Core values that resonate throughout all of our teams at UG2
Ten years ago, when we set out to build a company that would set a new standard in facility services, a small group of us talked through what would become our foundational values. Along with commitments to safety, exceptional service and putting people first, we discussed “citizenship.”
Citizenship, to Team UG2, begins with the best of intentions, and is at the core of building lasting relationships with one another and with our customers. I credit our purposeful approach to citizenship—and our exploration of what that means in our day-to-day work and long-term vision—with our extraordinary retention of both customers and employees.
At its core, citizenship involves:
Maintaining genuine respect. From the moment we consider bringing someone onto Team UG2, we are keenly aware of how that person engages with and appreciates the individuals and teams around them. Good citizenship means demonstrating genuine respect for one another, and includes respecting the property, rights, and perspectives of others. Respect is at the foundation of relationship-building, and is most critical to maintain even, and perhaps especially, in our most challenging moments. It’s what got us through the pandemic and made our company and our relationships stronger throughout the past decade.
Operating from a place of empathy. While respect and empathy might go hand in hand, these attributes hold some key distinctions. To have empathy is to remain open to the perspectives and experiences of others, to demonstrate compassion, and to show gratitude for our differences for the opportunity to learn from one another. It means listening more than talking, sharing instead of owning, connecting over isolating. At UG2, we know that practicing empathy makes us better citizens and better teammates.
Striving for continuous learning. Openness and flexibility in the face of change helped us to excel over the past several years and sustain a position of leadership in the industry. At the heart of this is the reality that we are all students of the world around us. Approaching new situations without assumption allows us to learn from and grow with our colleagues and customers. Whether it’s learning a new piece of technology, navigating new region, or striving to ask questions and reflect on the answers, this openness to embracing change is a quality that serves us in work and in life.
Embracing responsibility and accountability. Honesty, transparency, and accountability are vital to every community. Regardless of how many years of expertise we bring, we all face—and ideally, embrace—new challenges, and more opportunities for miscommunication and mistakes. Admitting to errors and correcting them without excuses is a sign of leadership and a practice that has been essential to our success.
Taking an active role. A complement to demonstrating accountability is being an agent of necessary and positive change. Anyone can be an armchair quarterback. Getting into the game, making plays, taking risks, reflecting on progress, and rethinking our assumptions sets us up for success. This is the route to making connections that strengthen community. From the start, UG2 chose the more challenging strategy. We believe the effort to be reliable partners, to be active in our customer relationships and with our workforce, will always be worth it.
Communicating effectively. Transparency is essential to a successful workforce – and that’s even more true in a crisis. From daily check-ins to site visits to meetings and surveys, we engage with each other and with our customers as an integral part of our regular routines. Citizenship requires connection, and connection can’t be sustained without open, honest, continuous communication.
Operating as a team. At UG2, we work hard to develop strong relationships, with each other and with our customers, that are established and nurtured for the long-term. We cultivate teamwork as essential to maintaining trust. As our response to the pandemic demonstrating time and again, we are much stronger together.
Citizenship is not something that happens organically. It requires both individual effort and shared collaboration and problem-solving. It demands commitment, self-reflection, and a willingness to correct course. I am honored to be a citizen of our industry and that of our customers, and I am humbled by all I have learned from employees, colleagues, partners, and customers as we work together toward this foundational value.