Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
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Selecting "add a resource," located above the table, opens a screen with fields for the resource
ID, resource title, short description, long description, author, reference, organization, contact
information, web site, resource cost and format, resource application, and other resource users
(if known). Resource ID numbers must be manually entered; the system will not allow resources
with duplicate ID numbers. To determine the next sequential resource ID number, the admin-
istrative user must navigate to the last page of the existing resources list. Once the new resource
information is entered, the administrative user can add the resource to the database by clicking
on "accept" or discard the entry by selecting "cancel."
3.2.2 Edit Resource Facets
The Edit Resource Facet page allows the administrative user to add or delete facet types or
values associated with a document. Chapter 2.3 of this report explains facets in more detail.
Resources can be sorted by title or Resource ID. Selecting the desired resource displays the
existing facets for the resource. "Insert" adds the facet; "cancel" discards the new facet and returns
the user to the prior screen.
Facets can be deleted by selecting "delete" next to the facet to be eliminated for that resource.
3.3 Workforce Toolkit Scenarios
The scenarios in this chapter present examples of how the Workforce Toolkit might be used
to respond to a typical workforce issue.
3.3.1 Scenario 1--Planning for Loss of Experienced Staff
Problem. The Legislature has passed a retirement incentive bill that gives a 6-month window
for eligible employees to retire. The state personnel office estimates that about 5% of the highest
paid employees will be eligible. Based on their employees' tenure, the DOT knows that up to 19%
of their experienced employees could retire. To complicate matters, a major layoff several years
earlier due to budget cuts has left the DOT with few employees experienced enough to take the
retirees' place if they leave. The DOT's human resources director has been tasked with ensuring
the workforce remains sufficient to meet the agency's mission despite these factors.
Solution. Assuming that other DOTs must face a similar challenge, the HR director selects
Top Ten DOT Needs from the Home view of the Workforce Toolkit (Figure 3.3). After reviewing
overviews of the options, she decides to retrieve resources from columns AD (understand issues
and trends; learn about peer agencies; asses our situation; and implement programs, policies,
and procedures) relating to the following issues:
· Strategic workforce planning,
· Attracting and retaining talent,
· Preparing the next generation of leaders, and
· Preserving institutional knowledge.
Next, the HR director checks the Frequently Asked Question page for additional resources and
discovers the question, "A large percentage of our workforce is due to retire over the next 5 years.
How do we address this situation?" Selecting that question retrieves titles and short descriptions
of useful resources as shown in Figure 3.4.
Meanwhile, the human resources director has asked her assistant to find resources using
another view in the Workforce Toolkit. The assistant decides to use Faceted Search view. From
the main Faceted Search page, the assistant clicks on the drop-down menu for need types and
checks recruitment, retention, retirement, knowledge management, training, succession planning,
and compensation and benefits as shown in Figure 3.5.
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28 Tools to Aid State DOTs in Responding to Workforce Challenges
Figure 3.3. Finding resources from Top Ten DOT Needs View.
Figure 3.4. Finding resources by FAQ.
Figure 3.5. Finding resources by need type.
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Figure 3.6. Finding resources by audience type.
Figure 3.7. Finding resources by source type.
Next, the assistant selects three audience types: State DOT, Transportation professionals, and
human resources as shown in Figure 3.6.
For sources of information, the assistant checks TRB/NCHRP/TCRP, journal/publisher,
NAPA, state DOT, university research center, national association--transportation, and national
association--human resources as shown in Figure 3.7.
Next, he must decide which DOT roles will be affected by the Legislature's retirement Figure 3.8. Finding
incentive bill and by the impending retirement of experienced employees. Since a workforce resources by DOT role.
reduction of this magnitude would be felt throughout the agency, he selects all the options in
the DOT role category: Top agency executives (CEOs), senior managers (division chiefs and
district administrators), human resources, line managers/workgroup supervisors, and other
as shown in Figure 3.8.
Finally, he decides on the type of resources needed to address the situation, and elects to search
general resources, methodology/guide/model, case studies, and policy/procedure as shown in
Figure 3.9.
The human resources director and assistant review the list of resources they have gathered,
select the most relevant resources, and use the Workforce Toolkit to find the resources they need.
To do this, they click on the work's title, which opens a screen containing title, author, short Figure 3.9. Finding
description, long description, and additional information--such as an email, phone number, or resources by resource
web site--for finding the document as shown in Figure 3.10. type.
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30 Tools to Aid State DOTs in Responding to Workforce Challenges
Figure 3.10. Summary view of individual resource.
After reviewing the available resources, the HR director can report to management about
current practices, policies, and experiences relating to preserving knowledge, identifying and
training for competencies, planning for and guiding succession, targeting recruitment strategies,
and creating or modifying a workforce human capital plan.
3.3.2 Scenario 2--Attracting Skilled Engineers to Public Sector Jobs
Problem. Higher salaries paid by private sector firms make it difficult to recruit engineering
technicians. State salary policies limit what the DOT can pay, and traditional sources for new
engineering technicians can't educate enough people to supply private sector firms and the DOT.
The state DOT director plans to launch initiatives designed to identify competencies, train and
develop existing staff, find new ways to recruit engineering technicians, and plan for the future in
terms of ensuring that the agency-specific knowledge and skills of current engineering technicians
are passed on to new hires. In addition, the DOT director hopes to review data on outsourcing
these duties in the event that it becomes necessary.
Solution. To educate himself about what other state DOTs and public agencies are
doing to recruit and retain qualified engineers, the director first uses the FAQ View in the
Workforce Toolkit. There he discovers this question arises frequently in state DOTs; clicking
on the question reveals a list of resources. However, the director wants to narrow his search
to more specifically address his needs, so he goes to the Full text search view of the Toolkit.
Entering "engineers" as a search word retrieves titles and short descriptions that can help
Figure 3.11.
To learn more about using an engineering consulting firm, he searches on "consultant"
(Figure 3.12).
To refine his search, the director enters a combination of search words, "engineer training
competency" (See Figure 3.13).
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Figure 3.11. Finding resources using text search.
Figure 3.12. Modifying a text search.
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32 Tools to Aid State DOTs in Responding to Workforce Challenges
Figure 3.13. Using multiple search words in text search.
3.3.3 Scenario 3--Attracting Skilled Engineers to Public Sector Jobs
Problem. The human resources director has noted a dearth of qualified applicants for
entry-level and mid-level positions. Although the volume of applications is high, the recruiting
strategies used in the past no longer seem to be attracting the right candidates. Additionally,
budget cuts have raised questions about the effectiveness of career fairs, which have been
labor-intensive and expensive. The director wants to reassess the agency's mix of advertising,
career fairs, and re-hiring practices to use resources more efficiently while drawing a better
candidate pool.
Solution. Knowing that the experiences of peer organizations will be useful in helping
formulate a new recruiting strategy, the human resources director selects the State Practices view
of the Workforce Toolkit.
The director selects the first option to access NCHRP Project 20-24(40), "Analysis and
Benchmarking of Recruitment and Hiring Practices of State Departments of Transportation"
(Figure 3.14). This leads to two tables that can be viewed: Effectiveness of Recruiting and Most
Successful Practices for Recruiting Employees (Figure 3.15).
Selecting the first option reveals a table that shows how states measure the effectiveness of
various strategies they employ for recruiting for entry-level and mid-career level employees
(Figure 3.16a).
The second option provides a state-by-state view of the three most successful strategies used
for recruiting entry-level and mid-level employees (Figure 3.16b).
Using this information, the human resources director suggests incentive programs for
employees suggesting individuals who are ultimately hired by the agency, increasing visibility
and accessibility of job postings on the agency web site, and a percentage decrease in the number
of job fairs held annually.
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Figure 3.14. Finding resources using State Practices View.
Figure 3.15. Searching State Practices by study.
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34 Tools to Aid State DOTs in Responding to Workforce Challenges
(a)
(b)
Figure 3.16. State Practices data tables.
