How UG2 is Cultivating the Next Generation of Industry Talent
January is Mentoring Month, and we are reflecting on the generosity of our employees who share their skills and talent with one another, developing the industry’s future leaders through a wide range of formal and informal mentoring efforts.
When our founder Lou Lanzillo and his team set out to launch UG2 more than 10 years ago, they did so with a vision of cultivating the next generation of leaders and to set a new standard of excellence in facility services. They had themselves benefited from tremendous guidance and generous instruction from others throughout their own careers and had witnessed the impact that professional support can have on someone coming up through the industry. As such, Lou and team cared deeply about the industry and knew that strengthening the profession would be the best way to serve everyone.
UG2 boasts an immensely talented, diverse, and multigenerational workforce—all of whom bring unique skills and talents to their positions, whether on our O&M, janitorial, or corporate teams. Here’s how we’ve succeeded in tapping their talent and extending it across the company:
Hiring those willing to learn—and teach. Identifying employees who are motivated to grow professionally is a huge aspect of our recruitment approach, and a reason we have such a high retention rate. At the same time, we are looking for employees who want to share their own knowledge with their peers and coworkers.
Delivering on mentorship from day 1. Members of team UG2 benefit from our organizational and institutional offerings from the moment they are hired, from customer service training to dedicated professional development and more. We also invite new employees to share details on their own unique backgrounds and talents and find ways to give them a platform.
Building a best-in-class training lab. UG2 stands out from our competitors with our training and innovation lab. The lab’s virtual platform allows us to tap the knowledge from employees across the organization and share it with their peers in every corner of the country.
Knowing that one-to-one relationships work both ways. Mentoring relationships at UG2 are mutual. We believe every employee brings something unique to the table, and we know that one way we have remained leaders in the industry is by deeply listening to and learning from the new generation of talent.
Investing in career coaching and professional development. From our robust training programs and partnerships with educational institutions to our encouragement of continuing education and outside learning opportunities, we support our employees (and potential future employees) in identifying and pursuing all kinds of knowledge and skills building.
Imparting soft skills. As much as technology has enabled us to advance our work, it also stands as a temptation to reduce human interaction. At UG2 we make an effort to form genuine connections with one another, working toward an ability to make conversation with everyone we meet.
Hiring from within. Some of our most accomplished employees’ careers were homegrown! By recognizing the talent every team member brings to the organization, and knowing their goals as professionals, we are able to prepare and leverage our internal talent to fill key positions.
Learning from our customers. In a relationship-based company like UG2, we recognize that learning works in every direction. That’s why we work hard to learn from our customers and become citizens of their industries.
Strong mentoring makes for smarter and more productive teams, and we witness that every day at UG2. We are so proud of our employees and of the ways they embrace opportunities to learn and advance their careers—and especially of the many ways they build each other up along the way.