Fostering fun: How Emil Anderson Group brings its teams together

Employers say a lot about how they care about their employees. 

But what matters is what they do. 

When Crystal Alseth started as an accounting clerk at Emil Anderson Group (EAG) 17 years ago she had little work experience. Every step of the way she received mentorship, support and opportunity. She eventually transitioned into an HR role and now she serves as HR Business Partner at the company. 

“They continued to see potential in me,” said Alseth. “They saw something in me and decided that even though I was young, I was smart and thought I could do things. They believed in me and I don’t think I would have been given that same grace elsewhere.” 

EAG’s support has extended far beyond the workplace. After Alseth purchased her first home in her early 20s, the foundation collapsed, throwing her life plans into a spiral. EAG’s team sprung into action, jacking up the foundation and rebuilding it. 

“I just remember being there every day, watching them, just so emotional because I didn’t have the means to do that at 25 years old.”

Alseth noted that there are countless stories just like her’s and it’s why she has been with the company so long. 

Having fun, becoming one

In her role, Alseth focuses on creating and maintaining the culture of EAG. It’s a tough task when the hundreds of employees are spread throughout the province among six distinct operating companies. Their focuses cast a broad net across infrastructure construction and maintenance, land development, residential and commercial building, and property management

A key piece of their strategy is simple: having fun. 

“Our culture is focused on fun and I know that probably sounds a little bit corny, but we try to do things that bring everybody together as often as possible,” she explained.  

If anything, it’s an understatement. Employees at EAG don’t just work hard. They play hard. Alseth organizes golf tournaments in the Okanagan, Fraser Valley, the Skeena and Robson areas. They do camping trips, kid-friendly get togethers, potluck barbeques, wine tastings, magic shows, downhill biking, pancake breakfasts, yoga classes, cold plunges and the list goes on. And those are just the ones she could recall. 

“There’s probably more,” she said. “Last year we had a theme of ‘one’. That meant bringing people together from different divisions, different backgrounds and just trying to have them be face-to-face doing just fun things together. We’re family owned as well and we have been since the beginning. So it’s also really important that each employee has a name and not a number.”

Creating culture

Creating this culture starts at the top. It isn’t just employees that get together. The senior leadership team is present as well. EAG President Rob Hasell, the great grand-son of company founder Emil Anderson, makes an effort to attend these events and get to know as many workers as possible. 

“We want to make sure that we keep that family feel, which can be hard when you start growing substantially,” said Alseth. “We focus a lot of our attention on those at the top and making sure they understand how important the culture is. If they understand it and buy into it, it will naturally trickle down.” 

EAG begins this process early, by running an annual, two-day Leadership Summit to guide 80 to 

150 employees who have potential for senior positions.

It actually begins even earlier. While the construction sector may be experiencing a historic shortage of labour, EAG makes sure to maintain its culture in its hiring process. This includes extensive face-to-face meetings, phone calls and even a DISC personality analysis.

“It’s always about hiring for fit. We know that we can train someone to do a job and I know that that’s probably cliche, but it is actually one of the things that we focus on. A resume is great, but we are hiring for fit. That’s really important for keeping the culture.”

Promoting diversity

The construction sector has long been predominantly male. The latest data from the BC Construction Association shows that B.C. has 9,536 women working in construction trades, about 5.7% of the workforce. EAG has been working to diversify its workforce as well as support the women it already employs. 

“We want to empower the females that we currently have,” said Alseth.”If we empower them, they will tell people about how great the culture is and that this is the place to be. And that will organically grow things over time.” 

She noted that EAG isn’t just promoting diversity to check boxes. The unique skills and perspectives women and other underrepresented groups bring to the table enhance the 

company.

“When you have a 90% workforce of males, we want to hear what that 10% is thinking and doing,” said Alseth.

It’s not just talk. EAG has a committee that focuses on reaching out to female employees and addressing their concerns. After hearing that safety vests weren’t fitting properly and didn’t have the pockets female employees wanted, EAG sourced proper-fitting vests from a Fraser Valley company. 

“We definitely have recognized that we are underrepresented in our craft base. So we have been talking a lot about what we can do in the field to make it a more attractive environment for the females we have and the females that we want to retain,” said Alseth. 

Because of the support from leadership, the vast career opportunities it provides and efforts to make the workplace a great place for everyone, Alseth plans to stay with EAG for years to come. 

“If you get your foot in the door here, that’s just a piece of it,” said Alseth. “You can grow into anything.”

If you are interested in one of EAG’s diverse companies, be sure to check out what careers are currently available here.