UDOT Emergency Accountability Form Helps Track Employee Status After an Emergency

Item #: 20230022

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Emergency Management Team, Traffic Management Division
Implementation Lead: Joaquin Mixco
Development Team: Joaquin Mixco (Chief Emergency Manager), Amber Mortensen (Chief Emergency Operations Officer) with the Maintenance Management, Traffic Maintenance Division and worked with software developers from ReadyOP, a third party SAAS provider.

Article Written By: Quinten Klingonsmith, reviewed by Joaquin and Amber
Innovation Council Liaison: Quinten Klingonsmith
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith

STATUS

Implementation Date: April 20, 2023
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: Users of ReadyOP will have these new accountability features.

APPLIES TO

Topic: Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization
Organization(s): Communication, Emergency Management, Employee Development, Human Resources/DHRM, Incident Management, Internal Audit, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Risk Management, Traffic & Safety, Traffic Management Division
Job Role(s): Administrative Staff / Commissions, Business Analyst, Executive Leadership, Program Director, Program Manager, Program Specialist, Roadway Operations / IMT
Tags: active transportation, air transportation, highway transportation, public transit, railroad transportation, water transportation, infrastructure preservation, labor productivity, employee empowerment, occupational safety, crashes, injuries, economic benefits, value of life, value of time, automation, ( simplification ), standardization, tracking systems, communications > public relations ( PR ), human resources > personnel management > compensation, relations, personnel performance, retention, recruiting, hiring, supervision, turnover, retirement, information technology >> software, networks, risk management, insurance, ( data visualization ), quality of life, ( connected communities )

PROBLEM

Natural disasters and other emergencies can create confusion and disrupt operations. One of the greatest challenges, especially with a dispersed workforce, is accounting for the status and availability of all employees after a major emergency. The current process of asking managers to call each team member, record their situation and pass it up the hierarchy requires an inordinate amount of time and effort, is fraught with inaccuracy and keeps these managers from other pressing tasks.

CHANGE

UDOT’s Emergency Management team worked with ReadyOP to create a routine within their software as a service system to provide a new accountability dashboard. The dashboard enables managers and leadership to track employee’s work availability and condition by division and organization. It also reports their current location.

It works by sending employees a unique link to a form where they report their condition, location and if they and their family are safe. Employees then indicate their availability to work. As the employee’s situations change, they are able to return to the form and update their status.

RESULT

With real-time information about the status and availability of their employees, UDOT managers know who they can call upon to help address emergency issues, protect the public and resume critical operations.

The new automated process is much faster, more accurate and allows managers to spend more time addressing the emergency than accounting for their staff. The ability to quickly, accurately and safely account for and determine UDOT’s human resource capability, updated in real time, has an incalculable cost savings.

These innovative system capabilities will not only benefit UDOT, but will also benefit any other Utah agency or organization across the nation that uses ReadyOp.

What’s Next?

UDOT will continue practicing with the system and refining the process. As people become more familiar with the form, the success rate and ease of use will increase until there is a nearly perfect accounting for all members of UDOT.

Emergency Management is currently working with DHRM to ensure up-to-date and accurate information about UDOT’s approximately 1,700 employees are uploaded into the ReadyOp roster with correct textable phones and current emails.

IMPACT

BETTER MOBILITY

The ability to manage human resources effectively will allow for a quicker return to normal mobility after an emergency

GOOD HEALTH

Accounting for employee condition and location will aid management in protecting employees and responding to the emergency

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

The ability to manage the workforce efficiently will help UDOT restore critical community connections after an emergency

STRONG ECONOMY

The economic impact of an emergency will be reduced by management's ability to safely reengage UDOT's workforce after an emergency

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