Northeast Gas Association Attaining & Training Employees to Meet Seasonal Demands for Locating Gas Assets

Transcription

1 Northeast Gas Association Attaining & Training Employees to Meet Seasonal Demands for Locating Gas Assets Jeffrey M. Tuttle Heath Consultants Incorporated October 13, 2017

2 Heath Consultants Core Purpose Your Safety Our Commitment

3 Overview Established in 1933, th Anniversary 3 rd Generation Family Owned Certified Women-Owned Business Industry-Leader in Products and Leak-Detection Services World-Leader in Methane Detection Equipment Mobile (including advanced mobile and UAV platforms) Fixed Manufacturer of Utility Locating, Pressure-Recording, Odorant Detection, Plunger Bars Distributor of Combustible Gas Indicators and Optical Gas Imaging Equipment

4 Overview Services Business Unit Industry leader in leak survey, atmospheric corrosion work Gas and electric utility locating Meter reading Collections, turn-offs OQ training Norton Corrosion Limited, LLC Corrosion engineering firm

5 Companies Heath Works With

6 Companies Heath Works With

7 Industry Workforce Survey (April 2017) Conducted by AGA Workforce Development Task Group 32 Companies Submitted Responses (all utilities) Key Findings 63% (20 out of 32) were either in the early stages of or had recently implemented (within the last 3 years) a Comprehensive Workforce Plan; 31% have had a plan together between 3 and 10 years. Most plans are jointly developed between HR and operations, and are updated annually. 62% of responding companies specifically cited retirement and/or aging workforce; other commonly mentioned needs included employee attrition, regulatory and training requirements, knowledge transfer. Roughly 50% of plans do not have defined metrics. 59% of Companies focusing on field gas worker positions in their plans. Top items reviewed retirement trends, criticality of role, qualifications required, gap analysis, and scarcity in labor market

8 Industry Workforce Survey (April 2017) Conducted by AGA Workforce Development Task Group Continued Recruitment Sources for Field and Craft Labor 88% company website 75% employee referrals 63% job fairs 59% campus recruiting 50% combination of workforce development partnerships, social media, publications, local community agencies/organizations (direct sourcing), etc. 72% cited finding candidates with sufficient technical skills or mechanical aptitude has the largest challenge

9 Industry Workforce Survey (April 2017) Conducted by AGA Workforce Development Task Group What type of initiatives have you adopted for filed employees as part of your Workforce strategy? Formal structured on the job training (83%) Leadership for supervision of field employees (79%) Mentor programs (48%) Leadership for senior field workers (41%) Rotational program for field workers (14%)

10 Whether Seasonal Hiring or Year-Around It All Begins with a Good Plan Clearly define the need and ramp-up speed Allow adequate time to recruit, conduct background checks, drug testing, on-board, and train and/or re-qualify Develop a plan, with clear responsibilities and accountabilities, for example: Finalize staffing plan and dates Set time table, for example: Need date: minus 12 weeks Need date: minus 8 weeks Need date: minus 6 weeks Need date: minus 5 weeks Need date: Start recruitment and selection Extend job offers and conduct background checks Employee on-boarding & safety training Start class and on-the-job training On-the- job

11 Whether Seasonal Hiring or Year-Around It All Begins with a Good Plan (Additional Considerations) Cross-train interested team members to perform other tasks/jobs, travel to other locations to address needs. Attract those candidates seeking summer positions - college students. Approach local colleges, trade schools, etc. Consider part-time positions to attract those interested in maintaining fitness, enjoy a challenge, make extra money, etc.

12 Successful Candidate Benchmarking Look internally at our top employees and document what makes them top talent. Identify characteristics of an outstanding field technician. Restrict interview questions based on research to filter the right applicant.

13 Recruiting Establish and maintain a network of resources for candidates (i.e. local employment agencies, church support groups) Reach out to current employees for referrals Sponsor and attend local job fairs to source for candidates Advertise via social media, both internally and externally

14 Screening & Interviewing Process Selective pre-screen of resumes and applications Close partnership between operations and HR personnel Realistic preview of what position entails and expectations Explore work history, is it compatible to job requirements Team interviewing (Operations and Human Resources) Employee ride-along (job preview and employee input)

15 Employee On-Boarding & Development First impressions are critical, set tone for career General on-boarding (core purpose, vision, mission, core values, standards, resources) Safety training Basic skill development and mastery On-going skill development and QA follow-up and feedback Soft-skill development Talent recognition programs

16 Employer of Choice Heath offers great benefits to the company workforce: - Medical - Dental - Vision - Matching 401k - Company vehicle - Paid vacation and holiday - Paid Life Insurance - Short Term Disability

17 Questions & Contact Information Jeffrey M. Tuttle Chief Executive Officer (Office)