Bird Construction has built a deep culture of caring

Over her 13 years at Bird Construction, Claire Smith has seen many positive examples of how well managers support employees, but the Edmonton-based project director says one incident in 2018 really epitomizes the company’s “deep culture of caring.”

Smith was on site at a difficult project in Manitoba when she got a text saying a company leader would be making an unexpected visit in a couple hours. Smith was bracing for the worst, but instead when the leader arrived, her main focus was checking on the well-being of the team, which had been working very hard and into the weekend.

Smith was impressed when the leader inquired about her and the team before delving into project issues. “I’m tearing up thinking about it,” she says. "That’s the type of leaders we have in our company, and it’s the type of leader I hope I can be to the people that join my team.”

Bird, which has operations across Canada providing a comprehensive range of construction services, focuses on providing employees with opportunities to try new things and grow their careers. To facilitate that, managers conduct regular “career progress check-ins” so they can listen carefully to employees and look for ways to address their needs.

“There’s definitely an open conversation process that happens multiple times per year with my supervisor on my short and long-term goals,” says Smith, a University of Alberta engineering graduate who has been promoted several times at Bird. “I had a fantastic experience early on doing different types of projects.”

More recently, Smith has set her sights on improving her leadership skills. To push that forward, she has been enrolled in what the company calls the Bird Leadership Academy, which allows employees to take a tailored leadership program through the Ivey Business School at Western University.

Bird also has a strong mentorship program. In Smith’s case, she was matched with the vice president of investor relations, allowing her to gain a better understanding of the corporate side of Bird’s operations. The experience has also given her a sense of what it’s like “being a female in a leadership position within our organization.”

Brian Henry, chief people officer, says the mentorship program is an important part of the company’s One Bird philosophy. Other key goals are nurturing a caring culture and promoting collaboration. Leaders, he says, are always thinking about how they can support employees and drive programs around diversity, equity and inclusion. “We want to send a message to employees that Bird cares about your growth and development.”

Supervisors foster the One Bird strategy by listening to employees’ ideas and needs, Henry says. In addition to providing regular opportunities for employees to meet with their managers, Bird gathers data about employees’ thinking through multiple channels, including engagement surveys. “Collecting all that information allows Bird to better understand our employee base and respond in ways that are meaningful to them,” he says.

Bird also advances employee engagement by prioritizing and funding community outreach programs that champion women in trades, promote LGBTQ+ rights, support marginalized groups, improve Indigenous relations and increase understanding of mental health issues.

Smith gives Bird top marks for supporting employees who are passionate about pursuing a good cause, particularly programs that benefit smaller communities. But she says what ultimately makes Bird a top employer is the quality of the workforce it has assembled.

“You can replicate a lot of the different parts of the construction business, but not the people,” she says. “It’s the relationships that we build along the way that make me want to work for this company and stay here.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Alberta’s Top Employers winners, published January 28, 2025 in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.