Valet Change to Flagging

New employee parking structure project delayed and over budget. Construction Traffic Flagging costs are excessive due to temp agency usage and project delay. Goal: Reduce flagging costs. Aim: Utilize upstaff from Hospital Valet services who is hiring for when parking structure is complete. Summary: Valet services assumed control of traffic flagging. In house control of parking reduced cost and wait times and increased customer satisfaction. The Valet's initial pushback and fear was valid. When Valet Services initially took over flagging and attempted to repeat what the UDOT certified flaggers did, safety was a huge concern. When Valet Services applied front line Valet thoughts, ideas, suggestions and changes (Value Culture), the flagging operation transformed. As valets focused on what they could control under their ownership, the fear and hesitation slowly disappeared and flagging became manageable. Even though Valet Services overall morale took a hit, the front line Valet accomplished the seemingly impossible.

Valet Change to Flagging Department of Traffic Management Specialists Michael Bown, Manager; Adrian Verdusco, Supervisor; Avery Tanner, Supervisor; Jason Struhs, Supervisor Andy Olsen, Supervisor; Cooper Riley, Sr. Manager DISCUSSION INTRODUCTION • $80,000 saved each month with reduced usage of contracted flaggers METHODS FOR IMPROVEMENT • • • • • Valet Services expansion into operational traffic control UDOT Flagger Training High visibility winter gear Two hour rotations Lead by example (Supervisors working next to front line staff) • Full team obtained flagging certification Limitations & Barriers • Difficult and complex construction zones are a challenge, even for experienced veteran flaggers • Ever changing construction demands on traffic flow e.g., trucks and equipment pulling into traffic • Multiple entities gave positive and negative feedback about • performance: • Jewish Community Center • • Busy intersections prone to traffic back-up Extremely high cost of UDOT Flagger • Huntsman Cancer Institute • Staffing for Lot 67 provided additional staff that could be repurposed to flag Valet team was fearful of change and the flagging requirement • UHealth Hospital administration & employees • Ralph Wadsworth Construction • Utah Department of Transportation • Patients & visitors Problem Investigation Valuable Lessons Learned • Search out and recognize the truly useful feedback • Recognizing and validating the fear of change to move forward on what the team can control (Value Culture) “ “ • UDOT AADT for 2010 -2020 • Consulted Experts: HR, Risk Management, RLW, flaggers on the ground, Hospital Safety • R.T.E. (run the experiment) People will put up with anything provided it doesn’t block traffic. Stress doesn’t always come from the circumstance, it can come from your own thoughts about the circumstance. “ Gathered input of Valet team on their fear regarding new flagging requirement. Developed a leadership vision with the team on putting their safety as a number one priority. Understanding and clarifying the new flagging territory that was an extension of work the valet already performed. • Finances – Build over budget and over past deadline • Voice of the employee • UDOT liaison “ • CONCLUSION RESULTS 1. To date, 7 Valet have resigned citing flagging safety as main concern 2. Wellness Check Surveys are at extremely low 3. Two Valet have been involved with minor vehicle/body impacts 4. 95% of required shifts have been filled 5. Customer complaints about flagger professionalism has decreased by 78% • The Valet’s initial pushback and fear was valid. When Valet Services initially took over flagging and attempted to repeat what the UDOT certified flaggers did, safety was a huge concern. When Valet Services applied front line Valet thoughts, ideas, suggestions and changes (Value Culture), the flagging operation transformed. As valets focused on what they could control under their ownership, the fear and hesitation slowly disappeared and flagging became manageable. Even though Valet Services overall morale took a hit, the front line Valet accomplished the seemingly impossible. • Thank you Utah weather for giving us the wettest, snowiest winter in many years. It made flagging so much fun!!! Wellness Champions Project Sponsored by the Resiliency Center