Archinect - News

New York City's pay transparency law is about to take effect after six months of delay

2022-10-31T12:11:00-04:00

Starting Tuesday, most employers in New York City will be required by law to post salary minimums and maximums in any open job posting. Almost all job postings online or on signs on storefronts across New York City will be required to list a salary minimum and maximum starting Tuesday. Postings can’t leave the salary open ended, like posting “$15 an hour and up.” Any job that can be performed at least partly in New York City is covered, whether the worker is in an office or working remotely.

The city had previously voted to delay the law from taking effect in May amidst resistance from the business community, which in the end only gained an amendment laden with small concessions. Now first-time offenders will no longer be penalized, though fines for any proceeding non-compliance can be enforced up to $250,000 if the posting is not corrected within 30 days. Industries like construction that are facing labor shortages will not be exempted in spite of the lobbying campaign.

A separate statewide transparency bill is still awaiting Kathy Hochul’s signature after it passed the State Assembly and Senate back in June. Both are considered ‘game changer[s]” for workers and have been lauded for the effort to address gender pay gap across various industries. They join a growing list of states that includes Washington, Maryland, and California who have all passed similar legislation aimed at the issue, which also disproportionately affects women of color and is seen as one of the g...

These are the ‘Best Firms to Work For’ in 2022, according to new AEC industry survey

2022-08-08T12:50:00-04:00

The Zweig Group consultancy has returned with its annual list of 'Best Firms to Work For' in the AEC industry.

Recognized companies were selected based on their “workplace practices, employee benefits, [and] employee retention rates,” among other factors. Zweig says their employees' survey accounted for 80% of the rankings.

Three firms were added to last year's list of 11. The winning firms in the Architecture category are as follows:

The winners will be honored during the 2022 Elevate AEC Conference & Awards Gala in Las Vegas from September 14–16. This year’s full list of winners in each category can be found here.

Zweig Group announces list of best firms to work for in 2021

2021-08-20T17:39:00-04:00

AEC management consulting firm Zweig Group recently announced the winners of its 2021 Best Firms To Work For Awards. The program is one of six hosted by the company that together focus on architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firm achievement.

The Best Firms To Work For Awards recognizes excellent workplaces at AEC firms, evaluating them on culture, workplace practices, employee benefits, employee retention rates, professional development, and other qualities, from both management and staff perspectives. Awards were given in multiple categories based on firm size and discipline.

"This is more than a contest, it is a powerful look at what the employee experience looks like in today’s AEC firm," said Zweig Group CEO Chad Clinehens. "Firms can use this ranking and the data it yields as a powerful tool in the recruitment and retention of staff, which is the number one challenge for many AEC firms." He added: "The 2021 winners have a lot to be proud of, and ...

When an employee quits, what do you do?

2019-08-06T15:48:00-04:00

Having an employee quit "can feel like a gut punch, leaving managers scrambling both emotionally and operationally," writes Anthony C. Klotz, associate professor at the Texas A&M Mays Business School and Mark C. Bolino, professor at the University of Oklahoma's Price College of Business. The pair expand on the learning opportunity that surfaces after a team member resigns. They encourage leaders to be "willing to reflect on and identify the root cause of such losses."

Many organizations conduct exit interviews to discover the underlying cause for employee resignation, but these often prove ineffective. When a team member quits impulsively, the opportunity for an interview is lost. In the case that an interview does occur, employees can become cautious in being too honest, or they may believe that the meeting is a waste of time, thinking the company won't be willing to change.

Klotz and Bolino provide three recommendations for companies that want to respond to resignations in more co...

Do New Graduates Want More Money or More Time?

2019-07-26T15:48:00-04:00

Every summer, a new cohort of graduates enter the workforce. Eager to learn and grow, many will get their first taste of professional life. It is an exciting new chapter for many of them. But what are these emerging practitioners looking for in their new careers? As firms struggle with retention and talent acquisition, an understanding of what new graduates look for in an office can be a valuable investigation. What is it that they value most? Money over time? Or vice versa? And does one have to be had at the expense of the other?

Professor Ashley Whillans has a take. Her research shows a mix of values amongst students, some valued money more so than time and others time more so than money. This comes from many factors, such as the upbringing of the individual. "People who grew up in households that fought about money also are more likely to focus on money (versus time) as adults, even if they have a lot of money in the present," Whillans writes.

The professor discovered that over ...

How to Calculate Employee Efficiency

2017-09-19T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by BQE Core.

Have you ever wondered if you’re paying your employees less than they deserve? More importantly, how do you even assess your staff’s productivity and value?

Knowing the utilization or efficiency of your employees can help gauge their productivity and value. Remember, on average, your employees should be more than 70% efficient.

Getting started:

There are some specific terms you need to know and calculate before you go ahead with your new mission. Also, note that this efficiency or utilization rate looks at the billable or chargeable hours of your employees.

Pay Rate = Annual Salary / Total Standard Working Hours
Overhead Multiplier = Total Year Expenses / Total Payroll
Cost Rate Multiplier = Overhead Multiplier + 1

These formulas will help you calculate the important rates:

Bill Rate = Pay Rate x Cost Rate Multiplier x Profit %
Effective Bill Rate = Bill Rate x Utilization Rate
Max Pay Rate = Effective Bill Rate / Cost Rate Multiplier
Ideal Pay ...

Architecture employees don't think supervisors think it's important they get licensed

2017-03-21T13:25:00-04:00

Combining all the tension of a passive-aggressive relationship with the clarity of survey-derived data, a new study released by the AIA and NCARB reveals that while both employees and supervisors think attaining licensure is important, employees don't think supervisors think it's important.

Dubbed the "perception gap," this disparity is quite sharp: as the NCARB blog notes,

While the results revealed that almost all supervisors surveyed (98 percent) believe it is important for emerging professionals to obtain licensure, just 66 percent of emerging professionals reported believing that their supervisor thinks it is important for them to become licensed. In fact, just 27 percent of emerging professionals indicate they believe it is “very important” to their supervisors for them to obtain licensure, while 88 percent of supervisors indicated that it was “very important” to them for the emerging professionals they supervise to get licensed.

Archinect's Employer of the Day - Weekly Round-Up #86

2015-09-17T19:10:00-04:00

Heads up to all you job seekers and active employers. It's been some time since Archinect's last Employer of the Day round-up. If you've been following the daily feature on Archinect's Facebook page, Employer of the Day is where we highlight active employers and showcase a gallery of their work.

In case you missed them, check out the latest EOTD features:

1. Robert Young Architects (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Multiple listings

2. Bade Stageberg Cox (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Multiple listings

3. Alexander Gorlin Architects (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Junior Architect

4. CO-Office (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Junior Designer

5. Situ Fabrication (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Fabricators/Modelers

6. Reztark Design Studio (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Multiple listings

7. Kleinmann Architects (Facebook feature)
Currently hiring: Intermediate Architect

Keep track of Employer of the Day by liking Archinect's Facebook page or follow the new Employer of th...