The reputation of construction companies has improved – Lujatalo is the most reputable player and Destia has seen the biggest rise

Lujatalo is the most reputable company in the construction industry in Finland, while Destia has seen the biggest rise in reputation, according to Reputation&Trust of the construction industry conducted by T-Media. The survey results, released on Tuesday, show a positive trend in the overall reputation of the entire industry.

The overall reputation of construction companies among the general public is higher than ever before in the history of the survey. This year, the average reputation score for the construction companies surveyed is 3.23 on a scale of one to five.

The general public considers the financial viability of organizations in the construction sector to be the most successful area, with a reputation score of 3.40. Conversely, interaction, as well as business openness and transparency, have the most room for improvement. The reputation score for interaction in the sector is 3.10 and for governance 3.15.

“Our extensive reputation survey conducted over the summer shows that the correlation between an organization’s reputation and the support it receives from its stakeholders has grown stronger during the pandemic than ever before. In the construction industry, the impact of a good reputation on business is even more pronounced than the average for Finnish companies,” says Harri Leinikka, CEO of T-Media.

The importance of sustainability is emphasized

A meta-analysis of the research data reveals that the importance of sustainability has grown in the construction industry. Although the most significant aspect of reputation remains products and services, sustainability has risen in this year’s study to become the second most important driver of consumer support for companies in the sector. Just three years ago, sustainability was seen as the least significant aspect of construction companies’ operations.

“Public demand for the development of sustainability efforts and communication about them is constantly growing. The construction industry has been able to respond to this call: the sector’s sustainability efforts have been recognized, and perceptions of sustainability have improved, although there is still room for improvement,” Leinikka notes.

Long-time leader Lujatalo once again named the best in the construction industry; Destia named the year’s biggest improver

Of the construction companies surveyed, Lujatalo received the highest reputation score, 3.41, and has held the top spot in the industry since 2018.

“The key factors in our reputation management are a long-term approach, employee engagement, and product development. For us, reputation management began with building our corporate culture, and we believe that a positive employee experience ultimately reflects positively on our customers as well,” comments Jussi Hirvelä, Lujatalo’s Director of Brand and Communications, on the company’s success.

Of the construction companies surveyed, Destia has made the most progress in enhancing its reputation over the past year. This improvement in Destia’s reputation is particularly evident in the areas of corporate responsibility and transparency in governance. In these areas, the positive changes at Destia were historically greater than at any other company in the industry.

Construction Companies Surveyed in 2020: Top 10 Most Reputable:

Lujatalo
Hartela
Are
YIT
Caverion
Pohjola Construction
NCC
Skanska
Consti
Destia

The data for Reputation&Trust Construction Industry Reputation&Trust was collected via an online questionnaire between May 22 and June 8, 2020. Organizations were evaluated using T-Media’s Reputation&Trust, in which an organization’s reputation score (on a scale of 1–5) is calculated as the average of eight different categories: corporate governance, finances, leadership, innovation, interaction, products & services, workplace, and responsibility.

A total of 2,944 Finns participated in the study. The results have been compared with studies conducted during the same period in previous years.

The study’s target group consisted of Finns aged 15–65 nationwide (excluding the Åland Islands). The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence.