We Exist to Raise Others Up

How Jaynes Finds Purpose in Building the Southwest

Why do we work?

There are many reasons. The most obvious of course is income. We work so that we can provide for our families and secure our future. But work goes deeper than just a paycheck. It becomes a part of who we are, so much so that when you meet someone one of the first questions they’ll ask is, “What do you do?”

Part of living in a community is contributing to that community. On a big level, this might mean performing meaningful labor that helps improve the world around us. For construction workers, it means helping to raise structures that fulfill important roles for others: hospitals, schools, office buildings, airports, and other buildings that play a vital role in people’s lives.

On the day-to-day level, it also means being accountable to your coworkers and the relationships you’ve built on the job. For a lot of us, our workplace is the community we spend the most time with and the one we feel most accountable to. We come to work and do the best job we can because we know that others are counting on us to do things right, and having people count on you can give a powerful sense of purpose.

Being part of something bigger keeps employees motivated and engaged.[1] And when that organization itself serves a higher purpose, these feelings are multiplied, and the impact of the work can last for generations.

Part of Something Greater

As a company, we cannot simply exist to turn a profit. If that was the only thing we cared about, Jaynes wouldn’t have been here for 75 years. What keeps us growing from one generation to the next is the higher purpose of helping to raise our community through our relationship with our workers, subcontractors, designers, Owners, and others in our industry.

We choose meaningful projects and apply our processes and work ethic to reach ever greater heights. We also keep the impact of our actions in mind, from the way we foster safety on the job site to how our work will help make life better for those who use what we build.

For example: our ongoing Albuquerque Sunport renovation is focused on improving the safety and comfort for airport employees and visitors. It also helps raise the opinion of visitors to our city by providing a better experience, so Albuquerque can put its best foot forward to greet newcomers. The work we do will resonate for years to come, and that’s why it’s so important that we do it right.

What’s in a Symbol?

We joke that we’ll hang our values on the wall when we’re done using them. We believe that the actions we take are more important than the words we say. But there is still value in saying aloud what we believe in and uniting behind a symbol of our shared purpose.

The crane hook has been a part of our logo since 1985. At the time, we weren’t sure what our logo should be or how to properly convey who we were, but all of the pieces that made up The Jaynes Way were already being laid as a foundation. It took a set of fresh eyes and a marketing firm to put a symbol to what we did, but once we saw it, it was obvious.

We raise people up.

Whether it’s on the job site or the way we act in the community, we lift up who we can.

That’s the purpose that gets each of us out of bed every morning, and it’s a meaning we can rally behind and find value in. It’s how we do right by one another every day, and it’s how we make sure Jaynes stands tall and strong for generations to come.

SOURCE:

[1] Shekeryk, N. (2022, November 9). 5 ways managers can help employees find a sense of purpose in the workplace. Limeade.