Our Facilities Engineers Help Keep the Country Running
As we enter a week that recognizes the contributions of engineers, I am acutely aware of the passion hard work and dedication that facilities engineers give each day to keep our customers’ buildings—and by extension, this country—running. At UG2, I’m over the moon proud to work among the best of the best of them.
I want to take this opportunity to share some perspective on what it is like to work in Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for UG2—and why we lead the industry not only in setting the new standard for excellence in facility services, but in retaining our employees and developing top talent.
From the company’s culture of operational excellence without exception and providing support that every employee helps make possible to the spirited optimism and camaraderie that they bring to their work location each day, our O&M teams shine just like the pristine facilities and equipment they work so hard to maintain.
They add value. We know that their effort adds value to every property they service, but their contributions are also often intangible and immeasurable. While much of the work they do is invisible to people around them, they notice everyone and everything. They even get to know the names of the people they encounter every day, and will greet you and hold a door for you as you whisk past them.
They step up. Whether it’s pitching in with an unexpected extra few hours at the end of their shift, going out of their way to make sure a repair happens in the moment even if it means they miss out on family time, shoveling out a tenant’s car in a snowstorm, or spending the night at a hotel near our customer’s facility to be available on standby for a winter storm or hurricane watch, our employees make tremendous sacrifices that exceed what is asked and expected of them.
They share and seek knowledge. Our teams take full advantage of our best-in-class Training & Innovation Lab. They attend as students and as instructors. They also take that knowledge out to the community, whether they are educating peers in a seminar or showing the ropes to new on-site employees at a customer’s facility. And they jump at the chance to serve as mentors for others on Team UG2.
They make sure safety matters. Safety is one of UG2’s foundational values, but any organization can talk the talk. Our teams truly take safety to heart and demonstrate that in their day-to-day behavior, often led by the actions of our O&M employees. We adhere to the highest safety standards in the industry, and we must credit our success in that arena to the care and attention every employee brings to even the most tedious tasks.
They are respectful managers and mentees. At UG2, we honor the diversity of experiences, background, knowledge and perspectives our employees bring to their jobs. That mutual respect is evident in the way knowledge travels both ways between the most experienced talent and the up-and-coming generation of future leaders. Our O&M experts at every level excel at what they do because they are continuously striving to gain knowledge from the people around them.
I’m so grateful to work with an O&M team that brings me such pride and inspires such confidence. One thing that remains unchanged in this constantly evolving field is that I learn from them every single day and consider myself very fortunate to be able to work with such exceptional people.