At Peter Basso Associates (PBA), we value technical excellence not only in our engineers, but amongst all our employees, along with collaboration, continuous improvement, and celebration. It's what makes us a great place to work and a great firm to hire!
Collaboration. Our collaborative approach is seen in everything from our office layout to team structures to transfer of project deliverables to clients. In 2018, we completed an office renovation that included removing several walls and adding multiple collaboration areas. Cubicle spaces with high walls were replaced with double cubicles with low walls where senior and junior engineers are paired for improved mentoring. Mechanical and electrical disciplines are interspersed to improve sharing of project knowledge. Moving to a fully remote work arrangement due to the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic did not impact our collaborative nature one iota. In the office one day and online the next, we never missed a beat.
Continuous Improvement. Starting with a new hire’s first day, PBA provides various tracks of on-board training to quickly acclimate the new hire to the various computer hardware, software, tools and references used for everyday design production. From there, PBA encourages continued training by participating in departmental in-house training sessions and webinars with opportunities to participate in remote settings. Leadership mentors staff all along their careers for continuous self-improvements potentially leading to advanced positions within the company. PBA also encourages employees to participate in their respective professional societies that offer additional training and peer networking opportunities. Never content with the status quo, we’re always “kicking it up a notch,” seeking to improve not only ourselves as individuals, but our design solutions and staff and client experiences as well.
Celebration. We work hard to achieve success on behalf of our clients and for ourselves, so from time-to-time, we set work aside to come together and celebrate with co-workers, clients, and our families. While current circumstances prevent our past style of group celebrations, events that we look forward to taking up again in the future include:
Client appreciation open houses
Quarterly off-site socials
Summer family picnics
Holiday party
Chili cookoffs
Lunchtime card game tournaments
Cornhole tournaments
Pi Day Celebration
Monthly birthday and anniversary recognition
Potluck breakfasts and lunches
In the meantime, some new on-line traditions using MS Teams have taken place that include Friday afternoon social hours, Trivia Thursdays, and an opportunity every morning to chime in with the question to a Jeopardy answer. Now we just need to figure out how to incorporate food into the on-line fun!
