Intern Research Initiative: Improving Employee Engagement at JRM Construction Management

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts, statistics, and recommendations from the JRM Summer 2026 Intern Research Initiative on employee engagement.

Transactional Treatment of Labor

A historical industry approach where labor is treated as a cost rather than an asset, focusing primarily on output and cost with little connection between workers and managers.

Objective of the JRM Research Initiative

To identify actionable strategies that improve engagement, reduce the office-field divide, and position JRM as an employer of choice in the construction industry.

Office Culture at JRM

A state where employees have greater access to leadership, company culture, and engagement opportunities compared to their field counterparts.

Field Culture at JRM

A state where employees build strong relationships on job sites but have limited access to company events and a reduced connection to JRM's corporate culture and leadership.

Global Employee Engagement (2025)

The percentage of employees worldwide who are engaged at work, which fell to $20\%$, the lowest level since 2020.

Cost of Disengagement (2024)

An estimated loss of $10 trillion to the global economy, representing approximately $9\%$ of global GDP.

Manager Engagement Decline

A trend where manager engagement has dropped by $9$ percentage points since 2022, weakening team culture and overall engagement.

Actively Disengaged

A category representing $16\%$ of employees globally in 2025 who are actively disconnected from their work.

Impact of Engagement on Absenteeism

Highly engaged teams experience a $-81\%$ reduction in unplanned absences, which is critical for project continuity.

Impact of Engagement on Profitability

Highly engaged teams show a $+23\%$ increase in profitability compared to bottom-quartile teams.

Impact of Engagement on Safety

Highly engaged teams experience $-64\%$ fewer safety incidents, an outcome described as essential for field operations.

Global Employee Well-Being (2025)

A metric that improved slightly to $34\%$ but remains relatively low as stress, anger, and sadness stay above pre-pandemic levels.

Passive Listening

A traditional organizational approach that is currently shifting toward two-way communication and action-oriented feedback.

Structured Mentorship

A recommended opportunity to pair junior employees and interns with senior leaders across office and field teams to build trust and knowledge sharing.

Pilot a Structured Mentorship Program

A specific 'Call to Action' recommendation involving pairing interns and junior employees with experienced project managers or superintendents to measure results before expansion.

Field-Inclusive Events Calendar

A recommended next step to review company events and ensure at least one inclusive engagement event is held every quarter.

Emily Patterson

The Marketing Manager at JRM Construction Management who provided insights on office culture and employee engagement for the research.

Sunny Khan

The Director of Marketing at JRM Construction Management who provided perspective on HR frameworks and organizational culture.

Stephen Green

The Project Manager at JRM Construction Management who provided firsthand insight into field team dynamics and communication gaps.

Matthew Prestipino and Matthew Collins

Personnel who shared operational context on how project structures affect employee visibility to leadership at JRM.