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35  Supporting employee growth is crucial to the long-term success and sustainability of air- ports. The most important skills and key competencies that are lacking in employees are tech- nical skills, personal effectiveness and professional skills, and overall knowledge of the airport industry. This in part is due to new graduates from aviation programs across the country enter- ing the aviation industry without the background knowledge or skill sets required to thrive on the job. This results in airports spending extra time and resources up front to educate new hires about the industry. Competition with outside organizations that offer greater flexibility, promising career paths, and higher salaries is a threat to the airport industry. Though larger airport organizations may be able to compete in salary with outside entities, airports often operate 24/7 which reduces the opportunity to offer more flexible schedules. Additionally, small airports often lose talent to larger airports and although this is a win to the industry overall, small airports are committing a lot of resources to developing talent and then losing employees based on higher salary offerings or greater potential for career growth that can be obtained elsewhere. This chapter includes six plays airports may use to support employee growth in their organi- zations. Each play contains information on potential indicators of a need; implementation steps; tools and resources; and alternative approaches. Table 2 contains descriptions of the six plays in this chapter along with brief highlights and corresponding page numbers. Chapter 3 Supporting Employee Growth
36 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play Overview Page Play 7: Provide job shadowing opportunities to broaden employee skills Job shadowing provides employees the opportunity to learn about and observe the responsibilities and interactions of different jobs within the airport without transitioning from their current roles. 37 Play 8: Facilitate reciprocal mentoring opportunities to increase employee capabilities Facilitating a reciprocal mentoring program is a cost-effective strategy for encouraging collaborative learning within the airport and provides employees with opportunities to engage with and learn from their colleagues. 41 Play 9: Guide employees in pursuing relevant training or certifications to improve their skills Managers may be able to generate a list of acceptable training opportunities for employees by consulting with HR or training personnel; discussing possible opportunities with other department managers; inquiring about opportunities offered by organizations, such as the AAAE or ACIâNA; and searching the internet for any relevant programs. 45 Play 10: Conduct constructive feedback sessions for leaders to promote consistency across employees Constructive feedback involves using facts (versus opinions) to support appraisals of employeesâ performance, describing the impact of employeesâ actions, and providing guidance for future behavior. 49 Play 11: Share sources for publicly available developmental opportunities to promote growth Providing employees with resources that may aid in their personal and professional development (e.g., online training materials, magazine subscriptions, research articles, conference or workshop materials) is a cost- effective way to encourage their skill-building and knowledge growth, and to support a knowledge-sharing culture. 53 Play 12: Facilitate career path discussions to share career development opportunities with employees A career path is a sequence of jobs an employee can progress through to guide them and provide an understanding of how to reach their career goals. 57 Table 2. Plays for supporting employee growth.
Supporting Employee Growth 37Â Â Play 7: Provide Job Shadowing Opportunities to Broaden Employee Skills Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Job shadowing provides employees the opportunity to learn about and observe the responsibilities and interactions of different jobs within the airport without transitioning from their current role. Through job shadowing, employees can see different roles or job functions at the airport to understand the daily tasks completed in that job as well as the skills needed to be successful. This experience not only allows airport employees to gain a broader understanding of how the airport functions, but it also supports knowledge management and prepares employees for future promotions or new jobs. Job shadowing allows employees to gain access to crucial information they might not otherwise gain during their everyday tasks and allows them to see how different departments within the airport operate, which will be key in preparing for future jobs. It also provides a mutually beneficial relationship for the host and the participant. As a result of job shadowing, employees are better equipped to take over job functions in the event of employee retirement, turnover, or extended leave because they have the understanding and perspective for how the participant performs their work. At the same time, the host can grow their coaching, networking, communication, and leadership skills, which can be beneficial as they advance in their career. Job shadowing does not need to be focused solely on job duties in the airportâother opportunities for shadowing include at events, conferences, presentations, or any other event at which an employee could learn from observing. Indicator #1 Lack of knowledge regarding different functional areas of the airport Indicator #2 Lack of interdepartmental relationships across the airport Indicator #3 Employees are unprepared to transition into leadership positions Indicator #4 Employee skills are limited to those required in their current role
38 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 7: Provide Job Shadowing Opportunities to Broaden Employee Skills (cont.) Job Shadowing Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Determine the type of job shadowing program that works best for the airport and meets overall needs and resource availability. Step 2: Define the program, focus areas, and goals. This should include what the program is about; who it will include; where and when it will take place; how it will be rolled out; and the overall purpose. Step 3: Gather input from employees regarding types of jobs they would like to shadow, areas of the airport that they would benefit from learning about, and what they are interested in learning from job shadowing. Step 4: Identify employees in each airport functional area to coordinate opportunities for their employees to job shadow and to serve as hosts. Step 5: Invite employees to participate in the job shadowing program. Step 6: Schedule job shadowing opportunities. Step 7: Support the participants and hosts during program implementation. Step 8: Evaluate the program using surveys and exit interviews upon program completion. Step 9: Using participant feedback, adjust program as needed for future job shadowing opportunities. Implementation Tools and Resources ⢠Using organizational charts that show all the various airport departments and relationships among different roles may identify beneficial job shadowing opportunities. ⢠Leadership roundtable that describes the structure of job shadowing and its benefits to the airport, employees, and different departments can improve buy-in. ⢠Coordinate with sponsoring employees to ensure that job shadowing opportunities are relevant and will provide the needed knowledge and skill development for employees. The San Diego Regional Airport Authority has a designated team devoted to developing and organizing programs that help their employees grow within the organization and as leaders. Their career development program takes a multi-perspective approach to career growth. A representative from this airport indicated that because the airport does not have much upward mobility, they look for other ways to develop employees laterally. One of these methods is a job shadowing program, through which employees can learn about a job in another part of the airport. In this airport, the job shadowing program typically lasts 3 months. For an employee to participate, their manager must be willing to allow them to leave their own job for the programâs duration.
Supporting Employee Growth 39  19 https://www.adp.com/spark/articles/2018/11/the-benefits-of-establishing-a-job-shadowing-program-for-employees.aspx 20 https://www.mmu.ac.uk/media/mmuacuk/content/documents/human-resources/a-z/guidance-procedures-and-handbooks/Job_Shadowing_Guidelines.pdf 21 https://hr.un.org/page/job-shadowing Play 7: Provide Job Shadowing Opportunities to Broaden Employee Skills (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠Create clear guidelines and requirements to identify who can participate in job shadowing. d ⢠Provide specific details about how the job shadowing program is structured, the goals, and overall benefits that can be gaine through participation. ⢠Be adaptable and willing to adjust the job shadowing program if needed. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠Employees may feel left out or disrespected if they do not understand why other employees are invited to participate. Set clear requirements for participation and eligibility to avoid these feelings by employees. ⢠To avoid shadowing employees getting in the way of others conducting their work, make sure to orient participants to the program and how to participate. If you are looking for more information providing job shadowing opportunities, visit these sources: ⢠The benefits of establishing a job shadowing program for employees by ADP19 ⢠Example job shadowing guidelines by Manchester Metropolitan University20 ⢠Tips and example guidelines for job shadowing on the UNâs HR portal21 Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to implement job shadowing opportunities, try inviting employees to observe a special event. If you already have a job shadowing program, a job rotational program might be good for you. Invite airport employees to observe a specific event: When it is not feasible to have an employee observe a full job role, it may be helpful to expose them to a specific event that they may not otherwise see in their job (e.g., public briefing, conference). Provide job shadowing opportunities to broaden employee skills. Implement a job rotational program: In these programs, employees gain exposure to different types of roles at the airport by being assigned to different jobs in the airport. However, these programs are more formalized and longer term than shadowing, and employees actually work in the different job roles, rather than only observing others.
40 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 7: Provide Job Shadowing Opportunities to Broaden Employee Skills (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Participation in job shadowing ⢠Improvements in employee knowledge and skills ⢠Growth in employee networks across the airport ⢠Ability for staff to transition to new roles As an example of a short-term internal job shadowing opportunity, one company instituted a Take Your Coworker to Work Day, during which employees could visit another department within the organization to learn about the different work conducted by the company. Through this program, employees were excited to learn about the work of others and they were engaged in new ways in the organization. For more information, see https://www.thebalancecareers.com/career-paths-4161858.
Supporting Employee Growth 41Â Â Play 8: Facilitate Reciprocal Mentoring Opportunities to Increase Employee Capabilities Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Reciprocal mentoring is a mentoring relationship in which employees alternate providing advice, guidance, and wisdom to one another. This structure is mutually beneficial as it allows employees to teach and learn from their partners, rather than have only one employee serving as the mentor or teacher. Pairings may involve a senior employee with a great deal of airport knowledge with a junior employee with strong technical skills, or peers who work in different functional areas but are interested in learning about each otherâs work. In many reciprocal mentoring programs, benefits include experienced employees sharing their organizational knowledge so that it does not âwalk out the doorâ when these employee retire, while younger generations of employees share their experience with new technologies or methodologies to complete work more efficiently. Employees may choose to switch off the roles of mentor/mentee every other meeting or hold both roles in the same meeting. For maximum benefit, employees should be paired with colleagues who can teach them new skills and who would like to learn new skills that their partner can teach. These mentoring partnerships can be formal or informal in nature and should be tailored to suit the needs of the employees who participate. Mentoring in this format can support employee growth by providing a resource for approaching problems and encouraging networking between colleagues that may not normally interact with each other. Implementing a reciprocal mentoring program also shows support for a knowledge-sharing culture, which is linked to increased efficiency and employee satisfaction. In sum, the implementation of a reciprocal mentoring program is a cost-effective strategy for encouraging collaborative learning within the airport and provides employees with opportunities to engage with and learn from their colleagues. Indicator #1 There are gaps in employeesâ required or desired skills or knowledge, but these individuals have expertise in other areas Indicator #2 Employees feel they are not given opportunities to learn from their colleagues, but would like to Indicator #3 Employees desire greater opportunities to expand their professional networks
42 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 8: Facilitate Reciprocal Mentoring Opportunities to Increase Employee Capabilities (cont.) Reciprocal Mentoring Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the goals of the mentoring program, including the metrics by which the success of the program will be measured (e.g., career progression for participants). Step 2: Determine characteristics about the mentoring program, such as the timeline for, term of pairing, and frequency of meetings between partners (e.g., monthly, weekly). Step 3: Develop materials to support participants, such as guidelines for the partnership, training for how to effectively mentor, and/or planning templates to help determine what participants will discuss. Step 4: Invite employees to participate in the program. On their program application, ask employees to report their areas of expertise as well as skill sets they currently lack but would like to attain. Step 5: Review the application results and match employees with one another so that each pairing can be mutually beneficial for employees. Step 6: Inform employees who their mentoring partner is; explain the rationale behind the pairing; provide any resources or recommendations to employees; and encourage employees to set personal goals that are specific, measurable, and can be accomplished over the course of the pairing. Step 7: Ensure that employees are given the necessary time to meet with their partner. Step 8: Use surveys or informal discussions to regularly assess the extent to which the needs of both employees are being met and whether progress is being made toward the goals of the mentoring program. Implementation Tools and Resources ⢠Creating a brief mentoring manual may be helpful, especially for first time mentors. Information in this manual may include the vision for the mentoring program, policies for the mentorship program, and a list of FAQs. ⢠For ease in matching employees, predetermining a list of skill sets and including this list on the application may be useful. Employees would select their areas of expertise and areas for skill development from this list. ⢠If resources allow, services such as MentorcliQ or Mentoring Talent by Insala may be used to survey employees about their skill sets (and lack thereof) and pair them appropriately. However, employees may also be surveyed through free services (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Google Forms) and paired manually. The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport developed a peer resource group for employees who are in Generation Y (i.e., the millennial generation) called the Future Leaders Initiative. One way that employees in this resource group support each other is through peer mentoring. This mentoring program involves individuals developing and delivering presentations to the group on various topics, such as personal branding, effective delegation, and how to attain buy-in for ideas. This program is a type of reciprocal mentoring opportunity because all members are both mentors and mentees, learning from each other. This program has served to support knowledge transfer, professional development, and professional networking among the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport staff.
Supporting Employee Growth 43  22 https://www.quill.com/blog/workplace-culture/how-to-set-up-a-reciprocal-mentoring-program-for-employee-engagement.html 23 http://www.fau.edu/mentoringproject/pdf/mentor-training.pdf 24 https://artofmentoring.net/reverse-reciprocal-mentoring/ Play 8: Facilitate Reciprocal Mentoring Opportunities to Increase Employee Capabilities (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠Matching employees who can learn from and teach each other is imperative for the success of a reciprocal mentoring program. This can be achieved by carefully reviewing the skill sets and skill gaps of each employee and creating pairs based on this information. ⢠Mentor/mentee relationships are usually most successful when the employees are paired for at least 6 months. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠Junior employees may be hesitant to think of themselves as mentors, and senior employees may be hesitant to think of themselves as mentees but emphasizing that each employee has something to teach and learn will likely help mitigate this issue. ⢠To ensure high levels of participation, managers should encourage their employees to join and allow them time in their schedules. ï§ If you are looking for more information about reciprocal mentoring, visit these sources: ⢠Tips for implementing reciprocal mentoring from Quill.com22 ⢠Example mentor manual from Florida Atlantic University23 ⢠Reverse and reciprocal mentoring webinar presented by Melissa Richardson and Gina Meibusch24 Carbon24 ï§ Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to try reciprocal mentoring, you may want to provide mentoring resources to your employees that they can use on their own as they see fit. If you have already implemented reciprocal mentoring, try implementing a peer-to-peer learning program. Provide mentoring resources to employees: It may be beneficial to provide employees with the reciprocal mentoring resources and let them informally mentor one another. Implement a reciprocal mentoring program to increase employee capabilities. Implement a peer-to-peer learning program: This type of program can be implemented by pairing or grouping employees together to work through problems and discuss their work experiences in a structured format. Implementing this program provides participants with a support system and encourages collaborative learning.
44 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 8: Facilitate Reciprocal Mentoring Opportunities to Increase Employee Capabilities (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Increased participation in the program ⢠Positive comments from reciprocal mentoring participants ⢠High scores on program satisfaction surveys from participants As an example of an effective reciprocal mentoring program, an organization wanted to implement a mentoring program but did not have enough senior-level employees to serve as mentors. Instead they decided to use a mentoring program in which all employees could serve as mentors. By implementing this reciprocal mentoring program, turnover decreased and staff reported feeling valued and like they were part of the organizationâs mission. For more information, see this case study at http://www.mentorleadershipteam.com/articles/reciprocal-mentoring-redefining-the-relationship.
Supporting Employee Growth 45Â Â Play 9: Guide Employees in Pursuing Relevant Training or Certifications to Improve Their Skills Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Employees often do not have sufficient opportunities to participate in voluntary training and development opportunities that are designed to improve their skills or increase their technical or professional knowledge. One reason for this is that some managers view these opportunities as something that can only be done if time permits after completing things of higher priority (e.g., their daily work). However, this mindset often results in employees encountering challenges with prioritizing their personal or professional development, leaving their knowledge and skill acquisition stagnant. When employees are unable to pursue professional development opportunities, such as relevant training or certifications, it can also lead to skill gaps within the airport. To make learning a priority within oneâs team, airport managers should make knowledge and skill acquisition an expectation and establish a culture that supports pursuing varied learning opportunities. It is important to note that simply suggesting that employees attend training or obtain certifications will not be enough to establish a learning culture or support employee growth. Managers need to display supportive behaviors that show employees that they have resources to learn. For example, a manager could generate a list of relevant opportunities, designate a portion of the budget to sponsor employees who attend training, allow employees to use work hours to obtain certifications and attend training, or reduce the work or stress load of employees while they are pursuing approved opportunities. Managers may be able to generate a list of acceptable opportunities by consulting with the HR department or training personnel; discussing possible opportunities with other department managers; inquiring about any opportunities offered by organizations such as the AAAE or ACIâNA; and searching the internet for relevant programs. Employees may also bring opportunities to their managers for approval. Indicator #1 There are gaps in employeesâ desired or required knowledge or skills Indicator #2 Employees are unsure where to find opportunities to promote their knowledge and skill growth Indicator #3 Employees feel as though they are not given opportunities to grow their skill sets Indicator #3 Employees do not have time to pursue relevant training or certifications
46 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 9: Guide Employees in Pursuing Relevant Training or Certifications to Improve Their Skills (cont.) Encouraging Employee Training Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s ⢠It may be helpful to use a budgeting worksheet to track available funds for sponsoring employees. ⢠Creating and maintaining a running list of all training and/or certification programs that have been approved may be helpful for employeesâ reference when searching for relevant opportunities. Within this list, employees who participate in various opportunities may report their perceptions of the training. Each year, the San Luis Obispo Airport budgets for various training opportunities to ensure that employees have all required and desired knowledge and skills. Most training opportunities are provided by the Learning and Development Center (LDC), run by the county HR department, and teach various skills that are relevant across departments (e.g., using computer software, writing effective reports, resolving workplace conflict). San Luis Obispo Airport reports that these training opportunities help them foster employee growth by showing employees a path toward leadership and encouraging employees to acquire skills they are unlikely to learn in their daily work. To promote these opportunities, managers highlight relevant trainings during employeesâ annual reviews. Step 1: Identify a list of relevant and useful training and/or certification programs by consulting with HR or training personnel; discussing potential opportunities with other managers; asking about opportunities through organizations such as AAAE or ACIâNA; and searching the internet. Step 2: Determine the budget available for sponsoring employees to attend training and/or obtain certifications. Also determine opportunities that may be available at a low cost or free of charge. Step 3: Establish the selection process for awarding funds to sponsor employees (e.g., first come, first served basis, tenure) and the criteria for using work time to participate (e.g., relevance, time required). Step 4: Determine the process for requesting funds and requesting to participate in the training and certification opportunities, ensuring that the process aligns with any airport rules or regulations. Step 5: Develop materials to communicate the list of available opportunities; the process for requesting funds; the process for requesting time to participate in opportunities; and the personal benefits of participating in training and/or obtaining certifications to employees. Step 6: If desired, identify training/certification opportunities that may be of interest to specific employees and communicate these programs to employees during individual meetings, such as performance reviews. For example, you may suggest a leadership skill development course to an employee who has indicated interest in advancing upward. Step 7: If possible, reduce the workload of employees who are approved for using work hours to participate in training or certification during the time period of their training so they feel like they can fully participate and be engaged. Implementation Tools and Resources
Supporting Employee Growth 47  25https://hbr.org/2018/09/make-sure-everyone-on-your-team-sees-learning-as-part-of-their-job 26 https://www.aaae.org/aaae/AAAEMBR/AAAEMemberResponsive/PD/Training/Onsite_Training/Onsite_Training.aspx#cal 27 https://www.iata.org/en/training/subject-areas/airport-courses/ Play 9: Guide Employees in Pursuing Relevant Training or Certifications to Improve Their Skills (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠Managers should be thorough when generating the list of training and certification opportunities and programs to ensure that it is all-encompassing, and employees understand the available opportunities. ⢠Identifying useful training or certifications for specific employees will highlight a managerâs commitment to employee growth and encourage these employees to gain needed knowledge or skills. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠Managers should try to lighten employeesâ workload or stress when they are attending approved programs to ensure that they have time to take advantage of these opportunities. ⢠Employees are sometimes asked to present what they learned after training, but this is often difficult to do immediately after learning new concepts. Instead, allow employees time to apply what they have learned and share after they have had time to process. ï§ If you are looking for more information about encouraging employees to pursue training, visit these sources: ⢠How to encourage employees to pursue training/certifications by Harvard Business Review25 ⢠List of airport-related training opportunities by AAAE26 ⢠Available airport employee training courses by IATA27 ï§ Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to encourage employees to pursue relevant training or certifications, try simply providing employees with a list of available internal training. If you already encourage employees to pursue external training or certifications, try working with employees to create skill development plans based on their goals. Provide employees with a list of available internal training: To encourage skill development, try sharing specific internal training opportunities with employees. Guide employees in pursuing relevant training or certifications to improve their skills. Create skill development plans with employees: When managers meet with their employees one-on- one, help them identify short- and long-term developmental goals, and craft skill development plans based on these goals, it encourages employees to pursue specific training and certification programs that will directly contribute to their desired growth.
48 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 9: Guide Employees in Pursuing Relevant Training or Certifications to Improve Their Skills (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Training participation rates ⢠Learner competency and proficiency improvements (pre- and post- guidance) ⢠Ratings of training utility ⢠Improvements in operational metrics (e.g., project delivery, customer satisfaction) As an example of successful implementation of this play, the San Luis Obispo (SLO) airport implemented a Learning and Development Center (LDC) to shape their future workforce. Leaders guide their employees to take classes, and advocating for pursing relevant training is incorporated into performance evaluations; coaching and development sessions; and the overall culture related to training. A key success point for this initiative was to get buy-in and support for professional growth from staff at all levels in the airport. When leaders and managers advocate for a program and participants range from entry- to senior-level, professional development becomes part of the culture and does not have to be forced. For more information on this study, see Appendix: Case Studies.
Supporting Employee Growth 49Â Â Play 10: Conduct Constructive Feedback Sessions for Leaders to Promote Consistency Across Employees Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play Managers often assess employee performance and provide feedback in ways that may be informative but not constructive, open, or consistent. However, assessing and providing feedback to employees is important for employeesâ continued development and perceptions of fairness. For example, evaluating employees on a regular basis is necessary to see improvements in their performance over time, and evaluating them consistently (e.g., evaluating employees similarly regardless of their demographic characteristics) is necessary to ensure an equitable workplace. It is also important to allow employees to have the opportunity to discuss their performance assessments to increase their perceptions of fairness. Finally, managers should provide constructive feedback so employees are aware of specific areas where they can improve and not be discouraged by the feedback they receive. Constructive feedback involves using facts (versus opinions) to support appraisals of employeesâ performance, describing the impact of employeesâ actions, and providing guidance for future behavior. To encourage helpful and equitable feedback, managers may consider conducting constructive feedback sessions with those on their team who supervise employees to share productive ways of assessing and providing feedback. These sessions may also teach supervisors how to provide more useful and consistent feedback during the formal review process as well as on a regular basis throughout the year. These constructive feedback sessions can teach supervisors how to be aware of their implicit biases in performance assessment and help them adopt a coaching mindset, which encourages the involvement of employees in their evaluations to brainstorm ways to improve performance. The specific topics covered within the constructive feedback sessions should be determined based on the needs of each team (e.g., providing concrete areas of improvement, identifying potential biases). Indicator #1 Employees feel managers do not provide open, consistent, and/or constructive feedback Indicator #2 Employeesâ job performance does not improve after receiving feedback Indicator #3 Managers are not provided with guidance on how to give feedback Indicator #4 Employees feel they are not involved with their evaluations
50 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 10: Conduct Constructive Feedback Sessions for Leaders to Promote Consistency Across Employees (cont.) Constructive Feedback Sessions Success Story Step 1: Identify areas for improvement for the current performance feedback process by surveying employees or asking supervisors on your team to report on their feedback/assessment styles . Step 2: Develop measurable and specific goals for the constructive feedback sessions (e.g., teach supervisors how to identify their potential biases) based on the identified areas for improvement . Step 3: Research best practices for assessing employee performance and delivering feedback, and formulate content (e.g., topic areas, PowerPoints, activities) for the constructive feedback sessions. Step 4: Schedule the constructive feedback sessions with the supervisors on your team. Find times that work for all supervisors as these sessions should be a strongly encouraged or mandatory. Step 5: Host the constructive feedback sessions, focusing on topics such as: ⢠Giving feedback regularly (e.g., quarterly, biannually) ⢠Focusing on facts (versus opinions) about employeesâ behavior ⢠Avoiding demeaning or belittling language ⢠Providing concrete areas for improvement to employees ⢠Identifying potential biases ⢠Allowing employees to discuss their assessments Step 6: Solicit feedback about the sessions and be open to adjusting for future sessions. Step 7: Measure the impact of these sessions by assessing changes in employeesâ perceptions of their supervisorsâ feedback and assessment approaches, or changes in supervisorâs self -reported feedback/assessment styles. Implementation Tools and Resources ⢠It may be helpful to create a repository of all materials or resources shared during the constructive feedback sessions so supervisors may reference these later as needed. ⢠Create a template for supervisors in the team to use when completing a performance appraisal to promote consistency; they can reference the same template for all employees during all review periods. ⢠Establish talking points to help supervisors deliver constructive feedback. Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s After employees reported a desire for more consistent and detailed performance feedback, Minnesota Metropolitan Airport developed a new performance review system. After initially developing this system, the airport began to pilot test it in some workgroups, all of which reported satisfaction with the new system. Performance reviews are now designed to facilitate conversations about employeesâ performance between employees and their supervisors and encourage employees to set goals for their future performance. Minnesota Metropolitan Airport trained their supervisors on giving the new performance reviews and taught them how to write specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) goals. This airport encourages performance reviews to occur quarterly.
Supporting Employee Growth 51  28 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/performance-management/performance-management-cycle/monitoring/feedback-is-critical-to-improving- performance/ 29 https://www.forbes.com/sites/gradsoflife/2019/12/10/the-four-pillars-of-the-coaching-mindset/#a8f64d856b39 30 https://hbr.org/2019/01/why-most-performance-evaluations-are-biased-and-how-to-fix-them Play 10: Conduct Constructive Feedback Sessions for Leaders to Promote Consistency Across Employees (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠It is important that the benefits of these sessions (e.g., improvements in employee performance, improved perceptions of fairness) are made clear to supervisors to encourage buy-in. ⢠Managers who organize these sessions may consider highlighting specific performance appraisal and management approaches that can be improved upon. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠To increase buy-in, be sure to emphasize that these constructive feedback sessions are not to punish leaders for specific behaviors, but rather to focus on improvement and leader growth. ⢠To ensure that managers have time in their schedules to attend feedback sessions, try hosting these sessions as lunch and learns. If you are looking for more information about constructive feedback sessions, visit these sources: ⢠Giving feedback to improve employee performance by OPM28 ⢠How to adopt a coaching mindset by Forbes29 ⢠How to limit bias in employee feedback and performance appraisals by Harvard Business Review30 Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to conduct constructive feedback sessions for supervisors, try asking supervisors to reflect on how they give feedback. If you already conduct constructive feedback sessions, try implementing a developmental review process for leaders. Ask managers to reflect on how they give feedback: Managers can be asked what they do to ensure they give consistent, constructive, unbiased feedback. This focus can ultimately improve their feedback to staff. Conduct constructive feedback sessions for leaders to promote consistency. Implement a developmental review process: Developmental reviews are interactive, one-on- one discussions between leaders and their supervisors in which supervisors give performance- related feedback and discuss opportunities for growth with the leader. These reviews should be kept separate from performance reviews in which administrative decisions are made (e.g., raises).
52 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 10: Conduct Constructive Feedback Sessions for Leaders to Promote Consistency Across Employees (cont.) (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Frequency of feedback given to employees ⢠Leader and staff ratings of feedback utility ⢠Consistency of feedback ratings across leaders
Supporting Employee Growth 53Â Â Play 11: Share Sources for Publicly Available Developmental Opportunities to Promote Growth Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play There are a variety of publicly available resources that may aid in employeesâ personal and professional development (e.g., online training materials, magazine subscriptions, research articles, conference or workshop materials), many of which can be accessed at little to no cost. For example, by providing employees with a subscription to a management magazine (e.g., Harvard Business Review ), managers may be able to learn how to handle various staff issues from research scholars and management professionals. Resources such as these provide employees with new avenues for personal or professional development by introducing new perspectives and appealing to different learning styles. Providing employees with these resources is a cost-effective way to encourage their skill-building and knowledge growth and to support a knowledge-sharing culture. Oftentimes, organizations have these publicly available resources, but employees are unaware of them or do not use them often. Thus, after identifying these materials, it is important for airport managers to ensure they are stored in an organized and easily accessible way, and that this repository of materials is highly publicized and regularly promoted. It is also important to update the repository of resources regularly so that it always has the most up-to-date information and employees continue to find the materials useful. If the repository is not kept up to date, employees will lose interest and motivation in using it and the resources. New resources may be found by asking HR or training personnel for any materials they may have access to, asking other managers for any resources they frequently reference, or by searching the internet. Indicator #1 Employees are unsure where to find opportunities to develop new skills Indicator #2 Employees lack desired or required skills or knowledge Indicator #3 Employees need resources to reference when facing challenges on the job Indicator #4 Your team has developmental materials that employees are unaware of or find difficult to access
54 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 11: Share Sources for Publicly Available Developmental Opportunities to Promote Growth (cont.) Sharing Available Development Opportunities Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Survey employees to assess which topics or areas they would most like to have resources for (e.g., leadership skill development, communication skills development) and identify individual(s) who will be responsible for locating resources, storing resources in easily accessible location, and updating resources as needed. Step 2: Determine the budget and resources available for acquiring resources. Step 3: Identify materials that may be of use to employees by (a) searching key words (e.g., passenger management, customer service) on the internet for relevant research articles, conference or workshop materials, or online training resources; (b) reaching out to other managers to see what resources they have access to or use; and/or (c) looking into magazine or journal subscriptions that cover topics of interest (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Journal of Airport Management ). You may also want to meet with HR or training personnel to determine resources the airport can access. Step 4: Store all identified resources in one centralized accessible location (e.g., airport intranet, department/team universal drive). Step 5: Develop communication materials to promote the repository of resources , publicize the repository to employees, and encourage employees to take time to review and use the materials. Step 6: Survey employees to assess their satisfaction with the resources, how frequently they reference the resources, what would make them reference the resources more often, and what resources are missing that they would like to have included in the repository. Step 7: Update, replace, and revise resources as needed, using a set schedule (e.g., quarterly). Implementation Tools and Resources ⢠It may be helpful to keep a running list of all resources that are available to employees so they can easily search for materials using titles, keywords, authors, or sources. ⢠An online survey platform may be helpful for assessing the topic areas employees would like resources for and employeesâ satisfaction with the resources. Some free survey platforms include Google Forms and SurveyMonkey. A mid-sized transit agency created an online repository of tools, knowledge, and information for their managers to use. Before housing their resources in one centralized location, managers had several different files across the agency and each manager referenced different materials for each problem they encountered. By creating this repository of materials, managers in this agency have shared access to information, tools, templates, processes, and procedures. This transit agency reports that by providing employees with easy access to available resources, employees were able to reduce the amount of time spent trying to solve problems, ultimately improving their efficiency, and encouraging employee professional development.
Supporting Employee Growth 55  31 https://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/ 32 https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243672 33 https://www.securedocs.com/blog/2014/07/so-youve-decided-to-setup-an-online-document-repository-now-what Play 11: Share Sources for Publicly Available Developmental Opportunities to Promote Growth (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠Periodically surveying employees to assess their satisfaction with the resources and adjusting the repository based on feedback will ensure the resources utilized are meeting employeesâ needs. ⢠It is important to maintain the repository of resources so that employees find them useful. Maintenance may include checking that links work properly or identifying new, relevant resources. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠To ensure that employees with various learning styles find the resources useful, offer a variety of resources (e.g., videos, written materials, and interactive tools). ⢠Employees may not use the sources if they do not see their relevance or have the desire to develop skills in available areas. To increase use, suggest materials based on areas where employees have expressed interest in further professional development. ï§ If you are looking for more information about sharing available developmental materials, visit these sources: ⢠Example repository of resources by the FAA31 ⢠Free employee development resources from Entrepreneur32 ⢠Tips for setting up a corporate resource repository by Secure Docs33 ï§ Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready to share publicly available resources with employees, try reminding employees about any training available through the airport. If you already share sources for publicly available resources with employees, try asking employees to discuss the key points from the sources during meetings. Remind employees about available training: Reminding employees of any training they may take will encourage them to invest in personal development. Share sources for publicly available developmental opportunities to promote growth. Ask employees to discuss the key points from resources during meetings: To further encourage a knowledge-sharing culture, try giving employees time to discuss the development resources they found helpful during department or group meetings. This will also help publicize the resources.
56 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 11: Share Sources for Publicly Available Developmental Opportunities to Promote Growth (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Use of varied resources ⢠Improvement in employee knowledge and skills ⢠Increased employee discussions and sharing regarding the resources ⢠Requests for access to or information about resources
Supporting Employee Growth 57Â Â Play 12: Facilitate Career Path Discussions to Share Career Development Opportunities with Employees Overview of Play Possible Indicators of a Need for this Play A career path is a sequence of different jobs that an employee can progress through within an organization, which can guide them and provide an understanding regarding how to reach their overall career goals. Career paths allow employees to see a potential route for career advancement and therefore allows them to develop their overall knowledge and skills in a planned manner, which can lead to promotions, job transfers, and new positions. While individual managers may not be able to create career paths for their airports, they can have directed conversations with their employees about current airport career paths or opportunities for lateral or upward progression within the organization. These career path conversations should also include identifying applicable training, education, and developmental activities to help guide employees on their respective paths. Managers should also make sure that they are listening to employees during these discussions to better understand the types of opportunities, development, and growth that their employees desire. Having career path discussions with employees on an ongoing basis and during annual performance reviews directly impacts the entire airportâs performance by increasing overall employee engagement, satisfaction, motivation, productivity, and collaboration in fulfilling work tasks and objectives. When employees can see how they can potentially progress and grow in their careers, they are more willing to put in additional effort to achieve those goals. Currently, there is increased competition with other organizations and industries for airport employees. If airport employees do not know about their opportunities for growth and advancement at the airport, they may choose to leave the airport to work for a different organization that they perceive has greater growth potential. Indicator #1 Employees do not have long-term career goals Indicator #2 High employee turnover, especially at lower levels Indicator #3 Lack of perceived career mobility within the team and airport Indicator #4 Employees desire greater responsibilities and connections within and outside the team
58 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 12: Facilitate Career Path Discussions to Share Career Development Opportunities with Employees (cont.) Career Path Discussions Success Story Im pl em en ta tio n St ep s Step 1: Establish the goals for the career path discussions. Consider your employees, their current jobs or work situations, and career paths or opportunities that may benefit them. Step 2: Determine the characteristics of the career path discussions, such as how many there will be, how often they will occur; when they will take place; and who will be the facilitator. You may want to plan group discussions if you have many employees in similar places in their careers, or one-on-one conversations for employees who may at a different place on a career path or who have differing career aspirations. Step 3: Gather materials to prepare for the career path discussions. This could include copies of airport career paths from HR or other documents related to jobs in the airport and career growth opportunities. Step 4: If your airport does not have materials about career paths, develop career path guides consolidating job descriptions, relevant training and education, and career path diagrams for each career path that employees can reference to develop individual development plans (IDPs). Step 5: Conduct the career path discussions in an informal setting, ensuring that you capture accurate employee responses and their overall career vision. Answer employee questions, and if you cannot answer questions that they have or need to provide additional information, be sure to follow up after the session. Step 6: Work with employees to monitor their IDP and discuss actionable strategies that can be implemented to follow their career path and support their desired career growth. Implementation Tools and Resources ⢠Compiling resource materials that provide employees with the different possible career paths within the organization and the benefits of each can support effective career path discussions. ⢠Create a personal career narrative to share work experiences with employees so that they can understand career growth and development opportunities (see Play 16 in this Playbook). The Naples Airport Authority recognizes the importance of emphasizing employee engagement and career growth to stay competitive in the airport industry. One of their organizational goals is to âequip employees and leaders to excel today while preparing for tomorrow.â Like many other organizations, Naples Airport faces the challenge of attracting and retaining talent, but they understand engaging current employees and taking steps to prepare them for a future in the airport industryâwhether in their airport or anotherâis crucial to the success of the industry. Naples Airport has established career paths, which outline advancement opportunit ies for progressive growth and leadership, even if it means employees leave for a larger organization once they have reached their maximum potential at Naples Airport.
Supporting Employee Growth 59  34 https://fellow.app/blog/2019/career-development-conversations-with-employees/ 35 https://dhrm.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/Tips-for-talking-to-Employee.pdf 36 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/steps-to-create-a-career-development-plan-1917798 Play 12: Facilitate Career Path Discussions to Share Career Development Opportunities with Employees (cont.) Additional Resources Key Success Factors ⢠Partner with HR to make sure the airport has career paths that are aligned with in-demand and growing roles to ensure realistic advancement opportunities. Adjust the career paths to further encourage growth, if needed. ⢠Being open with employees during career path discussions and willing to share your own career progression, decision points, challenges, and successes will make for a more productive and helpful discussion. Obstacles and Considerations ⢠Career progression can be unique across employees, and there is not always a one- size-fits-all path. To overcome this challenge, work with employees to help them understand their growth opportunities and how existing career paths might fit with their career goals. ⢠To best support career paths, dedicated staff are needed to develop, implement, and promote the various career opportunities. If you are looking for more information about facilitating career path discussions, visit these sources: ⢠Having career conversations with employees by Fellow34 ⢠Tips for talking with employees about career development by VA Learning University35 ⢠Steps to create a career development plan by Susan Heathfield36 Play Adjustments to Achieve a Similar Outcome in Different Ways If you are not ready for career path discussions, try sharing personal career narratives. If you already have career path discussions with employees, providing resources for individuals to chart their own next career steps may be good for you. Share a personal career narrative: This is a personal story about why you selected your career, how you have progressed, and an overview of your goals that you can share to show how an airport career can progress. Facilitate career path discussions to share career development opportunities with employees. Encourage employees to chart their own unique path: The Society for Human Resource Management has a downloadable Career Path Worksheet that employees can leverage to define their career path. In addition, O*Net is a leading source for occupational information and has a sub site called "MyNextMove.org" that provides a wealth of information for individuals planning their next move.
60 Playbook for Cultivating Talent in the Airport Environment Play 12: Facilitate Career Path Discussions to Share Career Development Opportunities with Employees (cont.) Effective Implementation: Metrics to Measure Success and Related Case Example To evaluate the impact of implementing this play, some metrics to consider include the following: ⢠Increased internal promotions and hiring from within ⢠Improved employee retention ⢠More frequent career discussions ⢠Improved employee commitment and engagement As an example of successful implementation of career path discussions, the Naples airport created a template to guide supervisors in their career path conversations. This template helped to facilitate career path discussions, ensure consistency across departments, and appropriately document an employeeâs growth and development so that they can see their success and progress. For more information on this implementation, see Appendix: Case Studies.
