After delivering my first pitch to the batter, I am beginning to settle in on the mound, feeling better about my next pitch. At the office, I am getting a good feel for the atmosphere and culture within New England Construction. I came into this internship with a lot of questions, like “How big is the company? “How well does everyone know each other?” and “How well do people interact?” to name a few. I was afraid of walking into a situation where I was the “new kid,” sticking out like a sore thumb, feeling intimidated by everyone. My actual experience at the company these first couple of weeks has been the complete opposite. On the first day of my internship, I was escorted to my desk to find a “Welcome Aboard Brendan!” sign and a schedule of onboarding tasks waiting for me.
Seeing these greetings waiting on my desk took a load off of my shoulders. I knew I had found a company where I wasn’t “just a number” as they say. I was someone who was noticed and could make an impact. Even though I was the new intern, I knew that I would be treated with the same respect as other, more experienced members of the company. This is one of my favorite parts about working for New England Construction.
The batter steps into the box, and I look in for the signal from the catcher. Communication is key on the baseball diamond, just as it is in the office at NEC. For tasks to run smoothly in the project management business, everyone must be on the same page, and aware of what is going on. Being a small, family-owned company, NEC makes it easy to communicate with others in the business. Everyone is close and gets along well, and knows much more about each person than just their name. It truly feels like all of us at the office and in the field are like extended family. The company culture at NEC isn’t like those of huge corporations, where you can walk by someone else from your company and barely know their name. Everyone here cares about and supports one another, and will gladly have a conversation with you when you happen to pass by each other. A great example of this support was during my first week on the job. A coworker, Evan, was leaving the company to pursue a career elsewhere, and we had a “farewell to Evan” gathering at the end of his last day. I could tell everyone was saddened by the news of his departure, but fully supported his decision to move on in his career. It was great to see that when an employee leaves NEC, they aren’t just shown the door, never to be heard from again. Instead, everyone comes together to wish him/her luck, and recount all of the great memories he/she had at the company. Everyone still remains in touch with Evan, who continues to play on the company softball team. The relationships made at NEC are ones that can extend beyond the office.
The family–like feel to the company has made me feel much more relaxed with my internship. Being an intern, I have a lot of questions about the new programs I am learning, the work going on at the job site, and plenty of other topics. Being who I am, however, I get very nervous when I don’t know something, and am sometimes afraid to ask questions. Asking questions is extremely important in an internship, so I saw this as a major challenge for me. However, everyone here has been very approachable and helpful whenever I do ask questions. Everyone is glad to help, and I don’t feel intimidated or uneasy asking anything. They’ve helped me understand that I’m here to both work and learn, and I can always ask questions. The friendly and family-like vibe makes the office a very inviting place to be. The people at the office are the people you see everyday, and it is clear everyone becomes an important piece of each other’s daily lives. When I walk in the office in the morning, I know there’ll always be someone (Mike) in the break room making coffee, someone walking in the door with me, and others greeting me from their cubicles. And I feel connected to all of these people. Now that the catcher and I are on the same page, it is time for me to deliver the pitch. Strike 1.
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