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NW Natural in Oregon Turns to WorkKeys® for Union Promotions
An Oregon natural gas company has broken with tradition. Rather than promote its union employees on seniority alone, which has long been customary, NW Natural in Portland requires them to achieve specific skill levels as defined by WorkKeys.
NW Natural, a 151-year-old natural gas distribution and storage company, has incorporated WorkKeys job profiling and assessments into its promotion process for members of the Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 11. About 70 percent of the company’s 1,060 employees belong to the union.
“When I talk about our testing to others around the nation and with utilities in particular, they are shocked to hear that we have testing requirements for internal candidates. It’s a huge step for a union to agree that there is a place for testing. Clearly, our union is interested in more than just wages and benefits.”
—Dave Williams, vice president for utility services, NW Natural
Nearly a decade ago, company and union management decided that promoting workers based solely on seniority wasn’t working. Too many employees were failing in new positions because they didn’t have the right skills. Officials worked with an on-staff ACT-authorized job profiler to analyze tasks and skills levels for each of the approximately 130 union jobs that have been profiled to date.
“We wanted to respect seniority, while also offering employees a better chance of success by testing their skills prior to promotion,” said Dave Williams, NW Natural vice president of utility services.
A union employee at NW Natural takes a WorkKeys assessment.
The WorkKeys assessments are ideal, he said, because they are tied to a training component that helps employees develop their skills. Human resources personnel administer the Applied Mathematics, Applied Technology, Listening, Locating Information, Observation, Reading for Information, Teamwork, and Writing assessments on site once a month.
Employees who want to move into different jobs can look up specific WorkKeys scores for those positions. They can take the required assessments to determine their current skills and identify areas to improve to meet the standards for the new jobs.
“Our employees now have an inside career track that helps them prepare for the positions they want,” said Williams. “In the past, they just had to be with the company longer than anyone else applying for the same job. Testing provides an objective way for them to reach their goals.”
The testing has proven beneficial, he said. “The assessments are a better predictor of employee success. Those who meet skill levels are more successful and confident.”
Human resources personnel help employees whose scores don’t match the requirements of a desired position create a developmental plan to reach their goal. Many employees work through training modules even when they aren’t seeking a promotion so they can be ready for the next job opening.
Diana Dickson is one such employee. Dickson, who has worked in payroll and accounts receivable at NW Natural for many years, would like to move into a customer service position. She has taken five WorkKeys assessments to prepare for openings. “The tests showed me what I know and what I need to learn to get ahead.”
“Our members understand that we are dependent on one another to work as a team to produce an above-average product. They know that it’s imperative that everyone on the team has the skills necessary to perform their jobs.”
—Mike Richards, executive secretary and treasurer, Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 11, NW Natural
Supervisors encourage employees to take the tests. “I tell them it’s better to take the assessments now, when they’re not under pressure, so they can be properly prepared for the job they are interested in,” said Ron Martin, compliance supervisor/corrosion.
The company also uses WorkKeys to assess the skills of external applicants for the union positions. Internal recruiters screen applications to ensure candidates meet the minimum qualifications and administer the required WorkKeys assessments. Only those applicants scoring at the minimum level or above as defined by the job profile can proceed to the next step.
“WorkKeys testing complements our selection process by validating that the candidates have the necessary foundational skills to do the job,” said Zane White, NW Natural human resources consultant.