A five-step plan to support smooth transitions in the hydropower workforce

A brand new useful resource is equipping hydropower organizations with instruments that may facilitate seamless succession planning and promote strong information sharing practices.

The excellent news: Hydropower’s reliability means it performs—and can proceed to play—an vital function within the electrical grid, supporting variable renewable power sources like photo voltaic and wind. And present and new hydropower initiatives are anticipated to play a pivotal function as we transition to 100% clear power within the electrical energy sector. That would imply substantial development within the hydropower workforce.

The dangerous information: The hydropower trade’s workforce is experiencing main transitions, because it’s seeing an growing variety of employees retire. The trade now faces the troublesome challenges of not solely guaranteeing that it could actually recruit sufficient employees to fill all the required roles, but in addition minimizing organizational information loss from employee departure.

This organizational information loss can have main implications, akin to misplaced productiveness as new employees come on top of things on organizational practices or elevated strain on present staff, which may trigger dissatisfaction and doubtlessly result in extra employee turnover.

A brand new useful resource developed by the Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory (NREL) might help hydropower organizations put together for worker turnover and scale back information loss to make sure hydropower continues to play a serious function in a clear power future.

The Knowledge Sharing and Succession Planning Toolkit outlines a five-step course of that can be utilized by any hydropower group, irrespective of the place they’re of their workforce transition, to determine a system and tradition for information sharing.

“When we began this project, we realized that there are very minimal resources specific to hydropower regarding succession planning and knowledge sharing,” stated Adam Kanter, workforce improvement researcher at NREL and the lead writer on the toolkit. “But we can see that hydropower is one of the industries that needs this kind of help the most.”

To construct the toolkit, Kanter spent months gathering experience from different workforce improvement sources, then solicited suggestions from members of hydropower associations and organizations.

“We had a good mix of perspectives—some technical hydropower people, but also human resources workers who already had some experience with knowledge sharing and succession planning,” Kanter stated. “Their input really strengthened the toolkit.”

The right way to use the toolkit

The toolkit encompasses two vital ideas vital for profitable workforce transitions: information sharing, or the method of capturing abilities and data and making that information accessible to all staff; and succession planning, which helps leaders establish essential positions inside organizations and put together staff to fill these vacancies as incumbents retire or transfer on.

These ideas are embedded within the toolkit’s step-by-step method, which first shepherds organizations via assessing, documenting, capturing, and sharing present information. The instrument then guides them in making vital modifications and drafting a plan to revisit every matter repeatedly.

Every of the 5 steps embody downloadable instruments, templates, and checklists that simplify the method of evaluating organizational information sharing practices. Examples of accomplished worksheets are additionally included in every step, so the group can see the kinds of info they need to be gathering.

However the great thing about the toolkit is its flexibility, stated Kanter.

“People can use it chronologically, from Step 1 to Step 5, or they can skip directly to building a job profile,” Kanter stated. “One of the major considerations when we were creating this was making sure it’s useful to people regardless of where they might be in this process. If they’ve already assessed their organization, and just want to make sure they’re doing it right, they can use this to validate their ideas.”

The toolkit was made publicly accessible in April 2024, and it has already been shared with many hydropower trade companions, from which Kanter is constant to hunt suggestions. “One of the big benefits of having the toolkit online is that we can continue to update it to fill gaps and respond to industry input,” Kanter stated.

Hydropower trade companions will even be capable of arrange one-on-one classes with Kanter to request help, get questions answered, or present suggestions.

“This toolkit comes at a time when hydropower organizations need help to ensure they have a qualified, knowledgeable workforce prepared to assist hydropower take its place within the clear power transition,” Kanter stated.