Trapeze Blog Future-Focused: Gen Z-driven Strategies for Fair and Flexible Work While Protecting Seniority Rights

By Kristi Urich As we continue to address the evolving needs of our transit workforce, it’s crucial to focus on what matters to younger employees. They bring fresh perspectives and energy, but to keep them engaged and satisfied, agencies must adapt their transit workforce retention strategies. From flexible scheduling to new onboarding techniques, here’s how you can make your agency a top choice for the next generation of workers.   Improve Outcomes for New Employees   To improve retention for new trainees, consider shortening initial training periods and providing mentorship programs for transit workers. Dedicate runs for trainees that are not assigned during bidding. Assign new operators to the open runs for a few weeks, instead of the extraboard, rotating their work assignment every week or two for six to 12 weeks.   Pair the new operator with a mentor/trainer for their first day on each of the new assignments. This helps them get familiar with lines and routes gradually rather than learning everything at once. It also allows them to focus on developing safe driving habits and customer service skills rather than the stress of constantly changing work.   After completing the work rotation, have the new hire complete training on all remaining lines. Once this is complete, the employee can be placed on the extraboard until the next bid when they can select work based on seniority. These steps help new employees gain confidence and experience in a structured manner, improving their readiness for more responsibilities and enhancing overall job satisfaction.   Plan Ahead: Assigning More Work in Advance   Extraboard is a particularly challenging assignment because most agencies don’t publish work until 12 to 18 hours before the report time. This short notice, combined with highly variable start and end times, makes it nearly impossible for drivers to plan personal activities, including sleep, family time, and exercise.   One solution is to split the board into AM and PM shifts, which can decrease the fluctuations in start times. Additionally, allowing the extraboard to bid on open work due to vacation, long-term absences, or unbid runs lets employees inherit a set schedule for one or multiple weeks. This approach helps employees better manage their time and maintain healthier sleep routines. Adequate and effective rest periods are critical to lowering fatigue risks and increasing safety. Providing better work-life balance can also reduce absenteeism.   Weekend Wins: Rotating Days Off   One common concern among new hires is the difficulty of securing weekends or holidays off. To address this, some agencies have adopted rotating days-off systems, ensuring each extraboard employee gets a few weekends off during the period.   Another solution is a rostered 21- or 28-day work schedule that staggers days off, especially with four 10-hour workdays, allowing for a three-to-five-day weekend at least once in the period. Both options can be equally attractive to senior operators and new hires.   While these strategies focus on onboarding and providing flexibility in work schedules, it’s also vital to ensure fairness in vacation and time-off requests. In Part 2 we will explore additional methods, including fair play in vacation requests and more equitable access through rotating selection groups. These strategies are not just focused on retaining Gen-Z in public transit jobs, but promote a balanced workplace for all employees, enhancing job satisfaction across the board.  Connect with us below to learn more about how Trapeze Workforce Management can help your agency implement these strategies. CONNECT WITH US