Privately owned, Melbourne-based construction firm Kapitol Group has been named the 2022 Wrk+ Best Place to Work, the first time a construction company has ever topped the list.
Kapitol beat over 120 businesses from a variety of industries to secure the top spot, in recognition of its genuine commitment to transform the construction industry for the better.
This is particularly impressive and unique in a sector notorious for a culture of long work hours, burnout, and poor gender diversity.
This national award, endowed by Wrk+, is generated from a survey that interviewed over 59,000 employees across all industries.
Kapitol’s commitment to its people is paying off, with the survey confirming that 96% of employees feel proud to work for Kapitol Group.
The substantial growth of the company since it was established 4 years ago, which currently employs over 150 staff, is underpinned by its constant focus to create more inclusive ways of working.
Kapitol Group is unifying its workforce to commit time and energy to identify ways it can operate with higher efficiency, which has been identified by the company as a key priority for making tangible improvements across the construction sector.
An initiative central to this vision is its ‘10 in 14’ program for site teams.
Implemented in 2020, the initiative aims to provide staff with greater work-life balance by working a rotating 6-day, 4-day fortnight.
This initiative was further refined in 2022 with all of Kapitol’s site staff now only working Monday to Friday, with the exception of Site Managers and Site Supervisors who have remained working 10 in 14, with support on Saturdays from site temp staff.
Kapitol’s ‘10 in 14’ defies recent commentary by leaders in the construction sector that say a 5-day work week is not feasible.
The initiative has even been successfully implemented at Kapitol’s largest construction project to-date, a 15,000-square-metre data centre project for client NEXTDC, which is nearing completion on-time and on-budget.
The long-term goal of establishing a gender-diverse workforce is a cornerstone of Kapitol’s vision.
Currently, Kapitol’s female employees represent 22% of the staff cohort, which is well above the ABS industry standard of 13% in construction.
Kapitol plans on increasing this further through its current female graduate intake which sits at 40%, its regular engagement with female schools as part of their careers in construction program, and their partnership with Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT).
Kapitol was founded in 2018 and from the outset Directors David Caputo and Andrew Deveson have placed significant focus on investing in the professional development of their team.
Aiming to create ‘leaders’ rather than ‘managers’, Kapitol trains staff through mentoring, and run regular workshops on topics like Emotional Intelligence, Visions & Values, and Process & Efficiency.
Immediately prior to founding Kapitol, David and Andrew held senior leadership positions at Multiplex.
Forging their own path enabled them to realise their shared vision to implement substantial changes to an industry they hold an immense passion for.
They’re now seen as disruptors in an industry that has been resistant to make lasting, meaningful change for the betterment of the 1.16 million industry employees.
David Caputo explained: “I think the seeds were sown for us during COVID when we made a conscious decision, even without the support of job keeper, not to reduce our staff’s hours or stand anyone down – even when we had to reduce numbers on site to 25%, or during the 2-week construction shutdown.
“Instead, we invested in training and upskilling our staff during our downtimes, and I think our staff appreciated that.
Andrew Deveson said: “We are always striving to be better – last year, we made the top 25 Best Places to Work.
“Following this recognition, we listened to our employees on what we could do better, incorporated that feedback into our leadership planning, and we’re beyond thrilled to see that we have now been recognised as the top employer across all industries.”
Kapitol’s People and Culture Manager Alice Hanna has worked in male-dominated industries for her entire career and is seeing real change through Kapitol’s actions throughout employees’ work and personal lives.
Alice recalls countless points of feedback from Kapitol’s employees on the positive impact initiatives such as the ‘10 in 14’ have made on their lives outside of work.
She said: “At our last staff function, one of our employee’s wives came up to me to thank Kapitol Group that her husband is now able to go their kids’ sport, which he hasn’t done for years due to his 6-day work week.”
Rachel Cairnes – a working mum of two and contractor with 20 years of industry experience can vouch for the impact working for Kaptiol Group has had on her career and her family life.
The flexibility, support and ability to spend time with her family has allowed her to not only flourish in her career in construction, but also as a mother.
Rachel said: “I do believe we are trying to walk the walk and not just talk the talk and that we are making work-life balance better.
“I feel comfortable working here and I don’t feel guilty when I have to do something with the kids during work hours – when you have kids you constantly feel guilty that you’re not pulling your weight or that there’s a microscope on you or that can’t perform to the level of your peers who don’t have carer responsibilities.
“At Kapitol, the line managers trust that should you have to leave early, you’ll get it done either at home or the next morning.
“I’m not micromanaged, there’s a sense of ownership and trust.”
Kapitol is constantly rejecting the idea of resting on its laurels and continues to commit to bettering its workplace for employees to be their best every day.