The most important resources at any utility are human resources. People make all the difference in the success or failure of your utility’s operation. Managing utility workforce issues is the focus of this practical handbook for water utility human resources managers.

The Water Workforce: Recruiting & Retaining High-Performance Employees examines the special human resource challenges facing utilities and offers tested strategies to address them. It will help you recruit, train, motivate, and retain high-quality employees—and build a stable and productive workforce that will meet the short- and long-term needs of your utility. The book focuses on the specific technical work needs of utilities and how to successfully apply workforce management principles in a water utility environment.

The book discusses workforce planning methodology, recruiting, and retention, and presents a comprehensive approach to workforce improvement and organizational capacity building. It outlines four workforce development processes:
• Defining the organization’s work processes
• Recruiting
• Capacity building
• Retention and succession planning

Utilities can implement effective solutions to workforce problems with a planned approach to organization and work design, followed by action to improve the capacity of individual employees and their units, and ultimately, the whole organization. Although all utilities face workforce management issues, there are considerable differences between large and small utilities. This book addresses the needs of both with strategies to apply workforce management principles in even the smallest utility.

Contents
1. Workforce Challenges and Strategies for Success
2. Jobs in Water and Wastewater Utilities
3. A Strategic Approach to Workforce Planning
4. Utilities as Employers of Choice
5. Organization Change and Workforce Development
6.  Job Analysis and Position Descriptions
7. Recruiting and Selecting Your Workforce
8. Work Planning and Performance Evaluation
9. Learning Organizations and Knowledge Management
10. Training and Development Programs
11. Employee Retention
12. Succession Management
13. Solutions for Smaller Utilities

The book includes several appendices, including general competencies for water and wastewater jobs, utility positions in AWWA’s compensation study, occupational data on technical positions, a model training program for utilities, and a comprehensive listing of major water associations in the US that can be used as a resource for recruiting and training.