5.1WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENT
It is the intent of the HR People Systems Map (Fig. 5.1-1) to deploy strategies and approaches to integrate the Best People with Best Practices to create the Best Place to Work to ensure the Best Place to Learn.
5.1a. Workforce Capability and Capacity 5.1a(1) Capability and Capacity
Workforce capability and capacity needs are assessed and managed using systematic annual staff planning in conjunction with the HR People Plan (Fig. 5.1-3). This plan, encompasses hiring/training the best people, developing best practices,
becoming a best place to work, and learning through a focus on the voice of customers. Staffing levels are based on staffing ratios that have been developed by the leadership teams based on national staffing benchmarks for higher education job families.
Figure 5.1-1 HR People Systems Map
Skill needs are determined by the leadership and experts in each functional area. Productivity factors, such as Average Class Size and % Labor Cost are applied to the workload driver, student enrollment, to determine FTE targets each year. Fig. 7.3-1 shows AC staffing has been maintained at a level substantially better than the Delta Cost Project AIR
productivity benchmark for community colleges. Some positions, such as Certified Advisors have recognized training and certifications for their role that is provided and required for all incumbents within a certain amount of time on the job.
5.1a(2) New Workforce Members
Recruiting occurs to close staffing gaps between the staffing plan and actual staffing, as identified through monthly
monitoring and ongoing dialog with customers about departmental needs and staffing plans. Proactive recruitment plans are developed with customers for advertising on professional websites and via social media. In a cycle of improvement in 2014-2015, a cross-functional team reinvented the work-study hiring process, resulting in shorter “time to hire” and higher placement rates (Fig 7.1-33). Hiring is managed through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), housed in AlamoTALENT, the enterprise-wide Talent Management System (TMS). ATS empowers prospective employees to actively and passively seek positions specific to their interests. It enables AC hiring managers to efficiently navigate the hiring and placement process in collaboration with the employment team. Positions are opened and filled based on staffing ratios, a product of AC workload-driven budgeting and staffing processes. Staffing ratios represent the number of employees per current/projected student head count at each college. New employees are hired and placed based on the availability of positions and designated ratios at specific locations. In another cycle of employment improvement, the days to fill vacant positions was decreased 34% to 33 days/hire, substantially below the SHRM Higher Ed benchmark of 54 days (Fig. 7.1-32). New employees participate in the
onboarding process, which includes orientation, and they are retained through the combined results of benefits packages employee development, and Principle-Centered Leadership initiatives that enhance personal commitment to the AC mission and vision.
Development and maintenance of a Diversity/ Affirmative Action Plan guides recruitment and workforce development efforts to maintain a workforce that truly reflects the diversity of ideas, culture, and thinking of our student population and community. Additional insights are gained during the annual AC strategic planning stakeholder retreats (Fig. 2.1-1) from community members, students, and partners. Specific Minority and Female Recruitment strategies are executed each year to meet AAP staffing goals and close any identified gaps (see Figs. 7.3-3 and 7.3-4). These strategies have helped AC maintain exemplary diversity. AC’s record of leadership in diversity was recognized in 2015 with an award of the HEED Diversity in Higher Education for outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Figure 5.1-2 Workforce Capacity and Capability
5.1a(3) Work Accomplishment
DSO maintains a supportive and secure work climate and empowers employees to accomplish the organization’s work by implementing the HR People Plan (Fig. 5.1-3). This plan, from building talent to collaboration and leadership, inculcates the principles of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind; First Things First; Win/Win; Seek First to Understand; Synergize; and, Sharpen the Saw (continually improve). AC intends, through the plan and habits to establish a culture where there is a “leader in every seat.” HR implements AC policies and annual staffing plans. DSO workforce utilizes work systems, processes, and initiatives aligned with the MVV and CC to accomplish organizational work. They include the systems and processes discussed in Fig. 6.1-1, 5.0, the SPP, unit APs managed by each DSO unit, 4DX (Fig. 5.1-4), and Data Days.
Figure 5.1-3 HR People Plan
5.1a(4) Workforce Change Management
The HR People Plan charts a course for how AC empowers employees to accomplish their best work processes and initiatives that enable employees to innovate and implement “best practices” that, in turn, contribute to a “best place to work.” DSO units regularly survey customers to gather feedback on services provided (Cat. 3.) Survey results provide crucial information on customer requirements and satisfaction, providing insight that guides decision making for improving service/quality and exceeding customer expectations of performance throughout the organization. DSO and AC have developed ways to improve service while maintaining or reducing the level of resources used over time. The workforce adapts to change through feedback, continuous learning/ improvement, and innovation. In addition to evaluating outcomes and inputs from strategic planning, HR gathers feedback from employees and executive teams at each college through ongoing collaboration designed to learn about changing capability and capacity needs. Continuous learning,
accomplished through ongoing and evolving employee development programs, ensures that employees have the knowledge and skills necessary to adapt and perform in an ever-changing work environment. Employees are empowered to engage in continuous improvement of their work processes through application of FOCUS PDCA, 4DX, Project
Management and other tools for work deployment. Capability and capacity needs change with strategy
development, budget constraints, competitive forces, workforce evolution, state/federal requirements, and technology. Change is communicated consistently across DSO and AC via newsletters, video, and regular email updates. In addition, the need for changes in capability and capacity is shared and supported via departmental meetings, focus groups, trainings, town hall meetings, and other methodologies as needed.
The probability and adverse impact of staff reductions are reduced through the use of staffing ratios, based on a budgetary process that forecasts the capability to increase or decrease staff levels based on current and projected student enrollment. Workforce growth is managed through staffing ratios in step with workload and revenue growth. DSO and AC have been successful in keeping commitments to avoid layoffs and pay cuts, seeking first to reduce expenses through innovation in efficiencies, hiring freezes, attrition, retirement incentives, and
redeployment of existing employees. When reorganization and reassignment are unavoidable, HR implements specific policies regarding workforce reorganization or reduction to ensure fairness throughout the process (HR policies AOS). Effective communication and collaboration across the system and continuous workforce development and cross- training contribute to prepare the workforce for possible changes in the organizational structure and work systems.
5.1b. Workforce Climate 5.1b(1) Workplace Environment
Workplace health, security, and accessibility for
employees and students are critical to accomplishing the AC mission. DSO uses a variety of approaches to ensure a supportive and safe environment for our workforce. AC provides Drug-Free Campus and Workplace, Title IX, Sexual Harassment Prevention, Active Shooter, and other essential training to all employees (and students as applicable) to provide a healthy/secure work environment. In all issues concerning workplace health, security, and accessibility, employees are empowered to voice concerns through appropriate communication channels.
AC identifies environmental conditions and variables, develops site-specific solutions at each of our colleges and throughout DSO to address potential hazards. AC trains its workforce to identify and address potential hazards in work areas. This includes electrical safety, lockout/tag out, ergonomics, welding, chemical safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), powered industrial trucks, fleet safety, defensive driving, behavior intervention, first aid/CPR, hazardous communications, and emergency planning and training. The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) unit identifies areas in which to focus safety efforts. ERM tracks and reports accident and injury trends (Fig. 7.3-13) to identify areas of greatest need and works with the affected areas to develop best practice solutions and preventative training. AC conducts safety assessments to identify and address any hazards. Defined criteria/steps to determine how to address hazards include asking the following to determine if PPE is needed: 1) Is the process required? 2) Can the process be automated? 3) How can a correction be engineered around the hazard (e.g., machine guarding)? DSO assesses performance in the areas of safety and security through measures of risk assessment, incident/ injury rate and cost, training frequency in safety and emergency management, and customer satisfaction. Figure 5.1-4 Four Disciplines of Execution
Workplace issues vary for employees with different types of work responsibilities. Each job type has certain identified issues that require specific training. Training frequency and
effectiveness are tracked and segmented by job type. DSO
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employs 65 commissioned, licensed peace officers that have a presence 24/7 at the DSO locations and on each college campus to ensure the safety and security of the workforce. Control systems exist at each college to limit access to buildings to qualified individuals. DSO employs a closed-circuit TV security system to allow visual oversight at most of the external areas of facilities. DSO also has emergency call stations at each college for anyone to report an emergency, which directly notifies Police dispatch. DSO utilizes standard metrics for its law enforcement and security concerns. Clery Act reporting is completed and utilized along with trend analysis to minimize duplication of activities. Employees are trained to respond to situations such as student behavior issues, active shooter, and a variety of criminal events.
Comprehensive disability services and accessibility for students and employees are provided at all locations.
Enhancing AC efforts is the appointment of disabled students to assist accessibility audits for the identification of access barriers and opportunities to enhance ease of access. Annual employee development offerings develop disability awareness and understanding.
5.1b(2) Workforce Benefits and Policies
DSO workforce is supported by services provided by HR, Facilities, Payroll/Finance, Police, and ITS. Primary workforce services are provided by HR in the key areas of employee benefits and compensation, employee relations, diversity and equity, employment and recruiting, training and development, risk management and safety, innovation, records management, and HR information systems. At each location, employees have the support of a dedicated HR partner and benefits coordinator for customized personal services in employee relations and employee benefits.
DSO recommends and follows BoT personnel policies. These are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect best and updated practices. Employees are notified via email when policies are updated or added, and all policies are made available online to employees and the public. Significant policy changes are created with employee input through the Super Senate and Unified Staff Council. Health and safety services provided to employees include access to campus Wellness Centers, Health Fair services, ergonomic-fitted furniture, workers’
compensation, police courtesy services, employee assistance program (EAP), and flexible/family friendly work schedules.
AC provides a competitive benefits package including medical insurance, leave and time off, tuition reimbursement and retirement plans. AC tailors services, benefits, policies through new employee orientation, benefits orientation, dedicated HR partners for unique and dynamic employment areas such as Continuing Education, Workforce, Grants, and Work Studies. In a cycle of improvement, DSO developed a dedicated HR Employee Service Center Coordinator dedicated to faculty scheduling, workload, contracts and pay for faculty and support staff. Additionally, specialized sections of the HR intranet site are designated for Grants, Work Studies, and a “Faculty Information Center” for all other faculty related items. Pay design is segmented between faculty and staff to ensure our pay programs are competitive and relevant to both populations, especially regarding the unique requirements of faculty as a profession.
5.2WORKFORCE ENGAGEMENT
Employees are developed through a combination of systems that manage learning, goals, performance, process improvement, and innovation. TMS provides access to professional development and training opportunities for employees to continuously improve skills and abilities or what we call “sharpening the saw” in accordance with the AC mission and vision and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Engagement in process improvement and innovation are guided/managed through the philosophy that there “is a leader in every seat,” meaning all employees are empowered to lead and drive innovation in support of the MVV.
5.2a. Workforce Engagement and Performance 5.2a(1) Organizational Culture
DSO and AC regularly exchange information with employees through several channels, including email, intranet sites, and knowledge banks located in AlamoTalent. DSO units create, manage, and share reports, APs, data outcomes, and 4DX WIG scoreboards, ensuring high performance and effectiveness in the work they do. The implementation of 4DX as an implementation tool came about as a cycle of improvement in 2014 to empower and focus employees on AC Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) (Figs.1.1-1 and 7.3-24). The organizational culture benefits from the diverse ideas, cultures, and thinking of our workforce through an emphasis on open communication, collaboration, respect for all, community engagement, can- do spirit, and continuous improvement (the AC values and priorities.) To ensure this benefit, DSO empowers every employee to lead innovation and program/process improvement efforts, provides employee development offerings, and ensures employee involvement in shared governance.
5.2a(2) Drivers of Engagement
Annual administration of the AC employee engagement survey, PACE, provides employee feedback on workforce environment and identifies trends and factors affecting workforce engagement. Data are analyzed by senior leaders and questions/elements that most correlate to employee engagement are designated as priorities for improvement. The different engagement drivers for different workforce groups are identified by disaggregation of the survey results by DSO, college and employee types (Faculty,
Administrator, Professionals, Classified) (Fig. 5.2-1).
5.2a(3) Assessment of Engagement
Workforce engagement is assessed using the PACE survey which evaluates four workforce climate factors (institutional structure, supervisory relationships, teamwork and student focus). NILIE PACE research shows the climate factors and results are derived from the style of leadership employees experience: coercive, competitive, consultative, and collaborative (Fig. 5.2-1). The PACE survey reveals employee engagement levels based upon responses to statements such as “the extent to which I am satisfied with my overall employment experience at this institution.” Key measures of engagement on the PACE survey address the following: utilizing clear administrative processes, practicing open and ethical communication, valuing the expression of idea and opinions, and positively motivating performance.
Outcomes across workforce groups and segments vary. PACE survey results are segmented by college and DSO and distributed to college and DSO leaders and personnel to guide decision making at each location (complete survey results AOS.) PACE survey results of AC employee engagement are benchmarked against 69 peer institutions (Fig. 7.3-10). PACE statements related to employee satisfaction are complemented by our systematic DSO surveys of customer satisfaction administered by each DSO unit. Additional measures of engagement such as turnover rates (Fig. 7.3-7), participation in voluntary employee development (Figs. 7.3-36 and 7.3-37), productivity and workload trends (Fig. 7.3-1), employee grievance/complaint (Fig. 7.3-18), and participation in 4DX projects (Fig. 7.3-24) and sharing of 4DX WIG scoreboards are used as supplemental data points to refine key drivers of employee engagement, validate PACE survey findings, and guide organizational improvement efforts. PVC and BoT review this data. During the stakeholder’s strategic planning retreat, participants are asked to prioritize items for
improvement (2.1a(1)).
5.2a(4) Performance Management
The workforce performance management system integrates the processes of strategic planning and action planning, data information capture, review and analysis, and performance scorecards and dashboards with a module within TMS. This module provides employees the tools and resources necessary to build on strengths and address weaknesses individually or through the creation of individual/learning plans by employees and their supervisors. In this system, goal and target setting are focused on customers and their requirements, and they are aligned to organizational goals throughout AlamoTalent, enabling employees to work towards goals established personally or with supervisors in a consistent, transparent manner.
Annual evaluation of individual performance is a central feature of the AC performance management process. The performance of each employee is formally evaluated at the end of each evaluation period. At that time, opportunities for improvement are identified, development plans are created and goals for the upcoming evaluation period are agreed upon by the employee and their immediate supervisor. Performance goals are aligned to the goals of the organization as they cascade from the strategic plan and the BoT’s annual Charge to the Chancellor.
DSO innovation, supported by intelligent risk taking, is reinforced through empowered/collaborative teams that are organized around meeting individual and unit AP targets and maintaining focus on the customer by achieving established AC WIGs using the 4DX tool. In addition, DSO leaders are required to share unit innovation initiatives, progress, and success data during Data Days to demonstrate cycles of improvement and achievement of unit action plans, and at DSO and College 4DX Summits held twice each year to report progress toward the WIG. In 2015 an Alamo Colleges WIG team was awarded the national CUPA-HR Innovation Award for their WIG designed to bring the message of the impact of higher education on the lifetime earnings potential of students (Fig. 7.3-25).
Compensation strategy is implemented through the consistent application of point factoring, job descriptions, pay grades, and benchmarking with similar institutions. DSO and AC update
job descriptions across the organization to accurately reflect the work being done and to ensure that appropriate
compensation is awarded in line with AC strategy through the application of the Hay Methodology (AOS.) The performance management system supports employee and manager feedback that leads to continuing development for staff and faculty. This fosters employee readiness for increased responsibilities as promotional opportunities arise. AC provides training and resources to managers to foster recognition of employee accomplishments and contributions to our shared success.
Figure 5.2-1 PACE Climate Model and Scoring
5.2b. Workforce and Leader Development 5.2b(1) Learning and Development System
Employees are developed through a combination of systems that manage learning, goals, performance, process improvement, and innovation. The TMS provides
professional development and training opportunities for employees to continuously improve their skills and abilities in accordance with the AC mission and vision.
Engagement in process improvement and innovation are guided/managed through the philosophy that there “is a leader in every seat,” meaning all employees are empowered to lead and drive innovation in support of our MVV. Workforce learning and development needs are identified through the SPP where training requirements are assessed based on internal and external environmental changes.