The National Academies Press

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From page 100... ... 100 As the workforce needs of DOTs continue to change, it is essential for DOTs to retain their best employees long term. Retaining fully onboarded employees helps DOTs continue to benet from these employees' experience within the DOT and familiarity with existing processes. Read the entire page →
From page 101... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 101 Action Plans for Retaining Employees is chapter includes action plans DOTs can use to retain employees at their organization. Although the action plans in this chapter focus on retaining employees, many of these action plans may also be benecial for attracting and developing employees. Read the entire page →
From page 102... ... 102 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Action Plan Overview Enable Employees to Share Ideas to Foster Workplace Innovation To cultivate a culture of innovation and creativity, calculated risk-taking is encouraged in addition to forums or platforms that allow employees to provide ideas and solutions. Encouraging exploratory thinking also requires a culture that does not punish calculated risk-taking -- a culture where experimental solutions are not punished and thinking outside of the box is welcomed. Read the entire page →
From page 103... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 103 Strategy Overview Developing a performance management strategy will allow DOTs to proactively prepare to meet the needs of their industry partners and ensure their partners are aware of the expectations for work performance. This is important given that DOTs are increasingly reliant on their industry partners due to the changing landscape of the transportation industry. Read the entire page →
From page 104... ... 104 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance performance management strategies involve a process that enables both parties to deliver the required work. A performance management strategy can be defined as a set of procedures that employers plan to implement to measure performance over time and encourage growth. Read the entire page →
From page 105... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 105 Construction workers may find performance management strategies with their industry partners to be helpful because these strategies encourage uniformity, making it easier to inspect and review work. Furthermore, a well-developed and followed performance management plan will likely result in a reduced number of change orders, ultimately increasing DOT efficiency. Read the entire page →
From page 106... ... 106 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 4. Draft the performance management strategy. Read the entire page →
From page 107... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 107 Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Read the entire page →
From page 108... ... 108 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 3. Project managers' satisfaction working with contractors and consultants – Creating a performance management strategy should encourage contractors and consultants to perform at the agreed-upon standard of performance, understand what is expected of them, reach out to the DOT if they need assistance or resources, and regularly check in with the project managers to provide updates. Read the entire page →
From page 109... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 109 Tool: Worksheet to Help DOTs Obtain Performance Management Strategy Information Purpose and Overview This worksheet is intended to facilitate discussion and collaboration between DOT project staff and the contracted industry partner to define and establish an agreed-upon approach to contractor performance management. Questions have been provided to aid in the discussion of the various components in each respective section. Read the entire page →
From page 110... ... 110 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance - What risks to implementing our contractor performance management strategy are present? - How do we intend to mitigate these risks? Read the entire page →
From page 111... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 111 Tool: Checklist for Developing a Performance Management Strategy with Industry Partners Purpose and Overview This checklist is intended to provide an overview of the items to consider when creating a performance management strategy for contractors. DOT project managers may find this checklist helpful given that a significant amount of information is required to formulate a comprehensive, accurate, and beneficial performance management agreement with industry partners. Read the entire page →
From page 112... ... 112 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Appendices – Note additional documents pertinent to understanding, referencing, and acknowledging the information presented in the contractor performance management strategy. Change Record Acronyms Glossary Referenced Documents (e.g., statement of work, supporting documents, etc.) Read the entire page →
From page 113... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 113 Strategy Overview As DOTs continue to experience consistent downsizing of their staff, it is important to find ways to maximize existing staff. One way DOTs can better use their existing staff is by learning how to construct effective teams. Read the entire page →
From page 114... ... 114 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance interpersonal skills and motivation to accomplish the team objectives.45 Without the needed baseline technical knowledge and interpersonal skills, team members cannot complete the required responsibilities and effectively collaborate with others. Even if team members have the technical expertise and interpersonal skills, they will also need the motivation to satisfy the team's goals. Read the entire page →
From page 115... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 115 based on the task. Generally, large teams -- or teams with more than 10 people -- struggle to gain a shared understanding and agreement of the team's objectives.47 Team leaders should evaluate the magnitude of the team's work and determine the appropriate team size. Read the entire page →
From page 116... ... 116 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) All DOT employees. Read the entire page →
From page 117... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 117 Needed Support or Resources Support from senior leadership. Buy-in and motivation from team leaders. Read the entire page →
From page 118... ... 118 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tools to Construct Effective Teams to Maximize Staff Productivity Questionnaire to Reflect on Team Context – Includes a questionnaire that asks questions about how various components of the team's context support its performance. Questionnaire to Evaluate Team Dynamics – Contains a questionnaire that evaluates different aspects of team dynamics. Read the entire page →
From page 119... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 119 Tool: Questionnaire to Reflect on Team Context This tool provides a questionnaire that asks how various components of a team's context support its performance. The questionnaire is a modified version of the Team Context and Composition Scale.51 Team leaders can complete this questionnaire to assess their teams' context and identify potential areas for improvement. Read the entire page →
From page 120... ... 120 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 4. Is the team the appropriate size to accomplish its goals? Read the entire page →
From page 121... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 121 Tool: Questionnaire to Evaluate Team Dynamics This tool provides a questionnaire that evaluates different aspects of team dynamics. By completing this questionnaire, you will receive guidance on whether you need to prioritize team building to improve your team's dynamics. Read the entire page →
From page 122... ... 122 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Scoring Add up the numbers you circled. If your score is between 14 and 28, there is little evidence that your team needs team building. Read the entire page →
From page 123... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 123 Strategy Overview To cultivate a culture of innovation and creativity, calculated risk-taking is encouraged in addition to forums or platforms that allow employees to provide ideas and solutions. E ncouraging ex ploratory thinking also requires a culture that does not punish calculated risktaking -- a culture where ex perimental solutions are not punished and thinking outside of the box is welcomed. Read the entire page →
From page 124... ... 124 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance DOTs should also consider engaging the contractors they work with to capture their ideas, especially those departments that outsource a significant portion of their work. To cultivate a more modern and inventive workforce that can enhance DOTs' competitiveness, this strategy includes steps that solicit feedback from DOT employees to better understand which problems DOTs face and what solutions employees have in mind to solve these problems. Read the entire page →
From page 125... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 125 Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) DOT leadership. Read the entire page →
From page 126... ... 126 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Needed Support or Resources Dedicated staffing/funding to review, select, and execute ideas. Leadership support. Read the entire page →
From page 127... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 127 Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Number of viable solutions generated – An easy metric to measure the return on investment of this strategy is the number of solutions generated. Read the entire page →
From page 128... ... 128 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Risk/Reward Assessment When assessing whether or not a proposed solution is a viable one, it is important to consider the level of positive impact successful implementation of the solution will have on the organization and any potential consequences associated with the solution. The five steps below serve as a guide to help determine if proposed solutions should be considered and selected for implementation. Read the entire page →
From page 129... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 129 Reward Rating Scale 1) Significance of a positive impact to the organization is very low. Read the entire page →
From page 130... ... 130 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy Overview Career paths demonstrate the possible ways a career can progress as well as the different jobs an employee may consider throughout his or her career. They present related positions at different levels within an organization to help employees engage in goal setting and career planning. Read the entire page →
From page 131... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 131 and relevant training, education, and developmental opportunities are common items included with career path information. Incorporating an emphasis on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) Read the entire page →
From page 132... ... 132 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy in Practice Denver International Airport created the Career Pathways Program so employees would have a clear understanding of their developmental needs and how to progress in their careers. areer path ays are also covered in the employees annual evaluation, so they have the opportunity to discuss their career progress and any needs for technical training. Read the entire page →
From page 133... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 133 Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Conduct analyses to create descriptions of the focal jobs to be included in the career paths (if the job descriptions do not exist already) Read the entire page →
From page 134... ... 134 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 5. Ensure management and HR are aware of and convey guidance regarding career paths to employees and potential applicants. Read the entire page →
From page 135... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 135 Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Alliance for Quality Career Pathways. Read the entire page →
From page 136... ... 136 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 2. Retention rate among employees who follow career paths – Creating career paths and related documentation should increase the retention of employees who use these career paths to plan their upward progression within DOTs. Read the entire page →
From page 137... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 137 Tool: Career Pathway Guide Template Overview The Career Pathway Guide template provides a format to display career paths to employees and potential employees. It is created by HR to describe the career pathway(s) Read the entire page →
From page 138... ... 138 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Career Pathway Guide Template I [Occupational Group] Read the entire page →
From page 139... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 139 Competency Definition Competency 1 Definition 1 Competency 2 Definition 2 Competency 3 Definition 3 II. Career Advancement The Career Advancement section offers detailed information on the job(s) Read the entire page →
From page 140... ... 140 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 2. [Mid-Level Job Title] Read the entire page →
From page 141... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 141 Developmental Experiences This list should include specific "stretch assignments" or growth activities that an employee could engage in on the job to assist in advancing to the next level. [Example: Contribute to the development of the DOT master plan.] Read the entire page →
From page 142... ... Career Advancement Comparison Table This table displays the career advancement information in Section II of the template side by side, which can make it easier to identify differences between levels. Entry-Level Job Title Mid-Level Job Title Senior-Level Job Title Job Description [Insert entry-level job description.] Read the entire page →
From page 143... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 143 Tool: Individual Development Plan Template Overview An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a document created by the employee. Read the entire page →
From page 144... ... 144 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Long-Term Goals (3–5 years) : Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) Read the entire page →
From page 145... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 145 Strategy Overview DOTs can create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for data governance and data management practices if these processes and procedures are not already in place. Read the entire page →
From page 146... ... 146 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Detailed Strategy Description The volume of data generated by geographic information systems (GIS) , new software, and the sensors that make up smart transportation systems can be daunting for DOTs without the skilled personnel to manage this information. Read the entire page →
From page 147... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 147 In addition, the Idaho Transportation Department conducted a Redundant, Obsolete, and Trivial (ROT) data assessment and discovered that 85% of their SharePoint was ROT, and 20% of the time related to knowledge management efforts was spent on searching for information.63 To address these issues, they use Current, Relevant, Authority, Accurate, Purpose (C.R.A.A.P) Read the entire page →
From page 148... ... 148 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Take inventory of all data sources as well as all of the systems that are used to store and analyze the information. Read the entire page →
From page 149... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 149 Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • Ensuring that DOTs have data that is consistently updated in an analyzable format. • Encouraging people to utilize the available information to inform decisions and processes. Read the entire page →
From page 150... ... 150 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Evaluating Information with the C.R.A.A.P. Test When deciding whether data should be saved and/or moved to a repository or a content-sharing platform for further use, the C.R.A.A.P. Read the entire page →
From page 151... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 151 Tool: Assessing Shared Content and Data with the ROT Framework To maintain organized and accurate data sharing, it is important to regularly review existing data files to ensure they are not redundant, outdated, or trivial (ROT) Read the entire page →
From page 152... ... 152 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy Overview Flexible work arrangements are becoming increasingly popular among new entrants to the workforce, employees with dependent care needs, and individuals with health or transportation-related concerns. State DOTs can adopt flexible work arrangements to attract and retain future and current employees. Read the entire page →
From page 153... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 153 likely cannot have flexibility in where the work is conducted because they must be at the jobsite to supervise work. However, this construction foreman may be able to utilize other flexible work arrangements that allow for flexibility in when work is conducted. Read the entire page →
From page 154... ... 154 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Strategy in Practice The COVID-19 pandemic has required many DOTs to transition to offer flexible work arrangements, especially remote and telework. Because of this, DOTs have already started to implement this strategy into their daily operations. Read the entire page →
From page 155... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 155 Implementation Plan and Guidance Target Audience Implementation Lead(s) Potential applicants researching possible employers. Read the entire page →
From page 156... ... 156 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Key Success Factors Potential Obstacles and Considerations • To successfully implement flexibility at work, the flexible work arrangement policy must be communicated clearly to all levels of employees, so everyone has a shared understanding of what the policy encompasses. • For flexible work arrangements to be successful, managers and supervisors must be trained on how to successfully manage a workforce that is moving away from the typical work environment and working in new ways. Read the entire page →
From page 157... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 157 Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Employee satisfaction with the flexible work arrangements – Creating a flexible work environment should increase employee satisfaction by giving employees control of when and where they complete their work. Read the entire page →
From page 158... ... 158 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Tool: Example Flexible Work Arrangement Survey This survey is designed to help DOT supervisors, managers, and leadership determine what types of flexible work arrangements will be most compatible with their organization's needs and culture and are most desirable to employees. Flexible work arrangements are designed to give employees more autonomy in when and where they complete their job responsibilities. Read the entire page →
From page 159... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 159 5. What is your employment status? Read the entire page →
From page 160... ... 160 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance 10. What are the top reasons for wanting to work more flexibly? Read the entire page →
From page 161... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 161 Tool: Guidelines to Support a More Flexible Workforce Due to the changing workforce climate, many managers and supervisors are now managing employees that have the option to work more flexibly. These options include remote work, flextime, job sharing, and a compressed work week. Read the entire page →
From page 162... ... 162 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Support Offer support to remote employees as they transition into a new working environment (e.g., establish regular check-ins, establish regular communication) Read the entire page →
From page 163... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 163 Strategy Overview DOTs should develop, implement, and require employees to participate in diversity and inclusion training, which has been linked to reducing prejudicial attitudes and behaviors within workplaces. This will allow DOTs to better recruit women and people of color, which is needed for DOTs to keep up with evolving industry demands. Read the entire page →
From page 164... ... 164 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance diversity issues (e.g., understanding micro-inequities in the workplace) .68 Changes such as these reduce the mistreatment faced by underrepresented employees, which in turn improves their retention. Read the entire page →
From page 165... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 165 Strategy in Practice The Vermont Department of Transportation has incorporated diversity and inclusion training into their onboarding process and requires employees to participate in continuous diversity and inclusion training, which helps establish appropriate workplace conduct and clarify workplace norms. They also have a state-mandated training program that focuses on workplace respect and civility, which helps trainees build skills related to conflict resolution.70 Applicability in Design, Construction, and Maintenance Design Given that underrepresented groups are treated similarly across the three occupational groups, implementing diversity and inclusion training may be similarly applicable. Read the entire page →
From page 166... ... 166 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s 1. Define the training objectives based on the specific needs of the DOT. Read the entire page →
From page 167... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 167 Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information that may be useful when considering this strategy: • Brown, J Read the entire page →
From page 168... ... 168 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Metrics to Measure Return on Investment or Strategy Effectiveness 1. Turnover rates among women, people of color, and other underrepresented employees – If the purpose of implementing diversity and inclusion training is to improve the rates of retention among underrepresented employees, monitoring these employees' turnover rates will provide an objective metric for measuring progress toward this goal. Read the entire page →
From page 169... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 169 Tool: Example Survey Items to Measure Trainees' Reactions and Changes in Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors Training evaluation is defined as a systematic collection of information regarding the success of a training75 and is important for understanding how well training is accomplishing the goals set forth by an organization. One way to perform a training evaluation is by disseminating a survey to trainees and comparing their pretraining and post-training responses. Read the entire page →
From page 170... ... 170 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Social Dominance Orientation (adapted) 77 – We should do what we can to equalize conditions for different groups. Read the entire page →
From page 171... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 171 – A supervisor telling sexually-oriented jokes to a subordinate constitutes sexual harassment. – A supervisor telling sexually-oriented jokes in the presence of a subordinate constitutes sexual harassment. Read the entire page →
From page 172... ... 172 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Self-Report Ally Behavior I (adapted) 82 – I point out if others use language that may be offensive to members of certain demographic groups. Read the entire page →
From page 173... ... Sustaining a Strong Workforce: Retaining Employees 173 Tool: Infographic to Help Decide Between Different Forms of Diversity and Inclusion Training Purpose and Overview This tool can be used to help DOT leaders decide which form of diversity and inclusion training best fits their organization's needs. However, the training forms included here are not meant to represent the full list of diversity and inclusion training options. Read the entire page →
From page 174... ... 174 Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce: Design, Construction, and Maintenance Diversity and Inclusion Training Decision Tree Infographic Do white people treat members of underrepresented groups with respect even if they are not personally in favor of workplace diversity? YesNo Do employees have an understanding of how unintentional personal biases may impact personnel decisions? Read the entire page →

From page 100...

... 100 As the workforce needs of DOTs continue to change, it is essential for DOTs to retain their best employees long term. Retaining fully onboarded employees helps DOTs continue to benet from these employees' experience within the DOT and familiarity with existing processes.