{"id":29142,"date":"2025-02-20T12:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T20:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/warfels-new-director-of-people-engagement-here-if-you-need-me\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T12:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T20:46:10","slug":"warfels-new-director-of-people-engagement-here-if-you-need-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/warfels-new-director-of-people-engagement-here-if-you-need-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Warfel\u2019s new director of people engagement: \u2018Here if you need me\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/images\/audio_icon.svg?482016190122\" alt=\"-\"><\/p>\n<p>        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">6 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dmgi9movl\/video\/upload\/q_1\/v1740084205\/news\/text_to_speech\/warfel-director-engagement-mentorship-construction_es88fa.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Garret Barbush says he\u2019s always loved working with people.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In his previous role as the CEO of Manheim, Pennsylvania-based Men of Iron, a nonprofit, faith-based organization focused on leadership and mentoring, Barbush worked on strategic planning, fundraising and program development to connect men across the country with mentors and mentees.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Following his time with the nonprofit, Barbush worked as a loan officer at BCF Group \u2014\u00a0an independent insurance brokerage \u2014\u00a0where one of his clients was Warfel Construction, an East Petersburg, Pennsylvania-based general contractor.\u00a0<span><span><span><span><span><span>Barbush said he liked the work culture at Warfel, and, as the firm\u2019s headcount began to grow, an opportunity arose.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Warfel, which has nearly 300 employees, brought Barbush on as director of people engagement and support early this year, seeking to continue the work that Barbush said made the contractor special in the first place.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Here, Barbush details his plans for the new position, the importance of engagement and the specific services that can benefit construction workers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"editor-note\">\n<p><em>The following has been edited for brevity and clarity<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4><span><span><span><strong><span><span>CONSTRUCTION DIVE: Director of people engagement and support is a pretty unique job title. What does it entail?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span><span><span><strong><span><span>Garret Barbush<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span>: You know, it&#8217;s hard a month in to explain to people that are like, \u201cWell, what is it that you do?\u201d There are some long-term key initiatives, one of them being the development of a mentorship program here at Warfel, which they\u2019ve been working on. We all feel like there&#8217;s a lot of room for improvement on how to do that.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"image-right inside_story\">\n<div class=\"figure_content\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Headshot of Garret Barbush\" data-imagemodel=\"174745\" src=\"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/1w0AemzWC8raod_K7znowk05uUJE8Qoeh5ynyMxWzZQ\/g:ce\/rs:fit:1600:0\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9oZWFkc2hvdF9HYXJyZXQxLmpwZw==.webp\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"inside_story_caption\">\n<p>Garret Barbush<\/p>\n<p>Permission granted by Warfel Construction<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>And that&#8217;s kind of my background through Men of Iron. I was building a mentorship initiative and implementing that. They do a great job at that here from a career standpoint, but I think that&#8217;s one of the long-term initiatives that\u2019s hard to roll out of the gate until you really get in here and get to know the people, and they start to trust you a little bit more.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>From a high level, I would say the focus is just to make sure that I&#8217;m fostering a supportive, engaged work environment. Cultivating a positive company culture. And you do that through relationships, right? And relationships take time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span><span><span><strong><span><span>How do you build those relationships?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Right now, honestly, a lot of my time is spent meeting one on one with as many employees as I can. I try to do that offsite, get them out of the office, just grab coffee and sit down and say, \u201cHey, tell me about your role here at Warfel. Tell me about your background. Tell me about your family. Tell me about your marriage. What are some things you&#8217;re struggling with?\u201d Just trying to get a feel for who people are and what&#8217;s going really well in their life, and maybe where they&#8217;re struggling, because there\u2019s stuff going on in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>What inspires me is that we care about the employee, more than just what they\u2019re delivering. We also know they\u2019re going to be better for Warfel when their marriages are healthy, when they\u2019re being intentional mothers and fathers, when their finances are in order, they\u2019re taking care of their bodies, their health.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Those things all matter to the company, and it matters to the leadership here. And so they&#8217;re just like, \u201cHey, we want you to go get your finger on the pulse of our people.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span><span><span><strong><span><span>How do you keep the relationship professional when asking employees about their personal lives?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Yeah, I mean, obviously like we&#8217;re not forcing it on anybody, right? It\u2019s more, \u201cHey, I&#8217;m here if you need me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>I think that&#8217;s the problem with the marketplace. For so long employers have tried to toe that line of our business, our professional lives, and our personal lives, and we don&#8217;t want to mix the two of them. And the reality is, is that, yeah, you can build a company that way, but are you really getting the most out of your people?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>When people are coming to a place day in and day out, and they&#8217;re spending more time at work than they do at home, which many of us do during the week, it\u2019s important to think about that.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>I think you just build a better culture. You build better people, you build better trust. And so, you know, I don&#8217;t get too hung up on it too much. It&#8217;s not like I&#8217;m going to force somebody to tell me anything. Some people are going to open up and share, and some people aren&#8217;t, and that&#8217;s OK. There&#8217;s not a right or a wrong. I think it&#8217;s just an option that people can take advantage of here if they want.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<section class=\"storylines-carousel-wrapper hide-small show-large\" id=\"desktop-carousel\"\/>\n<h4><span><span><span><strong><span><span>How important is engagement? How can you see the impact in the workplace?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The suicide rate in construction is high. The mental health crisis is a real thing. We\u2019re focused on total human health. Trying to help our people understand that there\u2019s more to their life than this company, than just bricks and sticks.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>I think you just have to look at the statistics as far as what\u2019s going on in the lives of the workforce, what are the challenges they\u2019re facing. And then, it\u2019s just about providing an avenue for them to say, \u201cI want to be better in these areas. Can you help me do that?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>And we\u2019re doing that in practical ways, by partnering with professional service partners. The company that manages our 401k, for example, they\u2019re coming quarterly and they\u2019re providing workshops for our employees, like a workshop on how to save appropriately for college.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Just last year, Warfel brought in a physical therapist quarterly for our guys in the field. If they want to come in, she\u2019s going to take a look, give them an assessment and give them some exercises or stretching so that they can be the best at the workplace.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"editor-note\">\n<p>Correction:\u00a0The story has been updated to properly reflect Barbush&#8217;s work history.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/warfel-director-engagement-mentorship-construction\/740458\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Listen to the article 6 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Garret &#8230; <a title=\"Warfel\u2019s new director of people engagement: \u2018Here if you need me\u2019\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/warfels-new-director-of-people-engagement-here-if-you-need-me\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Warfel\u2019s new director of people engagement: \u2018Here if you need me\u2019\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-dive","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29142\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}