Navigating Workforce Transformation in the Utility Industry

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Workforce transformation has the potential to be the next big buzzword in the utility industry.  And for good reason – between climate change, clean energy goals, rapidly-evolving technology, and changing workforce demographics, utility companies will likely struggle to navigate the many workforce challenges these issues present.  That said, there are some things that utilities can focus on to soften the blow.

Recommendations for Successfully Navigating the Utility Workforce Transformation

While there are many issues in play, the issue of changing workforce demographics may be the most difficult to manage.  Between the so-called “great resignation,” the impending retirement boom (50% of the utility workforce is set to retire over the next decade), and the shorter average tenure of employees, it’s reasonable to expect a worker shortage in the coming years.  Not only does this hurt utilities’ ability to manage day-to-day operations, but it also complicates recovery and restoration.  Simply put, a lot of institutional knowledge will be lost.

It won’t be easy, or pretty, but these changes can be successfully managed.  Here are 3 tips:

• Document institutional knowledge – Veteran employees have everything they need to know between their ears, but this is not the case for young and/or new employees, so as much knowledge as possible needs to be documented and stored in an easily-accessible location, and employees need to receive training on it.
• Upgrade the company’s technology – This encompasses tools that enhance training, collaboration and workflows, such as augmented reality, IoT deployments, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing (NLP) tools.
• Expand the pool of talent – The so-called “new collar worker” movement can be leveraged to expand the pool of potential job candidates, as this approach allows for the hiring of employees that do not necessary check the box on all the job requirements with the idea that these knowledge gaps will be filled with enhanced training and support.

The bottom line is that the utility industry is about to experience a massive workforce transformation, and any utility that doesn’t see and address this inevitable trend now will be left in the dust.