Zweig Group’s 2024 Rising Stars Award Can Boost Recruitment and Retention

In today’s competitive business landscape, recognizing employees for their hard work and achievements isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic imperative. Rewarding employees plays a pivotal role in enhancing job satisfaction, bolstering employee morale, and cultivating a culture of appreciation. When team members feel valued for their contributions, they’re not only more likely to stay with the company, reducing turnover rates, but also become advocates for the organization, indirectly supporting recruitment efforts. 

A workplace survey by Gallup revealed that only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days. And, it also reported that it’s not unusual for employees to feel that their efforts are routinely ignored. Even worse is that these same employees say they’re twice as likely to quit in the next year. 

A recognition-rich environment speaks volumes about a company’s commitment to its workforce and can be a significant draw for top talent looking for places where they’ll be appreciated and where they can thrive. And, current employees who are recognized are often more engaged and productive, which contributes to a positive and dynamic workplace atmosphere – a strong selling point for new recruits too. 

Think about it. Prospective employees often consider a company’s reputation as an employer before applying or accepting an offer. So, showing that you regularly recognize staff for their efforts goes a long way. Here’s one way to show existing employees and potential recruits that you care. 

Nominate a 2024 Rising Star

Since the Zweig Group maintains a mission to Elevate the Industry, one of its award programs focuses on rising stars. Do you have an exceptional rising star or stars among the mix at your company? If so, we want to know about them and get their hats thrown in the ring for the 2024 Rising Stars in The AEC Industry Award. 

This award recognizes younger professionals who have showcased outstanding technical capability, leadership ability, effective teaching or research, or public service while contributing to the overall design profession, their business, project owners and community as a whole. Nominees don’t need to check all these boxes, but they should have excelled in one or more of these areas. 

So, who’s eligible? 

• Anyone 35 or younger as of Dec 31, 2023. 
• Anyone who is working in the United States for a private-sector company (or self-employed), public agency (i.e., federal, state, county, or city), military, a non-profit organization, or educational or research institution. Self-nominations are acceptable.

Companies may select a maximum of three nominations in each discipline their firm offers (e.g., structural, civil, architectural, transportation, landscape, etc.) 

Rising Star Winners – Flashback 

For the past three years winners have come from came from all over North America –

and even Guam – and from several different disciplines ranging from multi-disciplinary and civil engineering to structural, transportation, architecture and more. 

Some past shining examples include: 

• Aaron Johnston, PE, a civil engineering project manager at Galloway & Company, Inc. According to his nomination form he, “consistently demonstrated a level of professionalism that isn’t often seen. He leads by example, inspiring others to meet and exceed high standards while demonstrating the importance of taking care of clients with responsiveness and high-quality designs/plans.” 

• Stephanie Putzke, RCID, NCIDQ, principal/director of interior design at Cyntergy, was nominated for her “passion for improving the built environment while prioritizing the people impacted by her architectural projects.” 

• Conner R. Maines, PE, NSSA AP, project manager at JQ Engineering, LLP, who rapidly rose in the structural engineering industry based on his demonstrated capacities for project design and management, leadership, and public service. Throughout his career, he’s shared his passion and profession with students at his hometown high school. 

• Andria Schmid, PE, director of civil engineering at Ulteig, consistently demonstrated her ability to build organizational cohesion, competence, and resilience. She increased net service revenue 32 percent year over year, successfully hiring more than 20 new employees.  She also established and led a women’s Employee Support Group (ESG) to provide support to this critical, under-represented group of employees.

Put on Your Nomination Thinking Cap! 

Nominations are being accepted through March 22, 2024 and it’s easy to get started. You’ll just need to give your firm’s name and discipline, nominee name(s) and contact information along with some details about their professional accomplishments. Again, a maximum of three nominations per firm and per discipline is allowed and you can start the nomination process here. The cost is $200 per nomination and nominees selected as Rising Stars in the AEC Industry will be notified via email on or before April 19, 2024.
Bottom line? Employers that invest in effective recognition and reward systems are investing in their employees’ loyalty and their organization’s overall growth and success. Recognizing a young professional’s accomplishments and skills can go a long way when it comes to cultivating morale and retention. People appreciate recognition because it’s not only good for their career, but is also helpful to the long-term success of your firm.