State DOT Personnel Administration

The need for improved construction manpower management of the nonprofessional staff within state highway agencies has led to a number of extensive research efforts. These studies have recognized that a sophisticated system of planning and scheduling is only a partial solution. This paper compiles and evaluates current practices related to personnel administration that have been identified in a number of key states. These practices include policies regarding personnel classification, training, temporary employees, off-season assignments, overtime and travel. By reviewing the research studies, it is shown how each of these factors influences manpower usage. The measures taken by each state to remedy certain problems are also presented and evaluated. Several alternatives for meeting both short-term and long-term peak workload demands are presented. These include the hiring of temporary employees and civil engineering cooperative students, personnel transfers or loans, overtime, and transfer of project administrative responsibilities.