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Laing O’Rourke covers all stages of the construction process, from design to building work and maintenance. Now the UK’s biggest privately-owned construction company, it was originally formed as R O’Rourke and Son in 1978 by now chairman and chief executive Ray O’Rourke and his brother Des O’Rourke; it has been known by its current name since it acquired Laing Construction for the princely sum of £1 in 2001.
The company is made up of several business units, each of which has a different area of specialism:
Design and engineering: Focusing on ‘design for manufacture and assembly’ (ie simplifying product designs to make them easier to make), this unit designs new buildings and works to improve the efficiency of the construction process.
Investment and development: This unit is focused on the financial aspects of construction, and provides analysis and risk management services. It has two main businesses: explore living and explore investments.
Manufacturing and construction: This unit is comprised of a number of different businesses, including:
Operations and maintenance: This unit helps maintain properties and improve their efficiency. Businesses include Expanded group, Laing O’Rourke Infrastructure and StrongForce.
Programme management: This division oversees and manages multiple related projects, such as the building of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Park.
Support services: This division helps manage all stages of construction projects, providing services like plant hire, site preparation, 3D modelling, and cost planning.
As well as its nine UK offices, the company has offices and hubs in Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Canada and Australia. It serves a number of different sectors, including:
As its range of services and industries is very diverse, its client list is too - Allied Glass, BAA, Land Lease Europe, the RAF, the Scottish government and SNC-Lavalin are just a few of its high-profile customers.
The company’s global reach is among its key strengths, and the recent addition of a Canadian office has helped further strengthen this competitive advantage. Rumours suggest it may also be planning a move into Latin America with a new office in Brazil, but as it is a private company (in every sense), it remains to be seen whether this is really on the cards.
It’s rumoured to be opening an office in Brazil.
As well as long-term contracts such as the maintenance of the two Severn Bridges, the company’s deal book also includes a number of new high profile deals such as the construction of the £290m ‘Cheesegrater’ tower in London. It is a major player in the Australian market, and has recently won a lot of work in Hong Kong, so there is much on the near-term agenda.
Looking ahead, the company is looking to boost its presence in the energy infrastructure market, and other opportunities will likely present themselves through changing efficiency standards, as the construction industry works to become more environmentally-friendly.
Starting salaries for graduates are between £25,000 and £30,000 depending on experience and skill level.
The company says it monitors the market to keep its pay competitive, and even trade unions apparently acknowledge that it provides above-average salaries for the industry, but the exact details are shrouded in mystery.
Much like salary details, the company does not give much information about benefit packages before meeting candidates at interview. However, some benefits reportedly include:
The company also runs the excellence plus awards, in which employees nominate colleagues who have demonstrated outstanding performance in one of four categories:
As well as receiving recognition for their achievements, winners - known as ‘united heroes’ - receive a prize equivalent to 100% of their annual salary (up to a maximum of £100,000) for project leadership or 20% of their annual salary (up to £20,000) for the other three categories.
The company does not define its culture in a specific way, but it does list a series of core values and principles around which it structures its business:
It has also previously stated its intention to challenge the image of the construction industry as it currently stands by improving safety, training, and its own behaviour.
Reportedly, the company is pretty hot on making sure everyone is clear about their role and their development – members of staff are asked to update their CV on a regular basis, and to meet with their line manager biannually to set goals and make sure they are meeting them. This forms part of the appraisal process, which is conducted via 360-degree feedback, which means that employees assess their line managers.
Managers are required to spend 30% of their time on development.
Managers are required to spend 30% of their time on development (of both themselves and others), and to meet the standards set out by the company’s so-called ‘excellence plus’ leadership framework. This defines three behaviour levels – individual, management and leadership – and details the behaviours that should be demonstrated by employees at each.
Since some roles are site-based and others office-based, working hours vary considerably across the company. Site-based employees say their day typically starts at 7.30 am, and can run as late as 6.00 pm – though this is very much dependent on their contract and the project they are working on. Office-based staff will likely have more traditional office hours, but again this varies. This variety is actually among the positives cited by employees, who say that every day is different, and that the changeable nature of the work is reflected in the level of flexibility granted to them. For example, overtime can be balanced out by leaving early at other times, and is reportedly at employees’ discretion rather than a requirement.
As for out-of-hours activities, individual sites and businesses will probably arrange their own social events (football matches and pub trips among them). However, the company itself holds some events for employees – previous ones have included comedy club visits and a Christmas communications event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The graduate network also plays an important role in the social scene; it is used for both discussing work and organising evenings out and other events.
Overtime is reportedly at employees’ discretion.
As far as general communications between employees are concerned, there is an established network, United, in place to help individual workers get a sense of their place in the wider business. This is also the basis for the ‘united heroes’ awards scheme, so it can have a big impact on certain people (see Salaries and benefits).
Much like the construction industry as a whole, Laing O’Rourke is largely male-dominated. Women represented only 18% of staff and 8% of leadership roles in 2010 - though these were up from 15% and 6% (respectively) the previous year. In 2006, company founder Ray O’Rourke famously courted controversy by saying that women didn’t ‘fit’ on building sites; however, he later clarified this comment by saying that it was the old-fashioned culture and environment that made construction unsuitable for women, and that this needed to change in order to attract more women into the industry.
According to a company survey, most employees had been with the company for over five years:
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Registered office: The Fountain Building, Howbery Park, Benson Lane, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BA UK