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Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce (2011)

Chapter: Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 53
Page 54
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 54
Page 55
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 55
Page 56
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 56
Page 57
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 57
Page 58
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 58
Page 59
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Branding the Organiz ation/Industry." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14475.
×
Page 59

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52 Chapter 7: Branding the Organiz ation/Industry In attempting to successfully target the next generation of workers, affectionately termed “Gen Y’ers” (born after 1978), transportation companies have found that some negative and inaccurate perceptions of certain transportation jobs have created additional recruitment obstacles. In fact, in a Wall Street Journal Almanac Poll of job preference by high school-aged vocational technology students, the job of construction worker ranked 248 out of 250 occupations compared (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004). One effective way to address this problem and improve recruitment success is to improve the image through rebranding of transportation jobs. Branding should be designed to raise the profile of transportation as an industry that provides esteemed career tracks. In this chapter, we present challenges, strategies, and workforce practices related to “Branding the Organization/Industry.” Exhibit 7-1 provides a snapshot of the chapter. Exhibit 7-1 Snapshot of Chapter 7 Chapter Road Map Concept and Definition Cutting-edge transportation agencies have been effective in eradicating negative and inaccurate perceptions of the industry and specific jobs by im proving the agency and/or industry image and awareness of the diverse jobs available at DOTs through more accessible media and re-branding of transportation jobs. Workforce Challenges …..……….....….. 53 Failure to Adequately Brand the Industr y Employee Age, Generational Gap Misperceptions of the Job Misperceptions of the Gender/Cultural Barriers Industry Strategies…. .………………… 54 Advertise the Strengths of the Organization Get Involved in the Community and Advertise It Use Real Employees in Advertisements Make the Jobs Appealin g Improve Image as “Diversity Friendly” Use a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign Capitalize on Social Networking Technology Communicate a Message and Target an Audience Workforce Practices …..……………….. 56 Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation (InTrans) Go! Magazine Washington State DOT Branding through Social Media Definition of Branding the Organization/Industry: Involves positively marketing the organization and industry in an effort to communicate the benefits of a career. The goal of these efforts is to help organizations enhance their image and attract individuals to the industry. As a result, these practices help to establish a larger and more diverse applicant pool.

Exhibit 7-1 (Continued) Snapshot of Chapter 7 Workforce Pipeline Target Area 7.1 Workforce Challenges. Programs related to “Branding the Organization/Industry” are typically designed to address negative and inaccurate perceptions of a job or career within the industry. These challenges should be carefully considered before selecting the program that would best fit the needs of your agency. For example, these are common challenges agencies face: Failure to Adequately Brand the Industry. The image of the transportation industry is poor among some youth, parents, and educators. Due to this negative stigma, young people who seek jobs or develop skills that are used in transportation jobs often discredit the transportation industry as a career option. Transportation jobs are often thought to be jobs that involve getting dirty (can be an asset for environmental professionals who prefer jobs that get them out into the field/nature) and have low wages and little chance for advancement, without recognizing the potential long-term career opportunities. Transportation organizations need to continue to unify efforts around re-branding the industry and educating young people regarding their opportunities. Employee Age, Generational Gap. Organizations mentioned two compounding trends where a large population of older workers is retiring from skilled positions in the next 5 years and less younger workers are joining the transportation workforce. Even if the number of young people joining the workforce does increase, transportation organizations may not have enough time to develop the skills necessary to fill vacant positions if retirements and turnover accelerate again. Participants reported that the greatest workforce challenge is marketing careers in the transportation industry to young people and recruiting them into skilled and unskilled positions, though such difficulties have eased with high unemployment across the country. Contractors are challenged with finding ways to demonstrate that transportation jobs are rewarding, long-term careers. The current workforce is skewed toward the upper age brackets given a large influx 20-40 years ago, leading to conditions over the last decade and a half where employees have been retiring at a faster rate than young people are entering the industry. Misperceptions of the Job. Transportation participants indicated that their organizations struggle with negative perceptions associated with the transportation industry. A large percentage of potential applicants do not understand the range of positions and opportunities available in transportation. For example, one participant noted that the majority of students attending a high school career fair indicated on a survey that an engineer was (only) the person who drove a train. Another participant described a college engineering professor who deterred his students from taking jobs at the DOT because it would be a “waste of their talent.” The problem is more acute for maintenance engineers, and maintenance staff comprise the bulk of remaining DOT staff now. Organizations are challenged with convincing potential applicants that they can establish a full career, not just a temporary job, in transportation. Target Career Stages K-12 Comm. Colleges 4 year Colleges Graduate School s Entry-Level Staff Mid-Career Staff Senior Leaders Retirees Branding the Organization/Industry Chapter 7 Target Area TRANSPOR ATT ION WORKFORCE PIPELINE Branding the Organization/Industry 53

Misperceptions of the Gender/Cultural Barriers. Participants indicated that females may not be choosing transportation jobs because they perceive them as having gender barriers that inhibit successful career advancement. In addition, female candidates may feel that they will be discriminated against on the job because the industry is dominated by males. The National Association of Women in Construction reports that only 10 percent of the construction workforce is female. Participants in a study for the Florida DOT indicated that this statistic represents their experience (Cronin et al., 2007). Participants in the same study indicated that the greatest influence on a female applicant’s decision to accept an unskilled transportation job is frequently the physical demands of the job. The next greatest influence reported was related to the cultural and background influences (e.g., family and friends) on prospective female applicants and the applicant’s belief that people similar to her are not employed in the field (Cronin et al., 2007). This “similarity factor” supports the contention that female applicants perceive the field as being male- dominated. In addition to gender, close to one-half of the participants in the study indicated that cultural and/or background influences, such as influential family and friends, are challenges with recruiting applicants from other non-traditional populations (Cronin et al., 2007). 7.2 Industry Strategies. Researchers and program managers identify the following programmatic strategies when describing industry efforts in “Branding the Organization/Industry” (see Exhibit 7-2). While these strategies represent the general direction of human resource (HR) departments across the nation, it is important that the specific needs of your agency are used to guide the development and implementation of a program in your agency. Exhibit 7-2 Industry Strategies: Branding the Organization/Industry Strategy Strategy Description Advertise the Strengths of the Organization In terms of benefits, organizations emphasize retirement benefits, full-year work contracts, extended vacation time, on-the-job and technological training, scholarships, reimbursement programs for continuing education, health insurance, life insurance, flexible schedules, and telework programs. To promote the potential for advancements, organizations develop career track information that features the average timeline for promotions and describes the positions available at each consecutive level of the organization. Candidates who are not initially attracted to unskilled positions may reconsider the opportunity if they know that their time at entry-level will be short and that positions with more responsibility are only a short time away. When it comes to recruiting younger generations, organizations are focusing on the social aspects of the job and if possible the work flexibility and growth opportunity. In advertisements and interviews, organizations are highlighting the team- based work environment, social events, sports teams, and online networking groups. Get Involved in the Community and Advertise It Participants suggested their organizations perform community service work as a means of advertising their name and marketing their civic commitment and thereby increasing the number of applicants who choose to apply. Many states have “Adopt a Highway” programs where organizations can participate and place a sign on the highway that says “Cleaned by Organization X.” Other organizations provide their employees with company t-shirts to wear while completing the community service. These efforts to increase community involvement have been found to be effective in recruiting applicants from 54 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

Exhibit 7-2 (Continued) Industry Strategies: Branding the Organization/Industry Strategy Strategy Description Generation Y who are more attracted to organizations involved in the community. After decades of corporate scandals, applicants are concerned about the altruism and ethics of their employer in addition to the compensation. “Working at a company that has high values” was a top 5 value enunciated by organizational leaders in a 2008 study on talent management and retention (Galinsky, Carter, and Bond, 2008). Some participants reward employees who volunteer for road cleanings on their own time and/or who help stranded motorists while on the job. Sponsoring popular activities (such as county fairs), making charitable contributions, establishing green policies, and raising the bar on business ethics are other ways to be present and noticed in a community. One example of a program that several organizations have joined is “Engineers without Borders.” Use Real Employees in Advertisements Organizations have found that using real employees in their advertisements, especially women and minorities, has been very effective in recruiting applicants. Real workers appear more credible, even if they are less polished, and are more readily prepared to describe their daily experiences. Also, applicants may be better able to identify with actual entry-level workers than seasoned HR professionals. To capitalize on this idea, organizations have rewarded high performers with the opportunity to speak at career days and other recruiting events. These high performers can share anecdotes, statistics, and quotes about their organization and other successful employees that started in entry-level positions. This shows potential candidates that there is opportunity for advancement within the organization. Some organizations utilize female workers when recruiting female applicants. Other organizations work with associations like the National Association of Women in Construction to provide support in the area of recruiting females. One strategy these groups are using is to show that many females already have experience working in physically demanding jobs including hospital work, restaurant work, and child-care, which could qualify them for other labor-intensive careers. Make the Jobs Appealing Employees perpetuate community and prospective applicant ideas about the company by telling others about their own experiences. Thus, if employees are pleased with where they work, those employees help to create a positive reputation for the agency. Improve Image as “Diversity Friendly” The transportation industry has traditionally been thought of as a seniority- based industry that inadvertently discriminates against minority groups and females who have been in the workplace for fewer years. Use a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign Many associations and agencies recognize that recruitment challenges stem from education and the lack of information available to students and the general public about transportation jobs. Thus, some organizations have launched comprehensive marketing campaigns to improve the image of transportation. Rewards and recognition are also a large part of these campaigns. Branding the Organization/Industry 55

Exhibit 7-2 (Continued) Industry Strategies: Branding the Organization/Industry Strategy Strategy Description Capitalize on Social Networking Technology Organizations are creating accounts on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter and uploading short videos to highlight the positive aspects of a career in transportation. These are websites where originally individuals, and now organizations, design web pages to present their background and interests. These websites allow individuals to electronically connect with the websites of other individuals so that the information, pictures, and videos that are uploaded on one website appear on all the connected websites. Organizations will upload information about job opportunities, pictures of employees working and having fun, and videos of realistic job previews. WSDOT has found that joining these social networking sites allows the organization to reach more applicants while branding themselves as an “up-to-date” and “technologically savvy” employer. Another non-web-based way to network is to pass out mini- discs with video advertisements of the organization. The size of the mini-disc makes them easy to pass out and share. Additionally, the videos direct passive job seekers to websites where they can get more information. Communicate a Message and Target an Audience Organizations develop a logo and tagline with the objective of branding transportation as a desirable career. Marketing research suggests that branding can highlight the successful characteristics of a job and improve recruiting success. The following messages have been found to be effective: (1) transportation workers receive good pay and benefits, (2) you can “fit in” as a transportation worker, (3) you can start earning money right away without training or education, (4) the industry has many attractive career opportunities, (5) by working in transportation, you are giving back to the community, (6) the success of the community depends on effective transportation work, (7) transportation is a viable career for female workers, (8) the transportation industry promotes and supports on-the-job training and education, (9) transportation jobs have excellent advancement potential, (10) transportation is a great place for your son or daughter to start a career, and (11) employees have access to cutting-edge technology. Logos and taglines can be inscribed on inexpensive promotional items such as key chains and toy footballs that can be used as handouts at career fairs and career days. While handing out these items, representatives can talk to passive job seekers about the organization. 7.3 Workforce Practices. Ten workforce practices that were designed to assist in making the process of “Branding the Organization/Industry” efficient and effective were reviewed, and we identified two workforce practices that were noteworthy within this context: Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation (InTrans) Go! Magazine Washington State DOT Branding through Social Media For these two practices, we conducted a case study. Summaries of the two case studies are presented below. The full case studies can be found on the TRB website at http://trb.org/Main/Blurbs/164747.aspx as part of Volume II: Supplemental Materials. The full case study descriptions detail each practice’s background, implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and transferability. 56 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

Iowa State University's Institute for Transportation (InTrans) Go! Magazine. The Institute for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University is a large research center with more than 40 full-time faculty and professional staff and between 80 to 100 graduate student research assistants. However, three members of the InTrans publications group— two graduate student writers and a part-time editor— are dedicated solely to Go! magazine. Go! shares a managing editor and two graphic designers with the Institute of Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University. Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation (InTrans) publishes the Go! Online magazine. The goal of Go! Online magazine is to inform teens about the transportation industry and possible transportation career paths. The magazine explores the world of transportation including highway and bridge development, transit vehicles, and types of drivers. The free e-magazine is targeted to teens and young adults ages 14 to 20. As an indication of the success of the magazine, 33% of their readers stated that they were planning to pursue a career in transportation and 66% of those respondents said the magazine had influenced that decision positively. Go! is funded through grants and donations from sponsors who share a common interest in helping recruit young people to study and pursue careers in transportation. They have three levels of sponsorship: Platinum ($7,500 and up), Gold ($3,000–$6,000), and Bronze ($500–$999). This year’s (2009–2010) sponsors include the Federal Highway Administration, Iowa Math and Science Education Partnership, and Midwest Transportation Consortium at Iowa State University, which are all Platinum-level sponsors. Go! has begun using social media as well to attract bigger audiences. The magazine maintains a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Go-Exploring-the-World-of-Transportation-a-magazine-for- teens/36512518095?v=wall), videos on YouTube, and a Twitter account. In addition, beginning with the September 2009 issue, the magazine is being translated into Spanish. Iowa State University's Institute for Transportation (InTrans) Go! Magazine Job Type: All ROI: Short- to Mid-term Generation: Younger Key Program Highlights: o Informs teens about the transportation industry and possible career paths o Prints in English and Spanish o Targets young adults ages 14 to 20 o Funded through grants and sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, and Bronze) Branding the Organization/Industry 57

Washington State DOT Branding through Social Media. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has approximately 7,500 employees. WSDOT’s Human Resource (HR) division has begun using social media outlets as part of their recruitment strategy. In 2007, WSDOT’s Communications Department began identifying ways to re-brand the agency and get information about WSDOT to technology-savvy and younger (under 30) populations. Thus, the agency began using YouTube and Facebook to post agency information. The goal for WSDOT is that when the agency begins to recruit again, the general population will be much more aware of the agency. WSDOT has also tested other social networking outlets such as Google Groups, GovLoop, LinkedIn, and MySpace. For WSDOT’s Facebook page, the agency has provided information about the transportation industry and a typical career at WSDOT. WSDOT has also included a Spotlight Employee piece, which highlights a person and his/her role within WSDOT on the agency’s Facebook group page. Furthermore, WSDOT has developed a variety of videos on key position classes and sample employees, which are now incorporated as hyperlinks on the agency’s employment website. For example, WSDOT was having difficulty finding qualified maintenance people in their Northwest region so the agency created videos of actual maintenance employees and had the employees describe what they do on the job and why they perform that job. The agency first put the maintenance worker video on YouTube and then posted it on the employment website as well. WSDOT has different lines of work such as Maintenance, Engineering, Clerical, and Planning. To allow viewers of the video to find out more about business at WSDOT, six hyperlinks on the WSDOT website under “Stay Connected” send users to different social media outlets (Blogger, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, RSS, and FriendFeed). Visitors can learn more about recent and upcoming activity and projects at WSDOT. The hyperlink to YouTube connects to WSDOT's Channel, which has videos that were uploaded within the past 2 years about specific jobs or careers at WSDOT. WSDOT’s HR division has chosen social networking in order to build trust, educate the public about the transportation industry, and begin developing long-term relationships with users of social media. WSDOT has chosen to use social networking based on what the agency has observed other public and private sector organizations are using in recruiting. While no specific outcome measures have been collected at this time, WSDOT judges the success of the social networks through the increased inquiries they have received from other state government agencies. Washington State DOT Branding through Social Media Job Type: All ROI: Short-term Generation: Younger Key Program Highlights: o Social media tools include Webpage, YouTube, Facebook, Google Groups, GovLoop, LinkedIn, MySpace, Blogs, Twitter, Flickr, RSS, and FriendFeed o Spotlight Employee to highlight employee and role within the agency, along with promotional videos on key position classes and sample employees o Helps build trust, educate the public, and develop long-term relationships with users 58 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

Other Example Practices To serve as an additional resource for agencies interested in “Branding the Organization/Industry,” we have included a list of other practices that transportation agencies have implemented for this purpose. Additional information on each of the following practices can be found in one- to two-page summaries within the supplemental materials. American Road & Transportation Builders Association-Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) Awards Programs Employee Branding Employer of Choice Toolkit Engineer Your Life It’s Our Future Campaign Illinois Road Transportation Builders Association Community Presentations Promotional Videotapes Women’s Transportation Seminar The practice summaries include information, such as the lead organization, practice description, practice purpose, targeted participants, return on investment (ROI) timeline, influence of the economy, innovativeness, and resources to find out more information on the individual practices. Branding the Organization/Industry 59

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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 685: Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce includes straight-forward, implementable practices that transportation Human Resources (HR) managers and hiring professionals can use to help improve the recruitment and retention of qualified employees in their organizations.

The report provides information on workforce challenges, industry strategies, and detailed descriptions of noteworthy practices within each of 15 recruitment and retention categories.

Volume II: Supplemental Material is available online as an ISO image, which can be used to produce a CD-ROM. Volume II includes an introductory document summarizing the content of the supplemental materials and provides full case studies and summaries of other example practices related to the recruitment and retention practices.

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