Employee Recruitment and Retention Team

Team Focus

• Identify strategies to attract and retain qualified MoDOT employees in critical decision-making positions

Together, several of our partners and MoDOT Human Resources personnel strategize many short and long term action items to recruit and retain quality employees, especially in key positions.

Short-term action items/strategies

Suggestion: Recruitment

• Increase pay for entry-level Certified Engineers to have a competitive initial pay and address compression issues (Priority #1)
• Revise MoDOT’s Summary of Benefits brochure to focus on the benefits of the retirement program
• Work with the Community Relations Unit to develop a marketing strategy to sell the MoDOT image while recruiting engineers (Priority #4)
• Involve more than Human Resources personnel into the Certified Engineer recruiting process by including the Assistant District Engineers, recent graduates, and various other Certified Engineer managers
• Determine what your customers are looking for in your staff
• Develop an employee profile to determine what qualities you are looking for in employees
• Hire each employee with the goal in mind that they can and will eventually become a manager
• Recruit Certified Engineers from companies/firms that have been downsized

Recommendation: Retention

• Support Certified Engineers to be members of ASCE and MSPE chapters and pay for fees to belong to such organizations (Priority #5)
• Develop an incentive pay program for employees (Priority #2)
• Strive to give more responsibility and decision-making to the DE and at the lowest level possible
• Continue to bring back retirees to MoDOT for institutional knowledge and to train and mentor employees
• Need for more quality “Traffic” and “Structural” Engineers
• Need for Traffic Engineers to have a better understanding of the “Operations” at MoDOT

Note: The team identified the top five priorities that would have the most significant and immediate impact on the department.

Long-term action items/strategies

Suggestion: Recruitment

• Make revisions to the MoDOT external website to be more user friendly and appealing to job seekers
• Develop a “Bright Flight” program for Certified Engineer graduates
• Explore the possibility of paying off student loans after a certain period of time with the department as a retention strategy
• Offer competitive scholarships to students
• Utilize Assessment Tools as a pre-screening process in hiring employees

Recommendation: Retention

• Develop a program to “grow our own” Certified Engineers to include mentoring existing employees in civil engineering technician positions
• Grant incentive pay for employees who recruit a new CE for the department
• Explore options to enhance “Quality of Life” issues (flex time, child care, community, family/work balance)
• Develop a well-defined progression path for Certified Engineers
• Promote and develop leaders to support a team culture and positive work environment
• Develop and deploy a cross training program for Certified Engineers
• Ensure the department is staying up on top of technology
• Explore Occupational Series Adjustments for Certified Engineers to assist with compensation issues
• Explore career path for the “technical” side of engineering without having to go through the management series
• Pay fees for organizations such as Rotary, Lions Club, Chamber, etc.

Employee Recruitment and Retention Team Members

Chair: Micki Knudsen – MoDOT, Human Resources Director

573-751-7449  Michaelene.Knudsen@modot.mo.gov

Other Members :

Jane Beetem -- Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Frank Illingworth – Farnsworth Group, Inc.

Marc Thornsberry – Springfield Public Works

Bruce Wylie – ACEC