Author: Anna Campbell | October 31, 2024

Four Opportunities to Help Build Specialized Teams

In the changing landscape of the power utilities sector, leaders are tasked with navigating complex challenges. Beyond the traditional responsibilities of ensuring reliable power is delivered, today’s leaders must also spearhead initiatives in decarbonization, renewables integration, grid modernization and resiliency. These initiatives demand not just any workforce, but one with specialized expertise. As utilities combat challenges associated with an aging workforce and the simultaneous need for new skills, the focus on Employee Experience (EX) becomes not just important, but essential.

By prioritizing EX, utilities can attract, develop and retain top-of-the-line engineers and technicians necessary to lead the industry through the shift ahead. In turn, EX leads to improved financials, improved customer satisfaction, and builds a resilient, adaptable and innovative culture.

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4 Stages of the Workforce Lifecycle

Employee experience is deeply connected with every stage of the workforce lifecycle, from recruiting to offboarding. Each phase offers unique opportunities to foster a positive EX, which enhances organizational performance.

The employee experience begins before someone even joins the organization. A positive recruitment experience can set the tone for a strong relationship and future engagement. For the power sector, where experience and specialized skills are in high demand, the recruitment process is critical. Leaders can ensure a positive EX in this stage by focusing on clear expectation management:

  • Ensure job descriptions are accurate and transparent while also giving a true idea of the company culture.
  • Clearly outline benefits and growth opportunities.
  • Respecting a candidate’s time can make a huge difference.
  • Help them understand the process and provide timely feedback while maintaining consistent communication.

For utilities, a strong onboarding experience is crucial to an employee’s long-term productivity and retention. Strategies leaders can implement include:

  • Demonstrate how the new hire’s role fits into the larger organization to ensure purpose and direction.
  • Tailor onboarding to strike a balance between organizational and employee needs. Consider things like relocating, establishing benefits and other flexible ways to accommodate them.
  • Pair new hires with mentors to help them acclimate and build relationships within the organization.
  • Early and often check-ins during the first few months to address any concerns or challenges they may face.

Engaged employees are the backbone of a successful utility. Continuous development opportunities enhance skills and keep employees invested in their roles. Employee engagement is closely tied to feeling valued, having access to growth opportunities, and receiving consistent recognition. Strategies to carry this out include:

  • Provide regular feedback so employees know where they can grow and understand their progress.
  • Help employees grow with career development opportunities via workshops and training programs.
  • Involve employees in the decision-making process to help connect them to an organization and share more in the success.

An engaged workforce is proven to increase retention, a direct benefit of strong EX. One survey suggested 86% of millennials would be kept from leaving their current position if training and development were offered. Additionally, high retention rates reduce turnover costs and preserve organizational knowledge. Leaders can harness a culture that promotes retention by:

  • Promoting policies that support work-life balance like flexible working hours, remote options and wellness programs.
  • Offering competitive benefits.
  • Leadership development helps to ensure employee longevity.

This is an often-overlooked part of the workforce lifecycle. Even as employees leave, the impact of their experience remains. A positive EX during offboarding leaves a lasting impression and helps maintain an organization’s reputation. Effective offboarding ensures knowledge transfer and can turn former employees into brand advocates or potential boomerang employees. Common practices include:

  • Exit interviews, knowledge transfer or passing down of critical information.
  • Being intentional about keeping in touch to maintain an authentic network connection with those offboarding.
  • Offer support for their next steps by providing references or career assistance where it’s appropriate.
  • Considering them as a potential boomerang employee by leaving the option open if they choose to return to the organization.

Industry Knowledge Management: Competing for Expertise

The number of retired power system experts still on the payroll of many utilities far exceeds that of most other industries. The shortage of skilled workers with a deep knowledge of the power system must be handled with extreme consideration. Leaders must create an environment that not only attracts but retains these experts, ensuring their indispensable knowledge is passed down before they exit the workforce.

Overarching Strategies for Enhanced EX

Regardless of the workforce lifecycle stage, there are certain overarching strategies that contribute to EX a leader can use. The strategy can simply focus on one or two areas but is best done with a diverse portfolio of techniques that a leader can activate for the benefit of their employees.

Looking Ahead at the Future of Employee Experience in Utilities

Career development is crucial as the power sector evolves and grows to meet key objectives. Industry knowledge and experience is limited and with demand at its peak, utilities must act now to fulfill current and future needs in their workforce by fostering an environment where employees feel valued, supported and aligned with organizational goals. This goes beyond offering certain benefits or salaries, it is about building a culture that emphasizes continuous learning, flexibility and a sense of purpose. Companies that succeed in that will lead the industry forward.

Next Steps

The challenges facing the utility workforce are diverse and multifaceted, requiring organizations to adopt a proactive and adaptive approach to navigate successfully. By addressing employee experience with the strategies above, leaders can develop an engaged, skilled and talented team to meet the power demands of the future.

TRC’s Power Academy helps empower the utility workforce by offering training and development courses and consulting. We provide a range of learning solutions, including in-person, online courses, videos, and mentoring, to build skills and knowledge for today and tomorrow. Explore our training programs or contact us for more information.

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Resources:

picture_as_pdf_24dp-black Five Generational Challenges Facing the Utility Workforce | TRC (trccompanies.com)

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picture_as_pdf_24dp-black Reliability? The Silver Bullet is Skilled Workers | T&D World (tdworld.com)

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picture_as_pdf_24dp-black 2024 Power and Utilities Industry Outlook | Deloitte

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picture_as_pdf_24dp-black 39 Statistics that Prove the Value of Employee Training (lorman.com)

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Anna Campbell

Anna Campbell has over 20 years of experience leading learning and development programs in the electric utility industry. She is the Director of Technical Services for TRC where she is responsible for designing training, qualification, and human performance programs. She serves an industry leader in implementing legally defensible qualification systems to ensure that employees have the knowledge and skills required to work. Contact Anna at ACampbell@trccompanies.com.