 the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - Summer 2008 |
Return to index
Return to www.DART.org
|
Contact Webmaster at:
eelam@DART.org
eelam@DART.org
Empowered to achieve
New tools and incentives promote employee growth and commitment. |
Winning businesses know: Take good care of your employees, and your employees will do the same for your customers. |
In the service industry, employees are a company's greatest asset.
FY07 was a watershed year as DART's Executive Leadership Team elevated the agency's commitment to employee satisfaction through a series of internal initiatives addressing employee concerns in the areas of compensation, benefits, communications and leadership development.
Central to the effort was a complete overhaul of DART's aging salary structure to strengthen the agency's position in the human resource marketplace.
"We were having a hard time recruiting good candidates for some jobs and turnover was going up, so we conducted a competitive salary market study, established a new pay structure and adjusted some individual positions," explains Mya Coursey, director of Management Services. "We now have a salary structure that is market competitive, and we're committed to keeping up with it by analyzing salaries annually."
Leading the healthy life
Employee health issues impact both productivity and the budget, so DART is empowering employees to take better care of themselves. |
New career development programs will create the leadership needed for a growing public transit agency (top), while wellness events boost health and productivity (bottom). |
 |
|
"Everyone has the power to take charge of his or her well-being, and DART wants to inform and motivate employees to make healthy choices," says Renae Manning, Human Resources benefits specialist and DART's first full-time wellness coordinator.
A new Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP) slated for introduction in FY09 will offer DART employees smaller health premiums in exchange for paying higher out-of-pocket costs for services. "It's another incentive for individuals to take responsibility for their personal health choices," says Coursey.
We now have a salary structure that is market competitive, and we're committed to keeping up with it by analyzing salaries annually."
Mya Coursey, Director of Management Services
Spreading the word
In a 2006 survey, DART employees expressed a desire for more information about the agency, and management responded in FY07 by setting up a new, agencywide Employee Communications Committee.Working with Human Resources and Communications staff, committee members made sweeping changes in the quality, timeliness, style and frequency of communications between management and the workforce.
"Ninety-nine percent of our challenges, issues and concerns can be dealt with when we have good communication," says DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas. "We just have to talk to each other. We've done it in spurts at DART - sometimes well and sometimes not so well - and we're working to do a better job."
Responding to survey results showing most employees put challenges and opportunities ahead of paychecks, the agency is pursuing career and leadership development programs to increase "bench strength" in key areas. The agency also has increased the tuition reimbursement for higher education.
"Careers need to be marked by growth in responsibility and credentials, and not just increased wages for more time spent," says Coursey. "DART is going to have more sophisticated needs as time goes by, and these programs will help us respond appropriately."
Return to the Inmotion index