BNSF RAILWAY: CONDUCTOR NEW HIRE TRAINING
BNSF Railway collaborated with different labor organizations to develop a new training program for new conductors entering the rail industry. Previously, BNSF had two different programs based on legacy collective bargaining agreements from the former Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads.
The newly introduced Conductor New Hire Training program focuses on building the foundation of rules and safety knowledge and their application, with the aim to enhance awareness of various workplace risks and provide comprehensive guidance to mitigate or eliminate those risks, while aligning with BNSF’s goal of achieving zero injuries and incidents.
Program Details
Conductor New Hire Training is a 14-week blended program for new employees seeking certification as a freight train conductor. Employees begin with one week of orientation led by their local training coordinator at their home location. During the next four weeks at the Technical Training Center (TTC) in Overland Park, KS, students have the chance to build on the foundations of safety and rules knowledge through a blend of classroom and field training, guided by expert instructors. In the classroom, students delve into essential safety procedures, regulations, and best practices, providing the necessary skills for practical application during on-the-job training. During the field training portion, the students have the opportunity to apply their classroom learning in real-world settings under the supervision of experienced instructors, enabling them to hone their skills, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for the next evolution in the training program.
The instruction includes hands-on activities in a train yard, simulations (including training simulators on static actual railcars that allow employees to practice essential skills of ascending/descending equipment, hand brake application, lacing of brake pipe hoses, and replacing a railcar knuckle), videos, group activities, and iPad exercises that measure knowledge transfer and application of skills learned.
Throughout the training, students complete additional learning modules and Web-based training accessed through BNSF’s learning management system. At the end of week five, students must complete a 120-question exam with a score of 90 percent or higher. Upon returning to their home terminals, students complete nine weeks of on-the-job training (OJT) under the guidance of a Craft instructor before becoming a certified conductor.
BNSF also offers Remedial Conductor New Hire Training, a five-week extension of the training program for employees who need additional training when deficiencies have been identified.
Learning objectives for Conductor New Hire Training include:
- Understand and comply with BNSF’s and federal rules for train operations as they pertain to a freight conductor.
- Ensure a train conductor complies with rules for train makeup and hazmat commodities placement in train.
- Demonstrate hands-on proficiency performing train switching operations (at BNSF’s dedicated training yard in Lenexa, KS).
- Demonstrate hands-on proficiency performing hostling operations (moving locomotives within a terminal area).
- Manage a train on the main track in compliance with its movement and authority subject to permanent/temporary restrictions.
- Communicate effectively with crew members and other employees using hand signals, radios, and other train signals.
As part of post-graduation training, field leaders hold touchpoints with newly promoted conductors. This is a time to discuss areas where the conductor feels confident and areas where they have questions or concerns. Field supervisors also conduct field observations to evaluate the safety performance of the new conductors. The employee receives feedback on positive behaviors and areas for improvement. Finally, a separate Refresher Rules training program is held biannually to refresh existing conductors’ knowledge.
Results
Since kicking off the new program in February 2024, BNSF has enrolled more than 1,000 conductor new hires. As a result of the new program, BNSF has seen:
- An increase in overall conductor retention rates from 69 percent to 91 percent.
- A reduction in human factor incidents caused by employees with less than one year of service reduced by 34 percent from the previous year (legacy programs).
- Maintenance of industry-leading safety performance (i.e., the safest railroad among the Class I railroads), including a record-setting injury frequency ratio.
BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON: PEOPLE LEADER LEARNING SERIES (PLLS)
Booz Allen Hamilton’s People Leader Learning Series (PLLS) is a company-wide initiative sponsored by the Leadership Development Team. It initially was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to address a strategic need and employee desire for increased engagement, support, and development of people leaders during a time of uncertainty and a shift from in-person to remote work. Due to its success in delivering relevant content quickly and easily from a host of leaders and subject matter experts across the business, the program has continued to evolve in today’s ever-changing environment.
Program Details
The monthly interactive, virtual, “podcast-style” 30-minute event series covers critical, timely, and relevant topics intended to support leaders in growing their leadership skills; understanding and applying Booz Allen programs, processes, policies, purpose and values; and executing on firm strategies, including but not limited to its Winning Our Way & People First Culture Strategy, Employee Engagement Strategy, and VoLT (Velocity, Leadership, and Technology) Strategy. Each session can be attended live (synchronously) and asynchronously and features a panel of three to four senior and executive leader subject matter experts (SMEs) who share their success stories and lessons learned, practical tips and best practices, and resources for continued learning.
Topics are determined in collaboration with executive leadership, Human Resources business partners, and the Leadership Development Team and informed by prior PLLS survey response recommendations and the firm’s fiscal year calendar. Once a critical topic is identified, subject matter experts are selected and invited to join the panel based on leadership and strategic experience relevant to the topic. A high-level script is created in collaboration with the SMEs, who are coached on Adult Learning Theory best practices to increase audience engagement and the actionability of best practices (e.g., scenarios, audience questions, polls, and chat visuals). The flow of conversations always addresses the “What is in it for me” (WIIFM) for leaders, Booz Allen’s strategic approach, and best practices and actionable insights for bringing the training to life day-to-day.
Some examples of topics include:
- Leading Through Difficult Conversations
- Goal & Development Planning
- Energizing Teams in Times of Uncertainty
- Mindfully Managing Microaggressions
- Support, Grow & Retain with Talent Mobility
- Balancing Employee Well-Being with Business Needs
- Awareness & Support for Colleagues with Disabilities
- How to Manage a New Performance or Behavior Concern
All PLLS events are scheduled between 12 and 12:30 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays, which is lunch time for the majority of Booz Allen leaders who reside on the East Coast and well known as a day/time when meetings are least frequent across the organization. Each event is recorded, and all recordings are e-mailed to registrants and posted to the People Leaders Learning Series Learning Library site. The site also points to additional resources and continued learning so participants can access other training opportunities in alignment with the various topics identified.
Results
Booz Allen noted a 15 percent increase in monthly registrations and a 6.4 percent increase in average monthly attendees by October 2024. More than 95 percent of participants agreed the session was a good use of their time, they would be likely to attend another session, and they are likely to recommend the session to others.
While PLLS is not designed alone to achieve specific business outcomes or behavior change, the firm has seen measurable results in combination with formal leadership development opportunities, including:
- Retention rate increase to 88 percent
- 7 percent headcount growth
- 2 percent favorable Employee Experience Survey results