6y
(From Walt Vernon, CEO)
Mazzetti is always grateful for feedback that we can use to make us better. We are intensely focused on continuous improvement, so this kind of feedback is welcome.
We do want to offer some relevant observations though.
First, our entire industry was hurt by the recession of 2008-2010. During that time frame, many people left the industry and few were hired into it. This has made it difficult, over time, to find middle-tier leaders who were sufficiently skilled to take on leadership in this era. We do work hard to focus on every employee, and to find ways to support them in their growth regardless of their level. Indeed, last year, we instituted a system of frequent 1:1s and quarterly check-ins with our people to make certain that everyone is supported. We recently conducted a survey of how people were feeling about working from home, and almost everyone expressed satisfaction with their level of mentoring, even in these challenging times.
The question related to the kinds of people we hire, including people with nebulous roles, is an interesting one. Mazzetti is not as large as some companies, and we do not strive to be a commodity, we can do anything kind of firm. Rather, we try hard to find ways we can differentiate in order to provide higher value to clients. That requires us to do things somewhat differently. We are also heavily focused on being problem solvers for our clients, and not just engineers. We are a company founded on the idea of bringing innovation to our clients, and not simply repeating the same thing over and over. We are a company committed to creating the future, and not just waiting for it to happen. That spirit of experimentation and broad problem-solving means that we need different kinds of skill sets to drive us forward. Our biggest regret is that we are apparently not being clear enough about these decisions so that people can better understand them.
Next, we invest a lot into determining appropriate, market-based compensation. We are using Pay Factors, and developing transparent, location-appropriate pay scales for every person in the company. The past year has seen a lot of headhunter activity, and there has been clear salary expectation growth. Our policy is to try to stay as aware as we can of changing market dynamics, and to pay at or above market rates whenever possible. And, while we did lose some employees from the San Francisco office this past year, our turnover rate has fallen in half, over this period, our employee engagement scores are very high, and most of the people who left have migrated out of our industry.
We never claim to be perfect. But we do try to listen and hear. And we ask our people not to just show up to work, but to be part of creating the future they want to see.
