Retention Tension

Companies and schools alike face several obstacles
to retaining drivers

Julie Metea | Contributing Editor

If it wasn’t for the school bus drivers, Laidlaw Education Services’ staff would total 4,000 people. That’s only a tenth of the total number of drivers on Laidlaw’s payroll.
As the largest private school transportation contractor, Laidlaw’s core business is structured around recruiting, training and rewarding its 41,000 driving staff. Without them, they wouldn’t be able to provide a service to school districts in 36 states and six Canadian provinces.

“Finding and retaining employees with the right set of skills and attitudes is no easy task,” according to Laidlaw’s Staffing and Compliance Program Manager Maribeth Chick.

Laidlaw, as well as other school transportation organizations, face several obstacles in building a reliable, loyal and well-intended driving staff. The challenges include driver shortages, intricate candidate screenings and expensive employee benefits.

“Drivers get up early before the chickens. They have heavy demands on them. They are carrying precious goods for the community. You have to come up with innovative ways to work these employees,” said Debra Dixon, Human Resource Committee chair for the Association of School Business Officials. The group provides programs and services to promote high standards of management practices.

Human resource solutions vary from the largest school bus driver employer to the smallest school transportation department. However, the common denominator is compelling: the necessity to build the most trustworthy driving staff for children. The consequences of a bad employee could become even more complicated and costly.

Hiring and Retaining Employees: A school district’s experience
K eeping school bus drivers for more than two years is a hard task at the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont, Colo. Only 20 percent of new hires are expected to become veteran employees.

“We have a huge turn over. It’s no surprise when you’re hiring a targeted subset with little in the way of employee benefits,” said Rick Ring, executive director for St. Vrain Valley’s school support services. His district currently employees 112 bus drivers who transport 6,900 students daily.

Many of the positions are part-time with a split-shift day, making about $12 an hour. The district requires people with specific abilities to care for children, drive and maintain a vehicle. They must be risk averse with clean records. At this point, the candidate pool gets small.

Realizing the odds, the district came up with perks to attract and retain drivers. It offers health insurance to drivers with as little as 20 hours a week. It pays a bonus for good attendance. Once a year, the administrators prepare and serve breakfast to the drivers. Bus drivers are rewarded during ceremonies. And the district picks up the tab to send drivers to school bus rodeos.

“We bring them in as staff. We recognize their birthdays. That goes a long way. They really feel connected to the school system. It makes them feel special,” said Ring.
When the district needs to fill a position, it looks for retired teachers and younger mothers.

“To attract the moms, we allow them to bring their toddlers on the routes. This takes care of the day care issue,” said Ring. “It’s a creative solution, but the jury is still out on it.”

If the candidates pass the background checks and drug tests, they go through training. Those who are hired start out as substitute drivers.

“When you put 70 middle schoolers on the bus, it’s very different from the concept of driving. They get weeded out even at that point,” said Ring.

Processing Employees: A corporation’s experience
Laidlaw has documented processes for hiring, training and managing thousands of drivers. It’s outlined in corporate binders from the headquarters to branch offices.
“We have the most robust school bus driver recruitment initiative,” said Chick. “We understand the profile of a bus driver.”

The recruitment program, called “Join the Best,” helps branch managers go through the difficult process of finding the right people. With DVDs and printed materials, managers target mothers and retirees at the local level.

The company uses common processes — the same personality profiles, same interview questions and same rigorous background investigations. Candidates who pass these hurdles undergo six weeks of training behind the wheel with a certified trainer. Once fully employed, they can expect random drug testing and peer reviews. If something goes wrong, human resource managers confer with the legal staff on termination decisions.

For model employees, Laidlaw lauds their loyalty, accomplishments and contributions through internal media, external announcements and very public events. Laidlaw measures every step, and the data helps the company make process improvements.

Tips of the Trade
The ASBO has been focusing on rising health care costs and employee retention for the school bus services. Rather than structuring a split-shift staff, Dixon suggests filling the gap for productivity and value.

“Look for people with two skills. You can offer them a dual position, such as driver and student information manager. Or food services, custodian or teacher,” said Dixon.
During the hiring process, even the best HR representatives misjudge people. Stefan Salmonson, president of PROtective Services, Inc., believes standardized practices help avoid pitfalls.

“The best practices out there don’t cost a lot. They’re just good planning, empowerment and awareness,” said Salmonson. He outlined a few hiring and firing safety tips for anyone managing driver staffs:

• Outsource background checks. A professional service can broaden record searches, utilize new tracking technologies and provide documentation for potential liabilities.
• Be aware of drug test cheating. Devices, such as the popular “Whizinator”, provide cheaters with freeze dried toxic free urine and rubber genitals to dispense it.
• Have an exit process. Be sure to deactivate access cards and collect uniforms for ensured safety.
• Practice high-risk operations when firing belligerent people. If you ever hear an angry employee say, “I know where you live,” use a concerted effort with police and lawyers to terminate employment and escort those people away from the school.

“If you’re going to do this right, you need to address these issues. The good HR representatives are already doing these things,” said Salmonson.

Source: School Transportation News, August 2006. All rights reserved.