ORC International presents JE Dunn with top employee engagement award

PRINCETON, N.J., July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the largest general building contractors in the United States, JE Dunn, has been recognized for its excellent employee engagement practices.

ORC International, a leading business intelligence firm with offices across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, awarded the company its top prize for the US region as part of its annual employee engagement awards. The annual award, given to the organization which achieves outstanding results versus ORC International's external benchmarks, is a testament to JE Dunn's highly engaged culture.

This year marks the 90^th anniversary of John Ernest Dunn venturing into the world of construction. It is said that he built the company around the philosophy of giving back; both to employees and the community.

Now in its third generation of leadership and seeing the fourth generation working for the company, the family and employee-owned organization tries to continue that culture: "Most of our employees across the country can feel that 'family feel,'" said Gordon Lansford, President and CEO of JE Dunn. "It's expressed to our leadership across the company that they have to have a culture within a culture – they have to create that within every office."

With this in mind, the company set out on its first survey on employee engagement, to gauge how its employees really felt.

"We decided to conduct an employee engagement survey to establish where we are now, and provide a baseline for where we want to be," said Michael Roane, Chief HR Officer. "High performing companies have highly engaged employees, and we have the initiative to be the best construction firm to work for in the US."

The employment engagement results were notably above ORC International's benchmark, but Lansford feels there is more to be done: "The high score validated much of the anecdotal information we had. We work hard and play hard, but we heard that we needed to take a look at how we ensure people have a good work/life balance."

"Since the survey," continued Michael Roane, "we've communicated the results to employees across the organization, and have teams working on action plans and initiatives that may vary from office to office and region to region. The survey has been invaluable in that it has validated our focus on our employees, and shown us where this needs to be enhanced."

Matt Roddan, Vice President and Head of Employee Research US at ORC International, said: "JE Dunn has built an incredibly engaging culture while also maintaining the family feel of the organization as the company has grown."

Founded in 1924, JE Dunn has its headquarters in Kansas City, with 20 offices nationally and 2,500 employees.   

Other winners of ORC International's Employee Engagement award this year include Myer, Australia's largest department store group, and European beauty specialist, ICI Paris XL.

Editor's notes

About ORC International

ORC International is a leading global business intelligence firm with offices across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company's combination of cutting-edge technology, skilled researchers and in-depth industry experience provides clients with the insight to help solve their most pressing business challenges. We have more than 25 years of employee research experience and manage some of the largest employee-related research surveys worldwide. To learn more about ORC International, visit http://www.ORCInternational.com 

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SOURCE ORC International