Improving Productivity- What is Workplace Productivity and Why Does It Matter?

One of the biggest struggles in the workplace is productivity, rather than onboarding and retaining employees that contribute to a productive workplace. Signs that you don't have one are symptoms of burnout in employees, frequent arguments that stall improvement, and complaints of being underpaid or underappreciated. Other symptoms include general dissatisfaction in the workplace. Absentee employees, a lack of resources, and job insecurity are all aspects of an unproductive work system and signs that something needs to be fixed.

Luckily, there are ways to improve the work environment that will inevitably lead to a more efficient workflow.

In this blog,

1. What Is Workplace Productivity and Why Does It Matter?

2. Characteristics of a Productive Workplace

3. Ways to Improve Your Workplace Productivity

1. What Is Workplace Productivity and Why Does It Matter?

Workplace productivity can be described as the employee's ability to complete tasks and reach company goals as a result. If left untreated, a stagnant workplace leads to the discontent spoken of before and in the end, a broken business. Profits plummet as a result of a noticeable lack of employee determination and lower-quality work.

In contrast, the benefits of a productive workplace include improved employee retention, development of top-performing employees, increased profit, boosted business awareness, a healthy work culture, and ultimately, a successful and thriving business.

2. Characteristics of a Productive Workplace

You'll know your employees are performing at their peak productivity when certain milestones, or rather certain qualities become a standard of your workplace.

- Implementing positive values into a business can give everybody, regardless of their personal position, an accurate depiction of the larger purpose they serve as an employee.

- This leads to an environment in which leadership and teamwork build together to form a helpful coexistence.

- Employees have a swift turnaround and a high quality of work. These don't always improve simultaneously. Steady work with a keen attention to detail is the mark of a good employee.

- Employees have excellent time management skills. They are able to accurately depict how long a specific task will take and how to plan other tasks around it for the most efficient use of time. The ability to understand themselves and know how they work on their own will help the employer understand how to help them work with others.

- Employees arrive at work with enthusiasm because they know the work expected of them, how to complete it, how long it will take, and how their work contributes to a larger picture. Employee satisfaction is a major contributor to workplace productivity, and a satisfied employee is a productive one.

- Employees are able to communicate effectively with each other, whether to voice their concerns or their excitement or simply to provide updates on their progress. This comes as a result of non-judgmental open lines of communication.

3. Ways to Improve Your Workplace Productivity

Time Management

Time management is one of the biggest factors in creating a productive workplace. It's not a skill that's easy to learn, but there are tricks to help.

- Build a thinking space for pondering the daily goals and tasks. This can be more mental than physical, but create time that employees can decide what tasks need to get done.

- Create a to-do list that highlights both high and low-priority tasks. For instance, emails. While important for communication purposes and lead generation, emails are a low-priority task that can be done in just a few minutes. Instead, focus on the items that will lead to the ultimate goal and spend less time on those that only make up a fraction of the end result.

- Knowing what the weekly and monthly goals are will help break them down into daily tasks.

- Split larger projects between employees, considering their strengths and weaknesses.

Team Orientation

Create a team-oriented workplace that balances each person's strengths. Teamwork is all about knowing who does what well and filling in the gaps. Here are a few ways to develop a highly productive team.

- Again, learn each other's strengths. It doesn't do well to put one person in a place where they don't work well. Instead, place them with somebody who actually does the job well while emphasizing that it will become a strength eventually. This instills the automatic expectation that they will improve.

- Cultivate an environment of learning. Weaknesses can become strengths if enough effort is put in. Creating an environment in which fear of judgment or punishment is eliminated gives employees room to grow and develop their strengths.

- Participate in team-building exercises. It may sound cheesy and something you might see in a Hallmark rom-com, but they work well to build a community. When community building happens, each person knows where they stand in the greater scheme of things and can see clearly how they fit into the workplace environment.

Recruiting Desirable Employees

Onboard and maintain top-performing employees. Creating a highly effective team starts at the interview. Generally, interviewees will show you their potential for productivity and time management skills at the very beginning. Here are some ways to first obtain, create, and maintain top-performing employees.

- Know what you want from the get-go. Have a specific person in mind, like an avatar of your ideal candidate.

- Structure your interviews to get the most out of them.

- Employees don't always start out being productive. Sometimes it takes seeing that potential in an interview and deciding to put the effort into creating that employee. This takes dedication and a desire to help both your company and your employee succeed.

- Offer training and guidance to help your employees reach their personal goals, as well as business goals.

- Evaluate company culture constantly and search for ways to improve the dynamic between employees that will provide a basis for interactions that lead to high production.

- Certify employees in various capacities. Offering professional certification as a form of professional development ensures that you, as the employer, have the most productive employee possible.

Support a Work-Life Balance

Give employees the ability to have a healthy work-life balance. Dissatisfaction in the workplace can be terrifically unmotivating. Most adults spend a large portion of their waking hours at work, so helping create a balance between home and work goes a long way in creating happier, more enthusiastic, and, therefore, more productive employees. Here are some ways to strike a better balance.

- Many places don't require full-time in-office work from employees, a realization brought on by the pandemic in 2020. Still, some employers insisted that their employees return to the office, creating dissatisfaction with their employee's work. Allowing for more remote work can help employees feel more satisfied with the work they do.

- In the same vein, encouraging the prioritization of productivity over hours can help as well. Not every day needs eight hours to complete the work. Prioritize the efficiency of the work and quality over the time it takes to complete it.

- Lead by example. Show that you approve of a healthy work/life balance by creating boundaries around your own life, and that they can do the same.

- Respect their home life. Unless it's an emergency, leave work at work and home at home.

- Ensure that your team knows the specifics of each other's priority tasks. This way, if an employee or their family member falls sick, they can take the time off they need, and the business doesn't suffer because you have somebody who knows what needs to get done.

Conclusion

Unproductive employees lead to an unproductive and stagnant business. It's easier to create a culture of productivity from the beginning, but it's not impossible to improve workplace productivity when the signs and symptoms begin to show. Taking the weaknesses within an organization and building them into strengths starts with the workers that make up the bulk of your workforce. By creating a team of productive people, you're enabling your business to achieve greater levels of workplace productivity and are one step closer to reaching your business goals.

Consider partnering with School of PE to provide your employees with professional development opportunities that will help increase productivity in the workplace!

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Sustainable Concrete and Concrete Materials

Owners and contractors are encouraged, incentivized, and rightfully pushing to build a more sustainable future by utilizing materials that can withstand the test of time while limiting global environmental impacts. All material producers of the construction world are digging into this topic headfirst: wood, steel, concrete, and more. Concrete is often at the forefront of everyone's mind since it is the most common building material and seemingly one of the most environmentally harmful. Traditional concrete, however, is fairly sustainable over the entire lifespan of a project; but with current advancements, it is even more sustainable on the front end and the lifespan!

In this blog,

1. Primary Materials

2. Carbon Analyzation Methods

3. Industry Advancements and Replacement Materials

4. Concrete as Insulation

5. Concrete as a Carbon Sink

1. Primary Materials

The first topic to investigate is: what are the primary materials concrete is made from? Once we establish this, we can track each item and determine the environmental impact of the material itself.

1. Water

a. We all know what water is but may not know how important it is in a concrete batch. Water interacts with cement, hydrating the particles. This helps create a bond between the other materials. About 18% of a concrete mix is water.

2. Cement

a. Cement is the glue that bonds the elements of a concrete mix. It is typically produced by chemically combining various minerals with limestone, clay, slag, iron ore, and other similar materials. All these ingredients are heated, solidified, and crushed into the cement powder many of us are familiar with. Cement accounts for approximately 10% of a mix.

3. Fine Aggregates

a. Various sizes and colors of sand are what most typically make up the fine aggregate portion of the mix. The quantity of sand varies greatly between mixes, but 25% is the average value.

4. Coarse Aggregates

a. Coarse aggregates are most commonly different types, shapes, sizes, and colors of stone. Rounded stones can be used as well as sharp/jagged stones, depending on the desired properties of a concrete mix design. Similar to fine aggregates, coarse percentages vary greatly but can be considered near 40%.

5. Air

a. Finally, air is the last product that completes a standard concrete mix. Air percentages vary as well, depending on the region of the country you are in. 6% is a common value.

Many of these materials are common and may not require scrutinous environmental impact studies to determine how sustainable they are. However, cement is a manufactured product that does contribute greatly to the environmental impact of concrete and will be the material of focus.

2. Carbon Analyzation Methods

Before investigating cement and its environmental impacts, it is important to understand the methods by which embodied carbon is analyzed and what embodied carbon means. Embodied carbon "is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions released during the lifespan of a product or system" (Structural Engineering Institute). This analysis can be completed either by a method called cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave.

• Cradle-to-gate

a. This includes everything leading up to and including the production of a product but nothing thereafter. For concrete, it would be the gathering/production of the raw materials (listed above), the transportation of the materials to the location of the concrete mixing plant, and the mixing/production process.

• Cradle-to-grave

a. This encompasses everything from cradle-to-gate including additional transportation to a job site, the construction of the structure, the use and maintenance of the structure, repairs and refurbishment activities on the structure, and the demolition and disposal of the structure at the end of its life cycle.

Concrete's embodied carbon is typically much higher when looking at a cradle-to-gate analysis, but when looking over the entire lifespan (cradle-to-grave) it performs very well: even while using traditional methods. In brief, concrete lasts a long time and is an excellent insulator!

3. Industry Advancements and Replacement Materials

Traditional cement is outlined above, but advancements in the industry have led to different methods to produce cement that has less embodied carbon than in the past. One of these methods is PLC: Portland Limestone Cement. PLC uses up to 15% limestone, whereas regular Portland Cement uses only 5%. Basically, cement is made the traditional way, but then limestone is added at the end to take up a larger percentage, thus decreasing the embodied carbon in the process since less volume of cement is needed to be produced. When you're looking at the large scale of concrete construction, a change like this is significant!

Another common practice is to replace cement with other cementitious materials. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has specifications on various cementitious materials, with some of the more common being fly ash, natural pozzolan, slag cement, and silica fume. These materials can often decrease the embodied carbon of concrete because many of them are the waste products of another production line. For example, fly ash is a byproduct in power plants as a result of burning coal, and silica fume is a byproduct from the production of various alloys. By using these cement replacements, the need to produce more cement is lowered and increased sustainability is achieved!

Both of these methods of traditional cement replacement have been tested and used for many years. Limestone cement has been used in Europe and Canada for over 50 years. It wasn't until shortly after 2010 that the United States started seeing code regulations and acceptance of limestone cement. Strength and durability are matched or heightened, permeability is similar, all the resistance properties can be achieved, and nearly all the states have accepted its use or are planning to accept them soon. Similarly, other cementitious materials have been used for hundreds of years: the ancient Romans used volcanic ash as a cement to build many of their concrete structures, and they are still standing today!

4. Concrete as Insulation

Utilizing concrete for a climate-controlled building significantly reduces the embodied carbon over the life of a structure. We touched on this earlier, but concrete has excellent thermal capabilities. The operation of buildings contributes a massive portion of embodied carbon in a cradle-to-grave analysis of a structure. If concrete is used, this can be reduced significantly. Furthermore, if concrete "sandwich" panels are used the savings are even greater! Sandwich panels can be thought of as the "bread" being concrete and the "meat and cheese" being insulation: the thickness of the interior and exterior concrete as well as the insulation can vary to achieve greater R-Values. R-value is the thermal resistance of a material, the higher the value the greater amount of heat flow reduction. Some examples of materials are found below (Ecoline Windows) (D'Aloisio, J.) (Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute):

• Insulation: 2-6 per inch
  
• Wood: ~1 per inch
  
• Concrete: 0.05-0.10 per inch
  
• Standard double-pane window: ~3
  
• Steel: 0.0031 per inch

As you can see, if you combine several inches (3 or more) of concrete on either side of the insulation you can achieve a high R-Value very quickly. For example, an insulated wall panel with 2" of extruded polystyrene insulation between 3" of concrete on either side has an R-Value of nearly 11.5! With a high R-Value in the concrete wall (without any additional work being done like lining or spraying it with insulation), less wasted heating or cooling with escape the building.

5. Concrete as a Carbon Sink

Did you know that concrete can actually soak up carbon in the atmosphere?! Carbonation is the process where carbon dioxide "enters tiny pores in the cement and encounters a variety of chemicals and water and becomes trapped. (Cornwall, W.)" Research on just how much carbon dioxide has been soaked up found that "between 1930 and 2013, cement soaked up 16 gigatons of carbon dioxide, 43% of the total carbon emitted when limestone was converted in cement kilns (Cornwall, W.)." Further research is being done to increase the carbon-soaking capabilities of concrete, but even without furthering this technology, our concrete buildings are already working towards a sustainable future!

Conclusion

Sustainable materials are critical to the continuation of our lives as we know it here on Earth. The materials that make up a concrete mix, their transportation, production, construction, and life span all affect the determination of the sustainability of a structure. Combining that with the properties concrete provides and the advancements in the industry prove that concrete is here to stay. Although concrete, through surface analysis, may look like an enemy to sustainability, a deeper look shows that it can truly propel and sustain us into the future.

References

Structural Engineering Institute. What is embodied carbon? SE2050. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://se2050.org/resources-overview/embodied-carbon/what-is-embodied-carbon/.

Ecoline Windows. Triple pane windows vs. double pane: What's better? Ecoline Windows. (2022, February 4). Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.ecolinewindows.ca/triple-pane-windows-vs-double-pane-window-features-and-comparison/#:~:text=Double%2Dpane%20windows%20have%20an,paned%20windows%20reduces%20heating%20costs

D'Aloisio, J. (2009, March 8). Envelop the structural steel! Greener Structures. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://jdaloisio.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/envelop-the-structural-steel/

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. (2017). Pci Design Handbook: Precast and prestressed concrete.

Cornwall, W. (n.d.). Cement soaks up greenhouse gases | science | AAAS. Science. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.science.org/content/article/cement-soaks-greenhouse-gases

About the Author: Brian Huttner

Brian Huttner is a licensed professional engineer for Tindall Corporation, Virginia, who designs precast concrete structures, components, and connections. He received his Associates degree in Business Administration from New River Community College (2012) and his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech (2015). In his spare time, he enjoys being a husband and a father in a loving household of 9 animals including cats, dogs, birds, and a turtle.

Tips for Preparing for and Taking the PE Exam

Late nights, early mornings, extended lunch breaks, all the above, you're putting in the time to prepare for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, and you want it to pay off. Perhaps this is your first time, or maybe you're retaking the exam and need to modify your approach. Preparing for the PE exam is time intensive and requires months of dedication, and for good reason. Being a licensed Professional Engineer comes with a significant amount of responsibility; it shows your commitment to maintaining high standards and provides credibility that will open doors throughout your career. This blog will explore various tips for preparing and taking the exam regardless of your situation.

In this blog,

1. Preparation

2. Taking the Exam

3. Conclusion

1. Preparation:

You've settled on the timeframe you're going to take the exam, been approved to sit by your State Board, successfully registered, and now you're ready to begin preparing. Prior to the adoption of Computer Based Testing (CBT), the exam was offered twice per year (spring and fall). This meant that if you had to repeat, you had to wait approximately six months. In the CBT era, you're able to take the exam once per testing window (quarterly), up to three times per year.

1. Review the NCEES Exam Guide

(https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/NCEESExamGuide_November-2022_opt.pdf). You've probably already looked at portions of this guide when you registered, but it provides useful information on what to expect on exam day and how computer-based testing works.

2. Review the NCEES exam-specific information 

(https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/). NCEES provides exam-specific information for the various engineering disciplines, including how many questions to expect, how much time you'll be allotted, what references you'll be provided, along with various other pieces of important information.

3. Review the expected number of questions per topic. The PE exam contains 80 questions, all of which are weighted the same. Becoming familiar with the breakdown of how many questions can be expected per topic will help ensure you're not spending too much time or not enough time on a particular subject. Be sure you don't prepare for topics that aren't covered; if it's not on the outline, you shouldn't expect to see it on the exam.

4. Become familiar with what references you'll be provided during the exam. Some of the provided references you may already use regularly in daily practice, and others you may not have seen for some time or ever. The best way to become intimately familiar with these references is to use them regularly while solving practice problems and reviewing exam material. Pay close attention to what sections and references you're using most as you work practice problems. While you won't need to memorize any particular item from the references, you should take note of what references contain what information (e.g., superelevation tables from the AASHTO Green Book).

5. Take an exam review course. School of PE offers a variety of options, including live and Ondemand learning, in order to help prepare you for the exam. Pass rates for School of PE students are considerably higher than the average pass rate. For example, students taking the PE Civil review course pass the exam at around a 90% rate versus the average of around 60%. Instructors are there to help you during and after classes, so make the most of your investment. At the same time, a review course is meant to be a tool in your overall preparation and not a shortcut.

6. Work practice problems. Purchase the current NCEES practice exam and try to get your hands on older versions as well. Some of the older exams may have questions that are no longer valid, but becoming familiar with how exam questions are worded is a key component. There are many other sources of exam questions, but be cautious of ones that aren't consistent with the current CBT format.

7. Work practice problems. This is an intentional repeat, take note.

2. Taking the Exam:

While sitting for the exam, make sure you're as prepared as you can get and ready to take the exam.

1. Take a preparation break. I can't stress enough how important it is to take a day or two break leading up to sitting for the exam. As with rest days taken off from physical exercise, your brain requires a rest period too. I even urge you to take a vacation day from work the day before the exam. Use this time to relax and clear your mind.

2. Organize your items for test day. The aforementioned NCEES Examinee Guide provides a list of items that are allowed. This includes your identification, calculator, and other comfort items, such as earplugs. Have these items organized and ready to go the night before the exam.

3. Eat a healthy meal and get a good night's rest. A light, healthy meal and a good night's rest the night before the exam is pretty straightforward and will go a long way in getting you through the test day marathon.

4. Plan your departure time. Depending on your location, you may have to deal with traffic on your commute to the testing center. Leave yourself plenty of time to account for delays and other unforeseen issues.

5. Answer what you know first. There will be a mixture of conceptual-type problems (e.g., look-up) along with longer questions that require problem-solving. Avoid spinning your wheels and getting hung up on questions that you're not as familiar with, and skip to ones you know. For example, if your daily life consists of geometric design, seek out a problem related to that. I typically suggest finding a conceptual look-up-type problem and answering that first. This helps build confidence and get you into a rhythm.

6. Read the questions carefully. Exam questions are notorious for being worded in a way that can cause confusion. They aren't meant to be trick questions but are meant to require you to carefully read and interpret them.

7. Give the correct answer. You're probably thinking, "this is obvious; why are you listing this?" Yes, you want to give the correct answer to each question, but the point of this piece of advice is more than that. As you work problems, particularly ones that involve problem-solving, you'll go through various steps that result in a variety of "sub-solutions". Some of these "sub-solutions" may be an available option as an answer. As mentioned, reading the question carefully and knowing what you're to be solving for will ensure you're selecting the final answer.

8. Pay attention to the clock. You have approximately 6 minutes to answer each question on average. Some questions may take a minute, others may take closer to 10. Be cognizant of how much time you're spending on each question, and if you find yourself getting hung up on one in particular, skip it and come back later. As I mentioned previously, each question is weighted the same, so it doesn't make sense to devote too much time to one question that you may be struggling with.

3. Conclusion

I hope that these tips will serve you well in your preparation, and that, if helpful, you'll forward this along to fellow colleagues as they prepare to obtain their licensure. Whether this is your first time or you're repeating, remain confident in yourself and know that with good preparation will come good results. Most importantly, after you've passed the exam, take a moment to celebrate your accomplishment and recognize the prestigious group you've joined. Good luck!

Interested in earning your professional engineering license? School of PE's comprehensive courses provide what you need to succeed when exam day arrives! Register today.

About the Author: Brian Garman, PE

Brian is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and is employed as a Senior Project Manager at Herbert, Rowland and Grubic, Inc. based out of Harrisburg. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Penn State University and specializes in all aspects of highway engineering.

Instructor Spotlight: Sidney H. May, PE

At School of PE, we employ multiple instructors to teach the material in their areas of expertise-this sets us apart from our competitors. We have received a great deal of positive feedback from our students, and we believe that learning from experts in their respective areas provides the most comprehensive learning experience.

Our Instructor/Author Spotlight series gives you a peek behind the scenes with some of School of PE's highly acclaimed instructors. Read on to find out more about our very own Sidney H. May, PE.

Author Bio:

Ms. May is a multi-state licensed professional civil engineer with more than 15 years of work experience in transportation design & construction, civil site design, and environmental planning & compliance. She is the owner of a WOSB engineering firm. Ms. May attended the University of Alabama and holds a BS in civil engineering. Her areas of expertise include public works processes for local, state, and federal projects; designing and managing capital improvements projects; developing project scope documents; creating project estimates and budgets; preparing design drawings; developing specifications for bidding purposes; and managing projects during construction. She develops course curriculums and instructs PDH seminars and professional engineering exam review courses. She also coauthored School of PE's PE Civil Exam Review Guide: Transportation.

She volunteers with local engineering academies and S.T.E.A.M programs and serves as a professional mentor for civil engineering students at the University of Alabama. She recently served as the Birmingham branch director of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is on the National Policy Committee for Professional Licensure.

What attracted you to your chosen field/area of expertise?

I really was not sure which career path to choose in high school because of my limited exposure to other careers besides law or medicine. Medical practice did not interest me, so when asked, I said I would be studying law. When I was tapped into Mu Alpha Theta, a national math honor society, in my junior year of high school and recruited into conversations about engineering, I truly shifted my focus. I then began participating in programs geared toward the engineering field. I attended my first E-day open house at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!!) and saw the civil engineering students showcasing the infamous concrete canoe that was built for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student conference. A magical moment happened that day, and I absolutely knew for sure that's what I wanted to do. It was so fascinating to see this strong, hard material that I thought could only sink would be able to float. It sparked my curiosity to learn more and pursue civil engineering. From that moment, I've been inseparable from it and have loved almost every minute of it.

If you could choose any other area of engineering to specialize in, what would it be?

I'm partial to civil engineering because it offers multifaceted ways to practice. I love the versatility that the career offers and how interwoven into society it actually is. Being able to design and one day see these monumental structures, such as buildings, bridges, roads, and dams, come to life still excites me. But, if I absolutely had to choose, I would choose aerospace engineering. I must admit that I'm also in awe of the accomplishments in aviation and aerospace just as much as I am enamored with these major structures that we use every day.

What is something people might be surprised to know about you?

Math did not come easy for me for most of my life. I had to work really hard to understand it. I often sought tutoring and other outside help throughout high school in courses such as algebra II and geometry. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I think my determination to understand the concepts and application of math actually paid off. My drive translated into something that I could actually do, excel at, and have a great passion for. So much so that I tutor kids in math when I have the time.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out in engineering?

Take one day at a time, try not to be such a perfectionist, seek to always understand the things that you do not know, and remain curious about the world we live in.

What is your advice for someone preparing for the FE Civil exam after a gap period?

Evaluate yourself initially prior to studying any FE materials to determine what you know, what you may have forgotten, and what you really don't know. Seek to sharpen your skill on the material you know and take a refresher course to help familiarize yourself with material that you've either forgotten or don't know. I find that the SoPE refresher courses really help pinpoint what's necessary rather than becoming overwhelmed with all the information that is available to FE Civil exam candidates.

What is the most rewarding thing about being an instructor for School of PE?

Knowing that there is at least one student who took my class and was successful on the FE or PE exam. I have received several LinkedIn messages over the years from students who thanked me for their success on exams, which makes me very happy considering some of the less positive feedback that I've received.

Why would you recommend taking an exam review course to prepare for the PE Civil exam?

There is a lot of exam preparation material and information available, and studying can become very overwhelming. A review course helps you pinpoint exactly what you need to study and provides you with criteria, theoretical practice, and techniques to solve exam-related problems.

What advice do you have for someone who is undecided regarding their specific area of expertise?

There's no better way to decide on your specific area of expertise than to get experience to see if this is something you really want to do. My recommendation would be to get some on-the-job experience if you're able to before committing to a specialty unless you absolutely know that it's something you want to do. Most of the time, undergrad classes help people find their place in the specific area of expertise that they want to go into but, if it is not found at that time, work experience is the best teacher.

In your opinion, what is the most important attribute of a successful engineer?

Realizing engineering is a team sport and is a practice field. The most successful engineers know that it takes a team to make a project successful. No two people see the world exactly the same, and undoubtedly no two engineers will see it the same either, even with the same standards and specifications.

What's one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their career?

Things don't always go the way we planned them to. There will be changes, so flexibility in this industry is a must-it's an interactive and iterative field. The world we live in is constantly evolving and changing, and new concepts, technology, and innovation are always being developed. New information or technology can often translate into changes in design and oftentimes better ways of achieving a successful outcome on projects.

Retaining Top Performers with Professional Certifications

In the last several years, there has been a great shift of employees through many organizations brought on by the global shutdown in 2020. There are dozens of reasons for employees deciding to ultimately leave their positions like dissatisfaction in the workplace and remote work opportunities outside of traditional office settings. Many employees realized that their efforts weren't being matched by their employers and decided to take their talents elsewhere.

A study conducted by Pew Research Center found that employees often leave their job due to a lack of adequate career development opportunities as well as inadequate pay. Of course, it's difficult to stay in a job that lacks promise. One way for an employer to prove their commitment to top-performing employees and keep them satisfied in the job is to offer professional certifications as a form of career development.

In this blog,

1. Why Do Top Performers Stay with Their Company?

2. Steps to Employing and Retaining Top Employees

3. Top Benefits of Professional Certifications

4. Types of Certifications

5. Retaining Top Performing Employees with Professional Certifications

1. Why Do Top Performers Stay with Their Company?

Staffing Advisors defines a top performer as "someone who is capable of, and interested in, driving the business results you need- someone who will take responsibility for getting results within the norms of your company culture." For a better understanding of why high-achieving employees stay with specific jobs- namely, jobs that offer certification- let's look at some traits specific to effective employees:

1. They have long-term goals that aren't affected by job changes.

2. They don't only do what's asked of them.

3. They're accomplished.

4. They're part of quality teams in multiple disciplines.

5. They seek and gain promotions rapidly because they're constantly improving.

6. They value goals over dreams.

7. They accept challenges with excitement.

A top-performing employee will change careers only if it benefits their long-term goal, exceeds their job expectations, and provides an opportunity for growth. If employers do offer certifications that align with these goals of accomplishment, they're more likely to stay with and be a benefit to the company.

Finding quality candidates is half the battle. The other half is keeping them. Forbes' tips for retaining top employees include (but are not limited to):

• Creating an environment that supports growth.
• Building rapport between employees.
• Learning what motivates employees most.
• Showing your support and staying connected with them.
• Giving them flexibility.
• Developing managers capable of retaining top talent.
• Actively improving standard operating procedures.
• Acting on your promises.
• Having clear purposes for tasks.
• Letting them take initiative.
• Keeping track of productivity.
• Discussing what will help them succeed.

A final way to retain employees is to step back. While retaining top talent, it's not only about finding and keeping capable employees. It's also about developing your current employees into balanced high achievers. Giving workers opportunities to decide for themselves what kind of employee they'll choose to be will also give the employer the ability to watch those that do take chances on themselves.

2. Steps to Employing and Retaining Top Employees

There is a process, though not guaranteed, that will enable an employer to not only hire but also build and retain top-performing employees. It takes time to develop a process personal to the company itself, but a basic template starts like this:

1. Know what you want. Having specific goals in mind when onboarding employees will eliminate any frustration that may come from not being clear enough.

2. Carefully structure your interviews. During the interview process, screen them for potential, not only current abilities. Using carefully curated, yet unexpected questions will give you insight into the interviewee and their thought process.

3. Evaluate potential during the onboarding and probationary process, which includes offering opportunities to show you what they can do.

4. Train, evaluate, and offer guidance where needed. In the end, trust that they can get the job done that you hired them to do.

5. Evaluate company culture and consider ways that might improve the one you currently offer. Some ways to better company culture are to have improved opportunities for individuals. Employees will stay in a position if they feel it's a good fit and if they know they're valued. One way to do this is to offer industry-specific and general business certifications in various capacities.

3. Top Benefits of Professional Certifications

Professional certifications, in one way or another, help tick off each step on the list above.

Gaining industry certifications enables the industry as a whole to raise the standard of professionalism. Creating a base level of competence and confidence ensures that the group is only as knowledgeable as the least knowledgeable company. This works well for both large-scale industry standards, as well as smaller-scale, interpersonal business dynamics.

Professional certifications also help to create a culture of trust between boss and employee. It's important that managers take the time to get to know the workers in their space. To figure out what works well for them, what does not, what tasks they're best at, or what makes them feel most confident in their job. Given the opportunity, most employees will jump on the chance to gain certifications. If these opportunities are offered in the interview process and followed through on, the trust built between employer and employee will go a long way.

Professional certifications allow employees to do their best and show their employer their skillset. It takes time and effort to study for certification exams. As a standard, coursework can take five months to complete, often taking as much time during the week as a part-time job on top of their original job. It takes time and dedication to prepare and then take the exams required for certification. Offering certifications is another way of attracting the best-performing employees.

As a reward system, certifications can influence employees to reach goals faster and more completely. Offering professional certifications as a reward after reaching certain milestones creates a system of continually bettering the employee and the company.

Certification opportunities help good employees become great employees. Say one employee is excellent at creating presentations, but a little less confident on giving them. One way that this employee could use certification is to gain a greater oral communication ability. Certifications aren't only there to help prove knowledge. They're also there to help gain more knowledge.

4. Types of Certifications

As a standard, there are two overall types of certifications: general business and industry-specific. General business certs such as the PMP^® (Project Management Professional) or a business analyst certification can apply to many industries. Others, like the NCLEX-RN^® for nursing, can only be used in the medical field. The specific type of certification necessary depends heavily on the job being performed. For instance, and a little obvious, nursing certifications are only applicable to nursing staff. However, within the nursing field, there are dozens of types of nursing jobs depending on which subfield the nurse intends to apply to.

5. Retaining Top Performing Employees with Professional Certifications

Top-performing employees are simply high achievers at heart. They like to do well, complete projects, and know that their work is appreciated. Offering certifications as a way to help create, employ, and retain top-performing employees enables the employer to weed out individuals who are just working for a paycheck instead of a job well done.

Professional certifications also help to build a community of productive and goal-oriented workers. When a group works well together, and nobody has to step over to another's area to do the work of another, it helps develop employees who are confident in themselves and their coworkers and can instead create a healthier dynamic between employees.

In the end, professional certifications help employees and companies gain exposure and networking opportunities, demonstrate an employee's competence and confidence in a field, and help raise the standard of professionalism in the industry. As an employer, it helps to know that you can delegate a task to someone and trust that they will complete it with the same level of attention and accuracy that you would.

Retaining stellar employees who are ultimately dissatisfied with their available work opportunities is a difficult task. Developing a business process of onboarding and creating top-performing employees using professional certifications as a tool helps protect the employer from increased employee turnover and the negative associated costs. It's better to spend those funds in areas that will be an ultimate benefit to the company rather than a detriment.

High-achieving people do well when not when they're micromanaged, but when they are recognized for their work and dedication. Professional certifications are one way of saying, "You've done well, and I think you're ready for the next step."

Are you ready to help your employees take the next step in their professional development? Contact School of PE today to learn how we can help your team maximize their careers!

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Why Education Reimbursement Supports Talent Development

One of the main reasons that many people don't go to college is because of the cost associated with attendance. Right now, in 2023, most people can't afford to attend college because of the steep cost of university education. The annual average tuition rate for in-state tuition at a public 4-year university in Alaska for example, cost almost 9,000 USD. This doesn't include housing, transportation, food, etc. The fact is that most people are barely getting by with the job they have, and adding a student loan to the mix doesn't make the equation seem any better. This is a bit of a tragic situation because we have an innate desire to learn and cultivate a deeper understanding of our areas of interest.

One of the biggest problems that businesses face is attracting and retaining talented individuals that can prove a beneficial addition to the company culture. Employers need talent, and talent needs continual support to grow and develop. Supporting talent development by creating an education reimbursement program meets the needs of the company and the employee in equal measure.

In this blog,

1. Who benefits from education reimbursement?

2. Leverage education reimbursement programs to attract and retain employees

3. Creating an effective education reimbursement program

4. The cost of an education reimbursement program

1. Who benefits from education reimbursement?

There are generally two different types of education that benefit the workplace, a university education and a professional certification. Not that one has to come before the other, but generally, those already working have a degree necessary for the job. These individuals often seek continuing education in the form of professional certification. The certifications serve to expand on a niche area of knowledge, which is why they come after a degree program.

If willing to provide reimbursement, an employer can choose to pay fees on a course-by-course basis to the employee (to then be paid to the school), or to the educational institution directly, Reimbursement typically depends heavily on the structure necessary within the organization.

Both the individual and the company will reap the talent benefits that come from education reimbursement.

Talent in the Individual- First and foremost, the individual will benefit. Financial burdens are one of the top stresses of the Millennial generation and younger. No longer can a person go to work full-time, go to school full-time, maintain healthy relationships, and pay for all living expenses, tuition, books, and materials. Therefore, the peace of mind that comes from having schooling paid for allows the student a greater ability to focus on the subject material and learn to the best of their ability. In addition, some employees who may show exemplary skills in their knowledge base, like tech programming, may benefit from these opportunities to focus on more underdeveloped oral and written communication skills required for job performance.

Talent in the Company-

Let's talk about the "others," such as the company offering education reimbursement programs. Why would a company offer such programs in the first place if not to benefit them in the end? Let's look at some quick statistics.

In a Bright Horizons survey of more than 30,000 workers currently learning on the job, most respondents (82%) said the skills or degree earned through the employer's reimbursement program helped them be more effective employees, and 84% feel it helped them prepare for future work. In addition, 64% said that the program made them happier at work. This is due to the school of thought that those who feel confident in their particular area of expertise are more satisfied with the work they've done. In the end, employers are recruiting high-quality candidates that desire supplemental education to become top-performing employees.

What about companies that don't require the degree or certification to be used on the job?

In some cases, employers offer education benefits as a simple fact of employment, just like health insurance or a 401K. In these cases, employees are expected to fulfill a certain amount of work requirements to qualify for these continued education benefits.

Take Costco, for example. Costco is very well known for its excellent employee benefits, and a little-known one happens to be its education scholarships. Employees who take advantage of these benefits don't often strive toward a Costco-specific department, instead favoring a more personal route. Costco's scholarships aren't intended to cover the employee's entire program, but these scholarships, combined with the work/school structure balance, allow the employee to spend semesters in school and breaks working in the warehouse.

How does this type of action benefit Costco? Costco itself is known for having high standards for employee behavior, and adding education benefits on top of it allows their employees to both work and attend school-effectively earning a living and an education in a far more sustainable and healthy way than is standard. Providing these opportunities to employees results in employees who are willing to put in the work while they're at work, so they can put in equal effort at school. Being able to separate the two allows the employees to be fully present in each area rather than worrying about everything all at the same time. The skills employees learn in focus, task organization, and community awareness only add more benefits.

2. Leverage education reimbursement programs to attract and retain employees

It's pretty simple-most employees look for jobs that offer supreme benefits that they won't find anywhere else. They're looking for a chance to not only earn a living but also to build a knowledge base. The extensive report, State of the American Workplace, states that 45% of Millennials report that they would change their job for tuition reimbursement benefits. In the previous Bright Horizons report, 88% of Gen-Z workers say they are more likely to recommend their employer because of its educational benefits.

People want to learn and expand their understanding of things they're passionate about. Oftentimes, they'll jump on the chance to learn something new. Tuition assistance programs help attract talented individuals who have a knack for improving themselves by absorbing information. They're more likely to stay with companies that invest in them in equal measure.

3. Creating an effective education reimbursement program

Many companies have education reimbursement programs, but some are more effective than others. Often, reimbursement depends on what your company needs in terms of an employee talent pool. To broach the topic of education reimbursement with your employer, you should advocate for the establishment of the program with the goal to achieve specific objectives. Here are a few things you'll want to do during this process:

• Assist in setting up the programs.

• Ask experts in your field for their opinions and procedures. If they already have a similar program in place, it may benefit you to take notes.

• Decide the type of benefits you want to provide in the education department, be it certifications, full tuition coverage, partial, or any of the variations in between.

• Decide what qualifications the employee must meet to be eligible for the program, like how Costco requires that the employee works during their breaks.

• Decide which universities or certificate study programs would be best to partner with. If no feasible local education resources are available, there are plenty of online resources at your disposal.

• Make your employees aware of your education reimbursement program. Even though employers spend about $177 billion yearly on formal education and training, most working adults are unaware of the associated benefits.

• Monitor the effectiveness of the program itself.

In addition, according to The Society for Human Resource Management, creating and managing an effective educational assistance program should follow the "SMART" paradigm to ensure that the goal of the program is being met:

• Specific, clear, and understandable

• Measurable, verifiable and results-oriented

• Attainable

• Relevant to the mission

• Time-bound with a schedule and milestones

4. The cost of an education reimbursement program

An education reimbursement program obviously has its benefits, but let's talk about the inherent cost of the creation and upkeep of the program itself. There is an initial cost to the program as well as the cost of tuition and all associated expenses. If employees are given paid time off to complete coursework and attend classwork, other employees may need to take extra hours with potential overtime to compensate. The potential increase in salary necessary to keep the newly educated employee is also something to consider when providing reimbursements. For a 4-year degree, employers can end up paying anywhere from $2,000 USD to $20,000 USD in additional salary costs.

The benefits generally outweigh the cost of such programs, as the employee is now fully equipped with the necessary skills to create a better working environment and as well as more business opportunities for the company.

Creating an educational reimbursement program doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to be a benefit to both employer and employee. The program is there to help the individual feel satisfied with their growth opportunities, and for the company to have a profitable balance of talented individuals to benefit the group as a whole. With the right system in place and the group working together to maintain an educational standard, creating the system itself will prove extremely beneficial to all parties in the long run.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.