Focus turns to challenges to the Lab's workforce
The Laboratory will be faced with a number of challenges in 2001. One
of these challenges, and a major focus for me, will be the workforce,
where we have seen a number of external and internal developments that
have made all of our jobs more difficult. I’d like to discuss four
major areas where our efforts will be focused throughout 2001.
Senior manager selections
Today there are six open senior manager positions: Deputy Director for
Operations (DDO), Associate Directors for Biology and Biotechnology Research
Program (BBRP), Physics and Advanced Technologies (PAT), Energy and Environment
(E&E), and Computations, and Director for University Relations Program.
In filling the DDO vacancy, I am considering some restructuring of the
operations organizations and will finalize and post appropriately by the
end of January. The remaining positions have selection committees that
are in various stages of their processes.
At the outset I charged each committee — whose members were chosen
to represent a broad spectrum of relevant Lab staff — to develop
a nationally prominent, diverse and compelling pool of candidates. This
requirement has lengthened the selection process but should improve the
outcome I am regularly meeting with each committee chair to track progress
and, hopefully, we will have selections made for most positions by March.
Recruiting/retention
Externally, a robust economy fueling an increasingly competitive labor
market is challenging the Lab. We are losing highly skilled people at
a rate greater than anytime in our history and have had difficulty filling
many critical positions. A number of large and successful high-tech companies
have begun to move operations into the Livermore Valley, with consequences
on the cost of local housing and traffic congestion that are felt by everyone.
Internally, we have made major changes in the way we do business, particularly
in safety and security. While these changes will, over time, have positive
impacts on the Lab, including a safer working environment and improved
public confidence, they have put enormous stress on us in the near term
as we struggle to meet the milestones that we set for the Lab and adapt
to more stringent requirements. Several other factors have further stressed
our employees, including polygraphs, the perception of prejudicial stereotyping,
and bureaucratic burdens imposed by many different groups currently involved
in management oversight.
These external and internal drivers have had major impacts on our workforce.
Over the past several years, we have initiated several efforts, mostly
by our Human Resources organization, to implement new policies that enhance
our recruiting and retention status; e.g., hiring bonuses, "hot skills"
salary increments, expedited hiring processes, Employee Referral Process
Program, etc. Recently, various groups and organizations have focused
considerable effort on these issues. I have asked Deputy Director Bob
Kuckuck to consolidate all recruiting/retention efforts and develop institution-wide
recommendations.
Diversity
During the past few months, I have met with many employees, including
the Lab’s Employee Network Group leaders and various Asian Pacific
American (APA) employee groups to better understand their concerns. This
dialogue is critical to our understanding of the issues and our ability
to effectively take advantage of the increasingly diverse workforce of
the 21st century. Additionally, we must constantly reinforce the message
of the April Diversity Stand-Down; i.e., racial profiling or any form
of discrimination will not be tolerated.
I expect to introduce some near-term measures into our system, as well
as devoting the entire year to develop and implement a long-term strategy.
New measures will include such things as incorporating diversity and avoidance
of racial profiling as substantive elements of the new employee orientation
process, enhancing these emphases in supervisory and management training
and performance, and systematically assessing our progress, particularly
in creating and enhancing career growth and opportunities.
Employee survey
Finally, I know that each of you has experienced some aspect of these
pressures on our workforce and work environment. In order for us to make
positive impacts, we must know what you think about your work environment
and quality of life at the Lab. Also, at the same time, we want to continue
to follow up on the Lab diversity survey conducted five years ago. You
gave us your feedback on what you thought about the Lab’s environment
at that time. You told us what needed improvement and what you liked about
working at the Lab. We took that input and made a number of changes.
We will be working with various groups and forums around the Laboratory,
and will be developing a new, comprehensive survey that will help define
our path forward. The new survey will have diversity as a significant
element, but will focus more broadly on all aspects of the present and
desired future work environment at the Lab. We will have this survey to
employees by spring, the results digested soon thereafter, and a full
set of recommendations implemented within the calendar year. When this
survey comes forth, I hope you will devote serious thought to it and provide
us with your views.
We need to maintain our highly skilled workforce as we prepare for the
future. I want to ensure that the Lab is seen as a good place to work,
"an employer of choice." Over the next six months, much effort
will be put into these four areas I have just discussed. We need your
perspective to succeed. I also welcome your individual input and suggestions.
An e-mail address,
workforce2001 [at] llnl.gov (
workforce2001[at]llnl[dot]gov
)
,
has been established to provide a mechanism for you to communicate your
thoughts to me in confidence.
I look forward to working with you on these issues.