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Abstract

Many public sector agencies, including state departments of transportation (DOTs), have long found recruiting and retaining staff a daunting challenge. Lured by the promise of higher salaries in the private sector, many people are reluctant to sacrifice their long-term earnings potential to pursue public service. And with the quality of fringe benefits (e.g., retirement plans, health insurance) offered by public agencies having declined gradually, it is even more difficult to persuade prospective employees to accept a lower salary. Many studies over the past 15—20 years have looked at methods for solving the problem of recruitment and retention within the context of state DOTs. This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on recruitment and retention best practices by examining what strategies are most appropriate for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), an agency coping with long-term reductions in staff at the same time as revenues and project delivery demands have increased. Based on extensive interviews with and surveys of Cabinet staff, this report advances a recruitment and retention playbook that outlines evidenced-based strategies for building a workplace that is appealing to a broad range of prospective employees. Recommendations put forward by the playbook focus on simplifying and shortening the hiring process, improving scheduling flexibility to foster a better work-life balance, proactively working with K-12 schools and post-secondary educational institutions to establish a talent pipeline, strengthening professional development opportunities, and creating a fair and welcoming workplace in which people have the opportunity to fulfill their career goals. Bringing about organizational change can be a fraught process, however, the long-term benefits of KYTC refreshing its approach to employee recruitment and retention will pay significant dividends for the agency and residents of Kentucky.

Report Date

3-2024

Report Number

KTC-24-19

Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.13023/ktc.rr.2024.19

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