The transit industry is no walk in the park. From the long hours to the politics and policies, it's no surprise that bad culture is a common criticism.
But what exactly is culture? More specifically, what exactly is work culture as it relates to our industry and why is it so bad in bus depots?
Simply put, work culture is how people feel about the workplace, and in fact, it may be the most important factor in today’s hiring climate.
In the transit industry, salaries and buses are mostly uniform across agencies, with the exception of Washington Metro. New hires typically receive similar pay and operate identical buses.
Throughout my extensive 13 years in transit, I have never encountered an individual who made a career decision based solely on the type of bus they would operate. Money and models do not matter in the grand scheme of things. Culture is a critical factor for agencies to stand out among their competitors. It's the only unique offering that most agencies have, especially in a market where drivers are scarce, and wages and buses are pretty much the same across the board.
Are you ready to kickstart a culture shift? Today, I'll be sharing with you four programs that you can install to begin the process. These aren't magic wands, but rather bricks that can be laid over time to build something bigger
Groups
Transit is big yall. Even if your depot is small, the operation itself is massive! It’s very easy to get lost in it all. Smaller companies with more of a white-collar function don’t have this challenge due to their size. Between emails, phone calls, and Slack you become very familiar with your coworkers, and you all have working relationships. You know about their kids, they know you’re petrified of bridges, and so forth. But ultimately there is a relationship there, and my belief is relationships will go further than paperwork will. Not to mention as an operator, so much of your career is based around an assigned number, not your individual uniqueness. (Seniority)
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Groups are an easy way to make big things small. I saw this firsthand with Mega churches and have adapted this philosophy whenever I have to make multitudes of people feel like an individual.
In the simplest terms, groups are micro-communities led by a single individual who creates spaces for dialog, fun, and community around a shared interest. They get together weekly and biweekly to discuss this interest and form connections. Again we have these events in the white-collar space by default. Coffee, happy hours, and coworker life events. Operators don’t have such a horizontal schedule, so the community requires much more intentionality. It’s not as simple as a “what are you guys doing later” Groups create a space for those conversations to happen.
One of the most unnoticed gems of groups is they grow and showcase the skills and talents of those within them. You’ll discover new leaders, and cultivate new ideas and initiatives within your depots
Not to mention the potential to put them to work. Many operators are eager to engage in community outreach or start a youth group aimed at helping at-risk youth secure jobs as drivers. They just lack a platform to do so. Groups provide the perfect opportunity for these individuals to showcase their talents and make a real difference in their community.
Create A Intre-Prenuer
Department
Leaving my job as a bus operator at MDOT MTA was bittersweet. Despite the negative portrayal of the job on the internet, I enjoyed it and had become extremely proficient at it. However, I felt like I had outgrown it and was ready for something new. In 2016, during my sixth year at MTA, I got lost on a route and decided to create a VR route trainer to help drivers navigate their routes with ease. This was just one example of how many operators have innovative ideas that can improve their work but lack the resources to bring them to fruition. As the country shifts towards a culture of entrepreneurship, it's important to create opportunities for operators to explore their passions and make a difference in their work environment.
It's cheaper than a consultant and gives purpose to a workforce that desperately needs it.
Do you remember when you were young, and your mom gave you that first big task? You know the one that let you know she really trusts you? Do you remember that feeling? You felt like Superman before you even did any real work. Responsibility doesn't make people crumble; it gives them reason to rise.
Empower your operators by delegating problems to them and providing them with the necessary tools to create innovative solutions. By doing so, you not only foster a culture of progress but also attract more young people to the industry. It's a win-win situation!
Be Transparent
Not that these should be in any order, but if there was a clear-cut #1 it would be this. Transparency at its core provides grace. A lot of times in the management and administration space we are very political. It’s always about how it looks, as opposed to how it actually is.
I recently had the super cool opportunity to visit rural Morrow Oregon with Ecolane. I’ve been working with these awesome folks at this awesome place for nearly a year now, and it's been great. However, my trip to Morrow was my first time being in rural America. I mean truly rural. I‘m talking about not seeing other cars for miles.
This is my blog so I can be real right? I was beyond overwhelmed, anxious, and uncomfortable. I’ve lived in cities my entire life I had never seen a real-life wind farm before. Those things are huge and intimidating, and I was the only black person I had seen since Seattle. (my flight in)
If I were to be honest, I was actually upset about the opportunity. I felt a plethora of various feelings. Like how could they send me here of all people? Now, I'm not the first person to have "feelings" toward an assignment. Most people do, in fact, this is where most people sneak over to indeed.com because of the story they told themselves.
We see this a lot in bus operations. This is where that divide starts to begin. One party feels wronged, the other has no idea what's going on, and a real conversation never took place.
Transparency allows you to go from bitterness to better. It also allows removes tension because it shows your ability to be vulnerable.
In that instance, I was 100% honest with that client about how I felt because my uneasiness was obvious. I talked to them not as a client, but as a person in a new environment seeing things he had never seen before, trying to do the best job he can.
Not only did they understand, they embraced it as an opportunity to educate and expose me to things I would have never seen or learned about unless I expressed what I did. When it was all said and done, this ended up being my favorite trip and I consider the gentlemen from Morrow County Transit, friends. That does not happen, if honesty does not happen. The Bible says How Can Two Walk Together Unless They Are On One Accord?
You cannot build a combination of dynamic, healthy, working, and functional relationships (CULTURE!) If people are not honest about how they feel and what they are going through, that's literally a recipe for bitterness to foster in one's heart.
Create tangible goals with
tangible rewards.
Hey yall so true story, I got my first bonus in January, like right after Christmas. Talk about convenience (If you know, you know) But anywho, it actually wasn't the money that mattered, the bonus was just an indication of a job well done. I like to call them certificates of appreciation. All jokes aside it was a tangible acknowledgment of an accomplishment or performance.
In the corporate world, we're all about the data, metrics, and performance indicators. Can you people pay for that kind of information? (Insert eye roll here). Don't get me wrong, it's important stuff, ingrained in us since the days of childhood gold stars. But sometimes, it's the tangible rewards and acknowledgments that truly make a difference.
As operators what is the KPI? Attendance? Not having an accident?
No other industry fosters an environment where doing the bare minimum is the mountaintop. Think about it. What if all you had to look forward to at work was showing up and not running anybody over? Yay (insert more eyerolls)
While operators can’t have a summertime sales push, we can have one based on things that give operators a spark and while bonuses can’t really come to pass in Union environments, we can find things that can
As we wrap up, I hope these ideas have been valuable to you. If they have, I kindly ask that you share them with others who could benefit.
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