Posts

Creating a Successful Fleet Operation Means Investing in Employees

/in /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Fleet Operation|Creating a Successful Fleet Operation Means Investing in EmployeesCoconino County has enhanced its Public Works fleet operations by focusing on employee development and establishing new business practices. Located in northern Arizona with its seat in the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County is the second-largest county by land area in the United States, requiring a varied and extensive fleet. In the last five years, Public Works leadership have taken many actions to build a sustainable future.

Background

The Fleet Services Division of the Public Works Department comprises two business units – Heavy Equipment Services and Mechanical Services. In addition to 18 employees operating three shops in two locations, the Division also manages two fueling sites and a Parts and Inventory Room. The Division provides essential infrastructure support and services to more than 420 light-fleet and highway equipment across County departments, ranging from the County Sheriff’s patrol and search and rescue vehicles to Public Works’ Road Maintenance vehicles.

The County maintains more than a typical municipal fleet. Fleet Services are also responsible for approximately 100 pieces of highway equipment to manage the heavy snowfall. Flagstaff, Arizona receives an average of 100 inches of snow in a year. Additionally, the County maintains over 600 miles of unpaved rural roadways, including some in the Navajo Nation.
Paradoxically, the County’s approach to improve operations in the Fleet Services Division has focused on developing employees and improving work processes.

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Fleet Operation|Creating a Successful Fleet Operation Means Investing in EmployeesStaffing Challenges and Planned Actions

At Coconino County Public Works, people come first. Mechanics are a vital part of the team; their role in maintaining equipment and vehicles across such a large geographic area is essential. Yet, as a rural county with a high cost of housing, attracting experienced and qualified staff can be difficult. The continuous challenges of recruitment, onboarding, and retaining mechanics led the Public Works leadership to reevaluate their approach to staffing. These challenges created the perfect opportunity to re-envision the careers of Coconino County mechanics.

The shortage of qualified mechanics is “old news” in the industry; the number of new mechanics has been steadily decreasing nationwide. As a trade, mechanics require a long lead time and many labor hours to gain skills and experience, especially with the technology and alternative fuels of complex and heavy equipment continuously changing. The reduction of farming and large-scale mining operations in the northern Arizona region appears to be partly responsible for the diminishing interest and opportunities for young adults to develop mechanical trades skills.

The decline of young adults entering the workforce as mechanics and other trades contributes to an organization’s ability to meet its improvement goals and provide public services. The inability to hire and recruit new employees has impacted maintenance service levels and can be detrimental. A lack of available mechanics means fewer labor hours devoted to important activities. Leadership is often faced with either cutting specific tasks or reducing labor and functions across the board. Deferring maintenance tasks can have significant, long-lasting impacts on workload, cost, structural integrity, and even response to emergencies of snow operations, floods, or fires.

Similarly, employee departures and heavy reliance on too few employees over long periods can be detrimental to the long-term performance of the organization and can lead to a reduction in efficiency, loss of vital industry and institutional knowledge, low employee morale, and reduced service delivery during periods of transition. Moreover, such challenges lead to increased costs of recruitment, onboarding, and training of new staff. Given the sheer size of the County, the bottom-line is that maintaining essential service operations requires coverage and vehicles being operational to meet public needs of access, security, and health services. The County’s effort to address these issues has focused on several priorities.

Reimagining the Organization – Investing in People

To slow and reverse these damaging, often cyclical impacts, Public Works began to reimagine and reconfigure the organization from workflow to employee roles. This started with an independent review of the operations, leading to new findings that outlined opportunities for improvement. The Fleet Services Division has now evaluated employee and management input and has executed several improvements. This includes enhancements in services, reliability, and improving quality of customer service by strategically investing in its workforce and new technologies over the last five years. The County’s investment in its people, mainly its mechanics, has also been crucial in onboarding and retaining new employees.

The process started by reevaluating the role of mechanics. With input from various stakeholders the division developed career ladders for those employed in Mechanical Services and Heavy Equipment Shops. Previously, the County had one mechanic job classification; each group is now divided into several job class categories. This strategy increased the Division’s ability to attract candidates from a wider spectrum of experience and skill set, creating additional opportunities for career growth. As a result, County leadership can develop and mentor new mechanics through trainee and apprentice roles and has created new entry-level positions requiring limited experience for those who desire to join the trade.

Incentivizing Professional Achievement

Incentivizing professional achievement is another effort focused on providing mechanics, and other employee classes, the opportunity to grow professionally. Professional development opportunities ensure that the job stays exciting and rewarding. Opportunities for advancement into higher leadership roles and access to benefits (proportionate to the experience and responsibilities) are necessary to keep employees developed and sustained.

The County established a tier-based system for mechanics to advance within the organization. Coconino County rewards its experienced and professional mechanics. The Division’s leadership team decided to incentivize professional achievement through well-established and respected Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) benchmarks with financial adjustments.

“When I came to the County, I let my Automotive Service Excellence Certification (ASE) lapse. There was no incentive or recognition of that achievement.” says Gilbert Riviera, a 15-year lead mechanic. The story at the County looks very different today. The County’s fully-fledged mechanics now have several ASE certifications covering all types of maintenance and repairs in the shops. These credentials are not just part of the mechanics’ compensation but also a point of pride for this skilled trade and a benefit to the organization. Coconino County Fleet Services is in the process of obtaining a Blue Seal Certification for both shops, making it the first County fleet organization in Arizona to reach this milestone.

The County has developed a training program to meet individual needs, including an annual training plan for each employee to learn the latest technical aspects of fleet and related technology. The County also established a position that focuses on providing training and development for employees. Ken VonShultze, who spearheads the mechanic training and safety program, proudly shares that “ASE Blue Seal of Excellence Program is the highest designation by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence recognizing commitment to customer service and skills for our mechanics. That is the quality of service we strive for in Coconino County.”

The Covid-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for several mechanics to increase training hours and complete ASE tests due to the plateau in fleet usage. A minimum of 75 percent of the mechanics must be ASE certified, covering all types of ASE Certifications for a Blue Seal designation. Financial incentives are available for obtaining a Commercial Driver License (CDL) for both maintenance services and ASE certifications.

Supportive Work Culture

A third effort equally important is enhancing work culture. Continuous improvement has become synonymous with fleet operations at Coconino County. The focus on creating a thriving culture centered on mentorship, inclusion, and safety is paying off as Coconino County Fleet Services enters a new chapter.

After 37 years of service, Coconino County Public Work’s Fleet Manager retired from a long and successful tenure. A departure of this magnitude leads to some disruption in the workflow. Still, it is also a testament to an extraordinary employee retention model. The work started will continue to propel the Public Works and its Fleet Services organization for many years to come.

A Way Forward: County Operations and Support Efforts

Senior County leadership understands the need for continuous organizational improvements to withstand and thrive during organizational changes. Ample advancement opportunities allow the County to retain existing employees, while reducing entry requirements based on experience and providing on-the-job training has attracted new employees. Further, providing incentives for a new generation of mechanics to join the workforce can help ensure each position’s succession.

Establishing a tiered system with rewards for education and learning encourages mechanics to stay and grow with the County.

A dynamic organization with a flexible career ladder and supportive management is necessary to fill and retain key mechanic positions and adapt to disruptive changes. Although challenges continue to surface, efforts are underway to ensure both trainees and existing skilled employees remain with Fleet Services as a mechanic or in a supervisory role. Public Works employees are essential for ensuring the County provides year-round public services for access, safety, and the health of Coconino County residents and the millions of visitors to Northern Arizona annually.

About the Authors

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Eslir MustaStrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Harry LorickEslir Musta, MPA, is Deputy Director of Public Works for Coconino County, Arizona.

Harry Lorick, PE, PWLF, PTOE, is Principal at LA Consulting, Inc. as well as Leadership and Management Committee Member and VP of APWA’s SoCal Chapter.

How To Ensure People Click On Your Site And Stay There

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Website Design|How To Ensure People Click On Your Site And Stay ThereWith any business, side hustle, or project you’re working on, there needs to be an online presence. It never used to be this way due to the fact that there were still many, many people not operating online or using a digital product. In 2021, however, it’s an absolute must. Your website, social channels, and overall presence online should be of high quality. If it’s not, then you’re not going to be taken as seriously, and competitors will overtake you.

Your website is going to act as the main hub of your website. It’ll tell people what they need to know, it’ll hook them in, and it’ll keep people wanting to come back for more. Well, hopefully, it will! Your job is to make sure that people want to come back, view your site again, and become even more invested in the thing(s) you’re offering. How can you do that? Well, here are a few ideas:

Don’t Be Like Everyone Else

If you have the same website like every other company in the world, then you’re not going to be very impressive or attractive. This happens a lot when a niche has been completely covered by every single business. You’ll want people to see something different in you – so make sure that you have a little bit of uniqueness. It’s easy to look at successful companies and take little nuggets from them, but that won’t land you in lots of success.

Don’t Bombard With Content And Information

When someone first enters your webpage, they’re going to want to be pleased with what they see. First impressions make a big impact on the human brain – especially with regard to customer experience. Make sure you set the right tone. If you have lots of pictures, images, and information straight away, they’re not going to be happy. They’ll feel somewhat overwhelmed, in fact.

Work Together With Agencies That Have Been There And Done It

There are hundreds of digital marketing agencies around that know how to make your website and your overall online presence a lot more attractive. They won’t just give you generic advice, either – they’ll take a look at your project and cater to your needs. You will also want to work with an SEO Company in order to boost your search engine optimization and score. This aspect is absolutely vital when looking to make your website rank highly online.

Give Them A Reason To Stay Hooked

You’re going to want to offer up high-quality products and services, obviously, but the way in which you point towards them will make a difference in terms of your success. If you have a bland, boring, and colorless advertisement, people aren’t exactly going to be enthused. Offer up extra incentives for them, and they’ll want to see what you have up your sleeve going forward.

Provide Attractive, Interactive Content

The good thing about websites is that they’re not like books in that you just look at them and get information from them. You can click on certain widgets and get involved. There are many kinds of interactive content that you can implement – including videos, graphs, polls, competitions, and so much more.

Do you need a panic alarm? The pros and cons

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Panic Alarm|Do you need a panic alarm? The pros and consPanic Alarms are one of those things that you would rather have and not need than need and not have. They can provide security, assurances and safety for both yourself, your workplace or your home and can trigger immediate help from the local authorities. They are simple to use, often incorporating a button which activates the alarm at a touch. It will immediately contact local authorities and direct them to the location of the alarm. With devices that are compact and easy to use, a panic alarm may be one of the best purchases you make when it comes to your safety.

Wired vs Wireless

The difference between these is pretty self-explanatory. With a wired system, the panic alarm is situated at a fixed point. This is much more common in workplaces where, depending on the job that you do, you stand nearby one at all times. However, a wireless one can be carried around by a person and is much more useful if working alone or for personal use when out travelling. Wireless systems provide convenience for the user but are more susceptible to wear and tear than the standard wired ones that are available.

Pros:

Panic alarms that are wireless are often small enough to be easily carried and importantly concealed. This means that should you need to use it, the aggressor may be caught unawares by the local authorities when they arrive. This feature is often combined with a silent alarm that so that you don’t give away that you have contacted help. This may keep the situation calm and keep you in a safer position.

Panic alarms are also powered by electricity and their own battery. This applies mostly to the wired systems as they are connected to the mains. They will always have a backup battery so that should a power cut strike you will still be able to use the system. Likewise, a wireless system will usually have two batteries, with one acting as a backup should the other die or malfunction.

Finally, these systems are usually simple to set up, especially the portable wireless systems. This is because the portable systems are used predominantly by children or the elderly. Some are even designed as bracelets that are easily concealed and yet accessible for the user.

Cons:

It seems hard to point out cons for an alarm system but there are always some. One thing to be careful of is false alarms. This can happen on both types of system. Wireless systems are more likely to malfunction. They usually experience more damage due to their small size and usage. A wired system, on the other hand, relies on a button you push that can hit by accident.

Also, wireless systems always have the fear that they drop out of range or frequency, so this is something that should be taken into consideration

Do you need a Panic Alarm?

Any business will always benefit for some kind of security measures. Personal systems will always come down to personal preference and situations. Weigh up the pros and cons and see if it makes sense for you to purchase one.

How Internal Competition Can Destroy Your Business From The Inside

/in /by

StrategyDriven Business Politics Impacts Article |Internal Competition|How Internal Competition Can Destroy Your Business From The InsideYou often hear people say things like ‘the business world is dog-eat-dog,’ or ‘competition is king.’ Unfortunately, the role of competition in business is often misunderstood and many business owners are damaging their own chances of success as a result.

It’s true that competition is what drives the market and striving to outperform your competitors is what pushes you forward and encourages you to innovate. Without that competition model, the economy would stagnate and progress would slow down.

However, many business owners make the mistake of thinking that internal competition between employees will have the same effect. The thinking is that if you pit people against one another, they will work harder to come out on top, ultimately making everybody more productive. In reality, it doesn’t work that way and although internal competition can have benefits, to some extent, it can be a lot more damaging to productivity. Here’s why internal competition is bad for business.

It Discourages Skill Sharing And Teamwork

When you pit people against one another and provide rewards and opportunities for progression to those at the top, it discourages skill sharing and teamwork. Business leaders like Wayne Blazejczyk ASIC run successful companies because they understand the importance of helping your team to develop their skills, and skill sharing is a big part of this. Everybody has different strengths and combining those strengths and helping one another improve on weak areas makes everybody more effective. But in an incredibly competitive environment, people are concerned about sharing the credit for work, so they are less likely to collaborate or help others. In the end, this just means that your whole team is less productive and the quality of the work they produce is worse.

The Wrong People Get Promoted

If you are promoting people based on this system of internal competition, you will end up promoting the wrong people and leaving good people behind. The people that come out on top in this environment are people that will step on others to get ahead and won’t work in a team because they want all of the credit. These are awful qualities to have in a position of responsibility. Unfortunately, when you base decisions on internal competition, these are often the people that end up in management positions because they overshadow better employees that are less willing to push themselves forward at the expense of others.

It Creates A Toxic Work Environment

It’s only natural that competition leads to conflict. Certain employees that are trying to outdo one another at every turn will keep clashing, and this creates a very toxic work environment. You are far more likely to have issues with bullying and harassment and all relationships in the office will be strained. When you create an environment like this, good employees will simply leave and find a new job. So, your employee turnover rate shoots up and you lose all of your best people.

Sometimes, a bit of fun competition can be helpful. An employee of the month scheme, for example, gives a little incentive and rewards hard work without causing problems. But once you start ranking people by performance and trying to encourage a lot of competition, you are just setting yourself up for failure.

3 Safety Measures You Can Implement Now to Protect from RSI

/in /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Safety Measures|3 Safety Measures You Can Implement Now to Protect from RSIAlthough it was first identified in 18th-century industrial workers, Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) was widely reported and became a public safety concern in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the use of computers became more prevalent in offices all over the world because of improvements in the accessibility of operating systems and office applications such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.

To combat RSI, the industry of ergonomics was brought to the forefront as a possible (and subsequently successful) solution to workplace injuries caused by repetition. Although the study of ergonomics is largely psychological, the primary principles can be applied to the physical world i.e. how the human body is affected by the surrounding environment.

The application of ergonomics by companies all over the world has greatly reduced the effects of RSI but the problem persists, and as an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your employees by treating RSI as you would any other potential hazard.

Ergonomic Safety and Awareness

For the most part, RSI, and the effects of it, can be attributed to poor awareness of the condition on both the part of an employer and the employee. As a prevention method, you could inform your employees of the causes of RSI such as poor posture, not taking breaks from repetitive tasks, and the misuse of certain equipment.

Of course, this would be pointless if you don’t supply your employees with the necessary tools to protect themselves. Ergonomic equipment is widely available and you could supply such things as a fully adjustable chair, monitor or TV stand, and a Bluetooth ergonomic keyboard and mouse. All of these items, and others such as modular desks, have been found to greatly reduce RSI.

Support for RSI Suffering

Should any of your staff suffer from RSI, either from sitting at a PC, standing at a control panel, or even using a smartphone or tablet too often, you should offer support for their condition and accommodate accordingly. Allowing your employees to take regular breaks is the first step in helping with RSI as not taking breaks is one of the leading causes of strain.

Further actions could include psychological support for the injured employees and a legally required risk assessment. RSI can cause serious and debilitating injuries resulting in serious medical conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and musculoskeletal injuries, any of which you could be liable for should you not cater for the condition that may have been caused by inadequate accommodations in the workplace.

21st Century Technology

While RSI is mostly associated with working at a computer for extended periods, the condition extends to anything that requires prolonged and repeated tasks. Factory line production staff are a good example and QA operatives may have to lift heavy items to inspect them. Furthermore, any other role associated with lifting products, such as deliveries, puts employees at risk of developing RSI.

Advanced technologies that were once science fiction are slowly being incorporated into many industries. Mechanical exoskeletons such as Ironhand use servos and motors inside a shoulder-braced robotic device in order to assist with the lifting of heavy items. In short, the device fits like a glove and does the heavy lifting rather than the muscles of the hand and arm, therefore greatly reducing any strain that might otherwise be placed on them.