NCHRP Project 20-81: Guide to Implementing Strategies to Attract/Retain a Capable Trans Workforce. Preliminary Findings

Transcription

1 NCHRP Project 20-81: Guide to Implementing Strategies to Attract/Retain a Capable Trans Workforce Preliminary Findings ICF International Dr. Brian Cronin and Mr. Cody Martin Venner Consulting Ms. Marie Venner July 22, ICF International. All rights reserved.

2 Introductions Who are we? Marie Venner, Venner Consulting Brian Cronin, ICF International Cody Martin, ICF International Why are we here? Discuss preliminary results of NCHRP 20-81: Guide to Implementing Strategies to Attract/ Retain a Capable Trans Workforce 2

3 Project Overview Project Goals Summarize recruitment and retention practices employed by U.S. transportation agencies as well as other related industries Present findings in easy-to-read guidebook, organized in a step-by-step framework Project Challenges Set the stage for NCHRP to provide practical workforce recommendations tailored to the needs of all transportation organizations Allow stakeholders to transfer the key lessons learned to their local situations 3

4 Project Tasks To date, we have completed or started work on the following tasks: 1. Conduct a comprehensive literature review 2. Identify and document practices to attract and retain employees 3. Conduct full case study analyses of best practices identified In the remainder of the project, we will: 4. Develop a guide of effective workforce strategies 5. Submit final report documenting method, data collected and outcomes 6. Present key findings and recommendations to NCHRP 4

5 TASK 1 Conduct a Comprehensive Literature Review Preliminary Findings 5

6 Task 1 Overview Reviewed and catalogued over 250 independent sources that together resulted in 178 recruitment and retention practices Provided searchable workforce practices database with key information about each practice, including Recruitment and retention aspect influenced Organization(s) implementing the practice Impacted job and staff types Influences of the economy Potential measures of success Submitted workforce literature review where we defined recruitment and retention categories and provided a summary of related practices, example programs, and program definitions 6

7 Obstacles to sustaining an adequate and competent workforce High levels of competition from other industries and fields Increasing demands on agencies Budget cuts Evolving needs and practices because of new technologies Changing demographic trends 7

8 1. Developing applicant skills 2. Increasing number of applicants 3. Screening applicants 4. Promoting existing staff 5. Re-branding the organization/industry Draft Recruitment and Retention Categories Used to Guide Data Collections Recruitment Categories Retention Categories 1. Reducing voluntary turnover 2. Reducing involuntary turnover 3. Developing internal staff skills 4. Improving culture/climate 5. Leadership development 6. Job classification and design 7. Succession planning 8. Developing knowledge management systems 9. Restructuring benefits & compensation 10.Work-life balance 8

9 Recruitment Category 1: Developing future applicant skills Reduction in students entering fields important to transportation such as engineering, construction, and maintenance Agencies have begun to identify avenues for developing skill sets in youth, which will be needed for future employment Helps to establish a pipeline of future talent for transportation jobs Example practices include: Developing student curriculum and educational academies Instituting internship/fellowship programs Partnering with schools for youth development Adopting scholarship programs 9

10 Recruitment Category 2: Increasing number of applicants Refers to initiatives undertaken to create immediate interest and awareness of career opportunities within the transportation industry Industry has difficulty recruiting talent from two important demographic groups: youth and non-traditional labor pools, primarily because of a lack of awareness of job opportunities Example practices include: Hosting career days Expanding the recruiting horizon Implementing employee referral programs Improving organization and job information on agency website Considering non-traditional hires Partnering to increase numbers 10

11 Recruitment Category 3: Screening applicants Efficiently screening and hiring qualified employees is an essential function Example practices include: Developing a comprehensive assessment process Ensuring hiring assessments are reliable and valid Investing in well-designed hiring systems Simplifying the screening process 11

12 Recruitment Category 4: Promoting existing staff Companies often fail to identify untapped talent Saves recruitment and training dollars Contributes to retention by helping employees see opportunities for advancement and their own value Example practices include: Creating a job rotation program Developing employees and maintain employee career paths 12

13 Recruitment Category 5: Re-branding the organization/industry In targeting the next generation, agencies have found negative and inaccurate perceptions of certain transportation jobs One effective way to address this problem is to improve the image through re-branding of transportation jobs Branding should be designed to raise the profile of transportation as an industry that provides esteemed career tracks Example practices include: Making the jobs appealing in marketing Improving image as diversity friendly Using a comprehensive marketing campaign 13

14 Retention Category 1: Reducing voluntary turnover Some of the most common reasons people leave an organization are lack of recognition from organization, policies that inhibit growth, and lack of opportunities for advancement Example practices include: Removing obstacles to employee growth Focusing on retention early and learn from mistakes Recognizing high performers in the organization Providing Realistic Job Previews (RJP) Recognizing citizenship behaviors 14

15 Retention Category 2: Reducing involuntary turnover. To minimize future turnover, organizations need to be deliberate in: Strategies they use to determine the need for new talent Design of organizational practices such as clarifying performance expectations and the conduct of regular performance appraisals Example practices include: Evaluating organization and job fit in the recruitment process Designing valid competency models for positions Providing meaningful performance feedback 15

16 Retention Category 3: Developing internal staff skills To effectively address skill gaps, agencies must conduct gap analyses and identify training strategies to help address those gaps Providing opportunities for development demonstrates the organization cares for its employees, which fosters commitment Employees more likely to stay when they possess the required skills Example practices include: Emphasizing professional development at all levels Utilizing external educators, learning resources, and associations Offering creative training opportunities to build competency 16

17 Retention Category 4: Improving culture/climate. Climate and culture of the organization significantly impacts whether individuals feel they fit with the organization and retention Building a strong, supportive culture and climate increases communication, commitment, and effectiveness in operations In challenging economic times, culture and climate still impact the extent to which employees stay engaged and are contributing members Example practices include: Building a culture of employee ownership Encouraging employee satisfaction 17

18 Retention Category 5: Leadership development Leaders set the direction for employees and set the tone Leadership skills are distinct from technical skills and thus, sound training and skill development are important Leadership development programs should consider the unique needs of female and minority staff to help remove obstacles Example practices include: Adopting systemic leadership model Implementing leadership development to support specific demographic groups Emphasizing follower development in leadership training 18

19 Retention Category 6: Job classification and design Valid job descriptions and sound job designs serve as a central component of almost all HR functions Designing jobs to possess the appropriate scope of tasks and skills required allows for employees to stay interested and challenged without being consistently overburdened Accurate job descriptions are necessary to ensure employees match the skills and context of the job Example practices include: Revising, renewing, consolidating and/or adding job descriptions Emphasizing job enrichment 19

20 Retention Category 7: Succession planning Succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing qualified employees through mentoring, training, and job rotation opportunities to replace staff in key management positions Example practices include: Communicating essential elements of success plan to create buy-in Creating a competency-based succession plan Establishing diversity goals 20

21 Retention Category 8: Developing knowledge management systems Comprehensive knowledge management systems are necessary to capture and pass on critical institutional data Includes developing strategies to address the need for integrating new knowledge to respond to emerging innovations Example practice include: Creating people-focused knowledge systems 21

22 Retention Category 9: Restructuring benefits & compensation Well-designed benefit packages and organizational policies play a vital role in employee recruitment and retention In a difficult economy where salary freezes and even reductions are prevalent, agencies may adopt benefits programs that address the needs of employees, yet are more cost efficient Example practices include: Creating and informing applicants/employees of organizational benefits Creating competitive compensation systems 22

23 Retention Category 10: Work-life balance Workers are more interested in a healthy work-life balance and reducing conflict associated with juggling multiple demands In fact, some employees value work-life balance over higher salaries To make the organization more attractive, organizations must consider creative job arrangements and policies that support employees Successful work-life balance also helps employees effectively focus on their work since they are not distracted by competing demands Example practices include: Establishing a breadth of policies to support different needs Establishing flexible work arrangements 23

24 TASK 2 Identify and Document Practices to Attract and Retain Employees Preliminary Findings 24

25 Task 2 Overview Preliminary analysis of existing benchmark findings from Fortune 500 companies, local and national member associations, previous transportation/workforce studies on recruitment and retention Conducted focus groups with non-transportation partners for our sample by contacting organizations with similar profiles to transportation agencies in terms of their workforce challenges, demographics, and organizational size Conduct focus groups here at conference 25

26 Past Benchmark Findings on Recruiting - Challenges Lack of Younger Workers. Difficulty communicating that transportation jobs are rewarding, long-term careers; also challenge recruiting young workers into unskilled positions Negative Perceptions of Industry. Lack of unified effort among youth, parents, and educators; young people who develop skills useful in transportation still do not look at the industry as an option for a viable long-term career. Wage Wars. Use of wage competition instead of more strategic recruiting; emphasize filling positions without long term development plans for new employees, leaves organizations bottom-heavy and forces them to layoff employees when slow; creates a transient cycle of employees leaving and employers not investing 26

27 Past Benchmark Findings on Recruiting - Solutions Improve image and target an audience Utilize social networking between employees & job seekers Hire from within using succession planning Coordinate hiring managers with recruitment team Profile female/minority workers in advertisements Develop a recruiting website & online applications Use real workers (not actors) in the recruiting campaigns Market training opportunities & career tracks Sponsor or volunteer at popular activities Include realistic job previews Communicate with educators & parents 27

28 Past Benchmark Findings on Retention - Challenges High Cost of Development. The cost deters companies from investing in employees, this is particularly a problem in management roles where new employees are expected to hit the ground running. Difficulty Transitioning Unskilled to Skilled Labor. The transient nature of unskilled workers has become accepted as an industry norm. Organizations look at unskilled workers as too much of a risk to invest the money in training them to be skilled because of the possibility of them leaving the organization Lack of Process for Identifying High Potential. Without a formal process for identifying high performers for specific development/ promotions, organizations may lean towards easier, informal methods that can be at the least unproductive and possibly invalid. Formal processes ensure that high performers utilize training and capitalize on promotions. 28

29 Past Benchmark Findings on Retention - Solutions Provide formalized training programs Develop/implement succession planning Develop/implement mentoring/coaching programs Increase employee engagement through surveys Improve work environment Improve consistency work schedules Develop career paths Offer language exchange training Conduct exit interviews Formalize job rotation & job sharing 29

30 Audience Questions-Please Fill Out and Hand In What is the most difficult workforce challenge facing your agency? What unique solutions have you used or have seen be successful? Describe the elements of guidebook that would be most useful to you? How can we help to ensure results of this project are implemented? Contact info: Name Organization Phone 30

31 Thank You Dr. Brian Cronin ICF International