NEW GRADS SETTLE INTO NEW HOME AT BREVITY

They’re quite an international bunch, with MJ Muirhead arriving to Aotearoa from the States, Harley Cronin from Samoa, having studied at University in Auckland, Chris Elikana also having studied in Auckland but growing up in the Cook Islands and Devante Puiri-Tuia , a born and bred Aucklander with roots in Samoa. In addition to their global diversity, their studies are also varied, including mechanical, chemical and mechatronic engineering – as well as some sociology thrown in there too.

Although the positions they have taken up at Brevity are graduate positions, between them they have a wide range of hands-on engineering experience coming into the organisation. This has helped them adjust quickly to their new roles and provided an interesting comparison for their new workplace and the construction industry too.

Chrismagne, known as Chris to his friends, remembers the moment he stepped out of the chemistry labs (having studied Mechanical engineering) and into a traditional engineering firm, building fireplaces. “I suddenly realised there’s actually a BIG difference between designing something and building it” he says. An experience our more senior engineers are very aware of when they create their designs. Devante agrees. He has found the site visits really valuable, with experienced engineers like Sury Salunkhe sharing their knowledge and helping bridge the gap between the theory and the practice.

Harley, who has work experience in a large engineering consultancy, has found the transparency within Brevity both surprising and helpful. He explains that “knowing the financials of the organisation helps us understand our work in the overall context of the business. It’s motivating to think about how you could do something differently and make improvements. Without the big picture, you wouldn’t know how to add value.”

The transparency and openness in the organisation is apparent, not just through various dashboards and reporting systems, but also throughout the culture of Brevity. Chris was surprised by how approachable everyone was. “Right from day one I was having conversations with Matt and Ceinwen, the Managing Director and CEO, both about work and life in general. They are both so easy to talk to and are part of the daily life of the office. In my previous experience, I almost never spoke with the CEO, so this is a really cool change.”

As new engineers in the Interior Seismic space, there is plenty to learn. MJ really appreciated the practice jobs that have been set up for them to build their experience and confidence. All four have enjoyed using Prenguin and note how useful it must be for clients too. Devante has loved the way he’s been given tasks and jobs from day one that have provided a challenge. “I look at my watch in the morning and next time I check it, it’s already past 4pm. The day just flies because the work is both busy and interesting.” Harley adds that he enjoys the fact the work is measured in outputs not hours. “I really like the way work is measured on what you do, not how many hours it took. It keeps you focussed on what you’re achieving and not on keeping track of how much time you spent on each task.”

There were a couple of other surprises for the new starters too. Chris said he was really excited to see the company encouraging volunteer work amongst the team. It’s something he feels passionate about, and has been involved in charitable work with the homeless in the past. He feels it adds to the culture of the company as everyone is thinking about others as well as themselves.

All four also enjoyed the wardrobe allowance that arrived in their first pay packet. It was greatly appreciated and enabled them to top up their wardrobes with a few more formal clothing options.

Brevity is delighted to add these four talented young engineers to the team. The ratio of Gen Z to Millennial workers has jumped up significantly, with a new generation of fresh thinking keeping us all on our toes, with new ideas, new approaches and a wonderful addition of fantastic personalities. Welcome MJ, Devante, Harley and Chris.