National Academies Press: OpenBook

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

Chapter: Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate

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Page 81
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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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Page 84
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 84
Page 85
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 85
Page 86
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 86
Page 87
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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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Page 88
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 11 - Improving Culture/Climate." 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 88

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Chapter 11: Improving Culture/Climate The climate and culture of the organization significantly impacts whether individuals feel they “fit” with the organization, their desire to remain committed to the organization, and ultimately whether employees stay with the organization. Even in challenging economic times, when individuals are less likely to leave an organization, culture and climate can still impact the extent to which employees stay engaged and remain contributing members of the organization. In this chapter, we present challenges, strategies and workforce practices related to “Improving Culture/Climate.” Exhibit 11-1 provides a chapter snapshot. Exhibit 11-1 Snapshot of Chapter 11 Chapter Road Map Concept and Definition Building a strong, supportive culture and climate can help to increase communication, commitment, and effectiveness in operations. Workforce Challenges …..……......... 82 Applicant Trust After Layoffs Public Sector Challenges Retaining a Diverse Workforce Industry Strategies .………………… 82 Improve the Work Environment Engage the Community Survey and Interview Engage the Employees Workforce Practices …..……………. 84 City of Annapolis DOT (ADT) Inter- Office Committee (IOC) South Carolina DOT Rehabilitation Program Definition of Improving Culture/Climate: Involves building a strong and supportive environment, where employees feel their values are aligned with those of the organization. The goal of these efforts is to increase an employee’s desire to remain committed to the organization. As a result, these practices help to increase communication, commitment, and effectiveness in operations. Workforce Pipeline Target Area Target Career Stages K-12 Comm. Colleges 4 year Colleges Graduate School s Entry-Level Staff Mid-Career Staff Senior Leaders Retirees Improving Culture/Climate Chapter 11 Target Area TRANSPOR ATT ION WORKFORCE PIPELINE 81

11.1 Workforce Challenges. Programs related to “Improving Culture/Climate” are typically designed to address challenges associated with creating a strong and supportive environment where employees feel they “fit.” 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: Applicant Trust After Layoffs. Organizations that are laying-off employees or implementing hiring freezes are challenged when they reinitiate hiring. Applicants who are aware of the lay-offs tend to look for other organizations that they believe are more stable. Public Sector Challenges. Results indicated that organizations are challenged with retaining employees who are frustrated by political cycles, such as when one political appointee pressures workers to complete a project before the end of a term and then the next political appointee asks them to reverse their efforts or leave tasks unfinished. Organizations also struggle to maintain the same level of employee recognition and motivation when they are forced to eliminate picnics, parties, and bonuses because of changes in budget allocations. Retaining a Diverse Workforce. Participants suggested organizations are challenged with retaining women who decide that the nature of the work environment is not the right fit for them. This could occur because of lack of workplace flexibility in accommodating changing family or caretaking demands, lack of comfort with workplace culture, physical demands, or other reasons. 11.2 Industry Strategies. Researchers and program managers identify the following programmatic strategies when describing industry efforts in “Improving Culture/Climate” (see Exhibit 11-2). 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 11-2 Industry Strategies: Improving Culture/Climate Strategy Strategy Description Improve the Work Environment Participants indicated that retention can be improved by creating a safe and diverse work environment. They indicated that if organizations took real steps to improve safety in the workplace, workers would be more likely to stay with an organization. Some organizations have been successful in holding regular meetings with workers to gather feedback about unsafe situations. Engage the Community Organizations work with community and school organizations (such as attending meetings and developing partnerships) to achieve the following: improve industry image, build a network of employee candidates, gain community support, improve visibility in the local community, and make community members aware of industry needs and career options. As mentioned, our participants indicated that employees often feel a greater commitment to organizations that give back to the community. 82 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

Exhibit 11-2 (Continued) Industry Strategies: Improving Culture/Climate Strategy Strategy Description Survey and Interview In the past, satisfaction surveys have been used to assess the climate of the entire organization and some changes in policy were made based on the feedback gained. With larger organizations, the policy changes that positively affected one group may have caused another group to become dissatisfied. Organizations are now using more satisfaction or climate surveys with smaller groups than in the past. These surveys are being administered to teams, offices, or communities of practice, instead of entire organizations in order to more specifically identify potential issues. Larger organizations found that this was more effective in meeting the unique needs of the smaller, more manageable groups. Employee engagement is another area being assessed through organizational surveys. Employee engagement is the extent to which an employee feels a sense of commitment to the organization and to the work that they do. Organizations have found that engagement typically impacts the retention of high performers whereas satisfaction tends to have a greater affect on the retention of medium performers or “worker-bees.” A 2008 survey on global talent management found the following were the top six factors for men and women, with regard to engagement: (1) Having a Supportive Work Environment, (2) Having a Challenging Job, (3) Having a Good Fit between Life On and Off the Job, (4) Working at a Company that Has High Values, (5) Being Well Compensated, and (6) Having the Opportunity for High Achievement (Galinsky, Carter, and Bond, 2008). Organizations also use exit interviews to gather feedback from employees who have decided to leave the organization. An exit interview is a series of questions that are either asked face-to-face with the employee or in the form of a survey. The value of an exit interview is that the employee may give more honest feedback because they are no longer part of the organization. The method of exit interviewing varies. Organizations have found success when former employees have the option of being anonymous when providing feedback and if they are given the option of filling out the survey after their last day at work. These two strategies may elicit more honest feedback that should be considered when organizational policy changes or personnel decisions are made. Finally, organizations have started to notify employees via email and web portals when action is either taken or not taken based on employee feedback. This conveys a sense of transparency to the employee making them feel that the organization is listening to them as a collective group. Two factors that are important to consider with feedback systems to maintain their effectiveness are: (1) that some of the feedback must be acted upon and (2) if feedback is not acted upon, it must be accompanied by an explanation. Engage the Employees For newer employees, organizations have begun to implement a second orientation session around 6 months after employees are hired to go over more of the organization’s history, objectives, and goals, as well as re-emphasizing benefit enrollment, corporate policy, and security compliance. Organizations have found that there is only a finite amount of information employees can handle when they are starting a new job but that they are more Improving Culture/Climate 83

Exhibit 11-2 (Continued) Industry Strategies: Improving Culture/Climate Strategy Strategy Description likely to retain organizational information after a few months of learning their new job. Secondly, organizations have found that the 6 month point is a critical time in retention where employees are evaluating their job choice. Engaging them at this time may positively influence their decision to stay with the organization. For more tenured employees, organizations have found ways to connect front- line personnel directly with executives. This can be accomplished through anonymous web portals or face-to-face interviews known as “Stand-Up” or “Town Meetings.” In some cases, representatives of corporate leadership travel from one office to another holding focus groups or interviews where, without their immediate supervisors, employees can provide feedback on the work environment, leadership, and climate of that office. Two important aspects of these tools are that employees cannot experience incidents where they are retaliated against actively or passively for providing feedback and action must be occasionally taken based on the feedback received. 11.3 Workforce Practices. Eight workforce practices that were designed to assist in making the process of “Improving Culture/Climate” within transportation agencies efficient and effective were reviewed, and we identified two workforce practices that were noteworthy within this context: City of Annapolis DOT (ADT) Inter-Office Committee (IOC) South Carolina DOT (SCDOT) Rehabilitation Program 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. 84 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

City of Annapolis DOT (ADT) Inter-Office Committee (IOC) Job Type: All ROI: Short-term Generation: All Key Program Highlights: o Fosters inclusive decision making among employees allowing them to take ownership of problem solving within the Department o ~6 employees at each monthly meeting o Significantly increases employee morale City of Annapolis DOT (ADT) Inter-Office Committee (IOC). The city of Annapolis Department of Transportation employs 106 people among three components, including drivers, mechanics, and administrators. The agency provides transportation to recreational areas, shopping centers, educational and medical facilities, and employment hubs via three shuttle routes, a fixed-route system comprised of 11 routes, and a deviated fixed-route service offered to the elderly and persons with disabilities. The city of Annapolis Transit Department started developing and piloting the concept for the Inter- Office Committee (IOC) in 2005. The idea of the IOC came from a teamwork training course that the agency’s director attended. During this time, it became apparent to management that it was difficult to get everyone on the same page in terms of following policy because messages from the director would either not be received or be manipulated before reaching the front lines. Break-downs in communication caused some employees to become disgruntled and morale was dangerously low. The Inter-Office Committee (IOC) holds monthly meetings where two volunteer representatives from each of the department’s three components discuss issues and develop solutions. The purpose behind the program is to foster inclusive decision-making among employees allowing them to take ownership of problem solving within the department. Representatives not only bring information to these meetings but also take information back to their components with the responsibility of disseminating the information to other co-workers. There are typically six employees at each meeting. Meetings last between 1 hour and 90 minutes. Representatives serve for a period of 6 months, at which time they are replaced and new volunteers serve. Volunteers commit to maintaining performance equivalent to other employees and to accepting the responsibilities that are delegated to them by the committee. The first step in implementation of the IOC was to meet with each agency component and disseminate information about the new program. The second step was to ask for volunteers. The third step was to hold the first meeting. Ongoing steps include holding meetings, recording minutes, briefing the director, solving problems, educating new volunteers on the program, and evaluating the program’s success. The pilot program started in 2005 and lasted for 2 years. The result of the program has been a significant increase in employee morale. Employees express excitement to volunteer for the group. One specific example is that, in the past, memos with new information or policy changes were handed to employees in paper form and employees signed-off that they read the memo. The tendency has been for drivers to only pay attention to operational information and then feel uninformed when it came to administrative or mechanics component information. The group decided to supplement written notification with monthly “Driver Meetings,” which are staff meetings for the driver component. The “Driver Meetings” and written memo combination has been more effective in making sure that drivers hear the necessary information. The drivers also decided that a portion of the meeting should be used to collect issues for the IOC to discuss. Drivers that have been part of the committee report that being part of the group gave them a better understanding of how the department works and how they fit into the big picture. It also gives employees a process by which to solve problems they encounter in the field as opposed to the common process before where they would just immediately fill out a grievance with the union. If their issue cannot be solved by the group, they are still provided Improving Culture/Climate 85

with information on why the issue exists. Issues that are not addressed are commonly incorporated into training programs. Another workforce issue that this process has helped to alleviate is the tendency for employees who are performing below an acceptable level to go unidentified until after their probationary period. After this period, it is more difficult to terminate these employees. Now, with the IOC, poor performers are quickly identified and terminated. 86 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

South Carolina DOT Rehabilitation Program Job Type: Maintenance ROI: Short-term Generation: All Key Program Highlights: o Prior to the program’s initiation, more than 46% of buildings were 30+ years old and had yet to be updated o Since 2000, SCDOT spent from one to two million dollars per year rehabilitating buildings o Helps decrease turnover and safety violations, while improving environmental practices and employee morale South Carolina DOT Rehabilitation Program. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has approximately 5,000 to 5,300 people deployed across the state with about 900 people in their central headquarters, located in Columbia. In late 1997 and 1998, SCDOT had begun its strategic planning process and the state was also experiencing robust economic growth. During this time, SCDOT experienced significant turnover and realized the need for work environment changes. SCDOT did not have the financial ability to increase employee compensation. In addition, many SCDOT facilities in the districts were in need of significant refurbishing. At the time this program started, state government also had a privatization push which led to an increased use of contractors and moved some of SCDOT’s maintenance workers from field jobs to supervisory jobs providing oversight to the contractors. This move to more desk jobs made facility improvements that much more important since workers began spending more time in the facilities. SCDOT determined that making basic updates to the facilities would help to enhance the work environment for employees and hopefully maintain good employee morale. While the idea to make these structural changes to buildings began in 1998, the program (entitled the “rehabilitation program”) officially launched in 2000. Prior to the initiation of the rehabilitation program, more than 46% of SCDOT buildings were 30+ years old and had yet to be updated. Some of the initial changes made to facilities included adding restrooms or improving existing restrooms. Initiatives focused on addressing basic human needs. Starting in 2000, SCDOT spent from $1 to $2 million per year rehabilitating buildings by making improvements to electrical systems, heating and air conditioning, the work space, replacing windows and doors, and generally improving the work environment. In the past 8 years, SCDOT has spent approximately 20% of its capital improvement budget on the rehabilitation program. Recently, due to a decrease in new construction projects, the rehabilitation program has accounted for approximately 50% of the agency’s capital improvement budget. While direct measures of employee satisfaction with the rehabilitation program have not been utilized, “word of mouth” claims by employees, overall observance of employee morale, decreased turnover, decreased safety violations, and improved environmental practices all suggest this program has been successful. Improving Culture/Climate 87

Other Example Practices To serve as an additional resource for agencies interested in “Improving Culture/Climate,” 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. Annual Employee Surveys Employee Work Space Upgrade Florida DOT Uniforms for Maintenance Workers Program High Employee Involvement as a Strategy for Retention King County Metro Transit Culture Change Organizational Integration Survey 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. 88 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce

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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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