So the hope was if we could increase females entering the industry, we could increase female business owners of the future,” explained Lau. Scholarships support academic endeavors such as architec-ture, engineering, construction or project management. They have also recently been opened to apprenticeships to increase female retention in the program.“We hope to support them during their apprenticeships, because oftentimes, females, once they enter construction, don’t stick with it for whatever reason. This was our way to give them a little bit more incentive to continue on through their apprenticeship and to build a support system with our members,” said Lau. AWC also facilitates the City of Saint Paul’s Construction Partnering Program that brings together large majority-owned firms with small women and minority-owned businesses. Partnership is imperative to AWC’s continued success. Some of its partners include Mortenson Construction, Kraus-Anderson Construction and McGough Construction which all have long-term partners that they have grown through mentorship to the next level of business capacity. The organization meets with and advises industry entities like the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Airports Commission, MetCouncil, University of Minnesota, City of Saint Paul, City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota Department of Administration, Department of Labor and Industry and Minnesota Sports Facility Authority. Being an organization that makes an impact requires a team effort, Lau noted. “You have to have good staff around. I don’t do it by myself. I do it with a great staff and visionary board that choose to make those great goals and strategies for me to implement.” Some of the objectives of the organization moving forward will be to promote the industry and the ability of its members to compete for projects in the State of Minnesota. One way this will be achieved is through a new website that will be launched in June. According to Lau, the website has been revamped three times since she joined AWC but she insists that this effort will be unlike anything that has been done in the past. The website will serve as an invaluable resource for its members and the industry, providing data and a platform to disseminate informa-tion and educational resources.AWC is also part of many equity committees dedicated to sub-contracting practices, where it advocates for the interests of its members. “One such committee was Governor Dayton’s sub-committee on contracting practices. Within the first year we made a lot of changes to the state processes and put a focus on the best practices for small business inclusion in contracting. The $310 million State Capitol Restoration project highlighted what can be done with a strong equity plan and a dedicated General Contractor, JE Dunn Construction.” The US Bank Stadium project was also a wildly successful project. The well thought out equity plan and independent oversight of the project ensured that the project was transpar-ent. Mortenson exceeded the aggressive targeted business and workforce goals set on the project. “We were able to achieve participation by women- and minority-owned busi-nesses on the project which was the largest vertical project in the State of Minnesota’s history. Best of all it was done utilizing Minnesota-based businesses.”Lau also looks forward to her new appointment on the Community Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. which advises the federal government on issues that affect small businesses financially. To overcome challenges and to assist its members, AWC looks to continue to increase its member benefits and services such as education, networking, advocacy and representation. Lau noted that when AWC was founded, “There weren’t any asso-ciations like this at the time, and still, to this day, there is only one that we are aware of that operates the same way we do.”“Everything we do is centralized around a component of networking.”29CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >