Workforce Planning and Professional Development Task Force - Final Report

The Federal Highway Administration is facing a critical choice regarding staffing for its future. Along with a very strong economy, the United States is experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 30 years. Within ten years, about 45 percent of the agency's workforce will be eligible to retire. The FHWA manages very diverse programs with the largest level of transportation funding in history. This brings in a new mix of partners and customers with varying expectations. Adding to the challenge, the FHWA is a knowledge-based organization that is totally dependent on its people. This rapidly changing environment calls for a different type of workforce. Now is the time to position the agency to deal with these changes.

Given these circumstances, in April 2000 the Executive Director established a Workforce Planning and Professional Development Task Force, the purpose of which was to develop a framework to assure FHWA has trained, dedicated, and motivated employees who can deliver the agency vision, mission and goals into the future. The Task Force estimated the future needs and current make-up of the FHWA workforce on a macro-level, assessed the gap, and developed actions to address these needs. The Task Force also considered issues related to characteristics and motivations of the workforce. The Task Force conducted extensive outreach internally through a variety of mechanisms, the most visible being the listening sessions—over 45 were held.

The determination of the future workforce began with a vision of the FHWA program, the agency's role in the year 2010, and an estimate of general staffing requirements. The Task Force projects that FHWA will continue to have a robust program in 2010, building on its past accomplishments. The agency will need a broad mix of program knowledge in many areas—not only for advancing the state-of-the-art and program assistance, but also for project oversight and policy activities. All employees will need substantially better interpersonal skills to conduct business in the year 2010. The Task Force convened a focus group of key State Department of Transportation officials to assess their views of the FHWA program of the future. While it is acknowledged that this focus group only represents one customer segment perspective, its conclusions were fully consistent with those reached by the Task Force.

To achieve this 2010 vision, the Task Force believes an increase of 5 to 10 percent of the total workforce size will be necessary. This increase should be targeted at providing program assistance, and advancing state-of-the-art in transportation services and technologies. Leadership in developing and expanding partnership relationships will also be a key function of the agency's future workforce.

A comparison of the agency's future workforce needs to its current state—not only the size of the workforce but also the talents, skills and competencies of the workforce—highlights gaps that must be closed. To close these gaps, it is essential to have programs, processes and employees who can adapt to continually changing needs. Employees must continue to learn as technology/program changes occur. All employees must also have leadership competencies to contribute to the success of the agency in the future. Major changes are needed in FHWA culture, professional development and business practices. To promote these changes, the Task Force developed action items in the following areas:

• Recruiting, Hiring and Retention: These action items focus on attracting and keeping the highest quality employees. This will require better use of incentives to attract and keep the talented individuals needed to build the professional capacity of the agency.

• Internal Resource Management: These actions may require financial resources that compete with staffing and administrative funding. The balance between how the funds are distributed may vary over time but must be supportive of overall management objectives. For example, when Full Time Equivalent ceilings are approached, the needs for recruitment, hiring and retention incentives are low. Conversely, when staffing shortages are great, these initiatives are critical. The incentives are not entitlements but strategies for achieving broader corporate objectives. We must continually evaluate and improve the management flexibilities necessary to achieve performance objectives.

• Professional Development: The actions in this report are directed towards expanding the opportunities available to employees for their development and creating an environment within the agency that encourages continuous learning. Both managers and employees have key roles in making this a reality. For continuous learning and employee development to occur, the agency must provide a supportive environment. The agency must take better advantage of leadership and developmental opportunities in both Federal Lands and Federal-aid operations. Communities of Practice are envisioned as playing a larger role in facilitating the professional development of employees.

• Quality of Life: The underlying theme of employees' concerns from outreach sessions was the desire to have a flexible workplace. These action items identify "flexibilities" that provide the opportunity to achieve both the agency's mission and employees' personal needs. Achieving this vision will necessitate "individualization" of these flexibilities based on the job requirements, customer needs and employee performance. In order to attract and retain the highest quality employees in the future, the FHWA must use available flexibilities.

• Workforce and Succession Planning: In order to do effective workforce and succession planning, a systematic approach is essential. Workforce and succession planning is not a one-time occurrence but a dynamic process based upon the changing environment, now and in the future. It must be institutionalized. Every unit manager must take on the responsibility and be held accountable for workforce planning. Workforce and succession planning must be based on consistent data and common assumptions about the future. To take advantage of every opportunity, the agency must have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time—a true "matrix" organization.

Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Initiatives (Chapter 3.A.)

ACTION 1: Hire the most qualified entry-level candidates. For that part of entry level hiring targeted to specific disciplines where candidates are not available, hire generalists instead.

ACTION 2: Increase the number of entry-level PDP hires.

ACTION 3: Give priority to hiring mid-career qualified professionals from outside of FHWA when suitable expertise does not exist within the agency.

ACTION 4: Increase the use of recruiting incentives, including bonuses or the repayment of college loans to attract potential employees with excellent credentials.

ACTION 5: Encourage maximum flexibility in the use of relocation bonuses for onboard employees.

ACTION 6: Revise current guidance on the payment of "retention bonuses" in order to retain highly skilled employees.

ACTION 7: Put mechanisms in place to implement phased retirement strategies as soon as this practice is approved by OPM.

ACTION 8: Increase recognition and awards to high-performing employees.

ACTION 9: Increase workforce productivity by addressing low performing employees.

General Issues (Chapter 3.B.1.)

ACTION 10: Integrate the Performance Plan and Workforce Plans with Training and Development Plans.

ACTION 11: Require Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for all employees.

ACTION 12: Recognize employees who have become licensed, certified, or credentialed.

ACTION 13: Where appropriate, candidates for advancement in Technical Career Tracks who have professional registration and/or certification will be given higher consideration than those without.

ACTION 14: Use rotational and developmental assignments as professional developmental tools. Allocate funds for these opportunities

ACTION 15: Support and fund the formation and use of communities of practice.

ACTION 16: Evaluate professional development activities conducted by communities of practice (e.g., development of core competencies) for possible broader use.

ACTION 17: Encourage the movement of personnel between Federal Lands and Federal-aid offices to enhance professional development.

ACTION 18: Expand the development of leadership, business and professional skills to all levels of the organization including non-supervisory positions.

ACTION 19: Expand and provide earlier leadership development opportunities to shape future executives.

ACTION 20: Encourage a community of practice for secretarial/administrative assistant positions, and identify champions to assure its effective operation.

ACTION 21: Use vacancies in key positions as opportunities for rotational or developmental assignments.

ACTION 22: Continue to invest at least three percent of salaries and benefits in training.

ACTION 23: Increase the use of FHWA employees as instructors for NHI and other training.

ACTION 24: Expand the capacity to deliver training developed specifically for FHWA employees.

ACTION 25: Take greater advantage of local training opportunities.

ACTION 26: Expand the Academic Study Program to include non-technical programs (e.g., leadership, generalists, administrative). Pursue legislation to allow the agency to fund advance degrees for employees.

ACTION 27: Make managers more aware and knowledgeable of existing flexibilities in the human resource area. Help them make better decisions on ways to enhance employees' quality of life, as well as improve hiring, development and retention of quality staff.

ACTION 28: Redefine the policy regarding Flexible Work Schedules (Flexitime) to permit managers to officially allow employees to "flex" their scheduled work hours.

ACTION 29: Revise the telecommuting policy to allow greater use of home-based telecommuting. Invest in the infrastructure to ensure the necessary technology is available.

ACTION 30: Allow the use of virtual office arrangements where they will benefit the agency. Agency benefits include improved program efficiency, improved program effectiveness, and greater access to quality employees.

ACTION 31: Implement and fund home leave for employees on rotational assignments or detailed work assignments requiring extended TDY.

ACTION 32: Pursue authority to fund spouse travel to TDY location for rotational or detailed work assignments requiring extended TDY.

ACTION 33: Create a pool of new positions to more readily enable managers to meet special, short-term staffing needs.

ACTION 34: Form a team to oversee the development and implementation of a workforce planning system.

ACTION 35: Establish a full-time Workforce Planner position within the Administration Service Business Unit.

ACTION 36: Expand the FHWA human resources database, or link it to a companion database, to include information on the knowledge, skills, abilities and talents of all employees.

ACTION 37: Develop and implement a simple workforce planning model for use at the unit level.