Original Scope: AASHTO leadership has identified workforce management as one of the most urgent issues for today’s Departments of Transportation (DOTs). DOTs across the nation have increasingly expressed concerns about sustaining a qualified workforce. Many DOTs are addressing this problem by adopting some aspect of strategic workforce management, such as forecasting, succession planning, training and development, or targeted recruitment. This scan will examine innovative strategic workforce management strategies DOTS are implementing, particularly those activities that can be quickly adopted and implemented to recruit, develop, and retain the workforce they need today and for the future.
The scan team will consider common elements of strategic workforce management, such as skills metrics and forecasting, succession planning, employee development, employee wellness and engagement, employee recognition, recruitment, retention, diversity and inclusion, and change management. Outsourcing of functions historically performed within an agency may also be considered. The team must consider agency cultural differences and the context in which the strategic workforce management is applied.
Implementation and Impact
TRB hosted a webinar based on the outcomes of this scan entitled, Workforce Management in Transportation. To view the slides or obtain a copy of the webinar recording, visit the webinar page on the National Academies website.
The creation of the new AASHTO Subcommittee on Transportation Workforce Management, a subcommittee of Agency Administration Managing Committee (AAMC), is a direct result from this scan. In January 2023, the subcommittee sponsored a pilot workshop, held in Washington D.C. The focus of the workshop was the Transportation Workforce Management Playbook, which the subcommittee created for state transportation agencies based on the 19-02 scan model. Two participants from MN DOT, UT DOT and VTrans attended the workshop to learn about the workforce management model and how to apply it to their agencies. The participants will provide feedback on the playbook to the subcommittee.
Scan chair, Amanda Holland, provided perspectives on the scan outcomes on the final day of the scan:
Scan Members
- Amanda Holland, Alaska Department of Administration (ret.), AASHTO Chair
- Karen Bobo, FHWA
- Brian Brown, Ohio DOT
- Kendra Campbell, Texas DOT
- Craig Crick, Nevada DOT
- Lorri Economy, Utah DOT
- John Hibbard, Georgia DOT
- William Lambert, New Hampshire DOT
- Alexis Martin, New Hampshire DOT
- Amanda Henry, Maryland SHA
- Brian Robinson, Georgia DOT
- Tammy Roberts, Caltrans
- Rob Wight, Utah DOT
- Lee Wilkinson, Iowa DOT
- Rick Smith, Subject Matter Expert
Ready Results Brief
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