1、 ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 103Guide to Hiring andRetaining GreatCivil EngineersEdited byRobert. Russell, P.E., F. ASCESponsored byCommittee on Professional Practice, Constituent Committeeon Employment of Civil EngineersPublished byAmerican Societyof Civil Engineers1801 Ale
2、xander Bell DriveReston, Virginia 20191-4400ASCEAbstract: In the past, many organizations viewed individuals as expendable. If employeesdidnt have the right skill mix, they were replaced. Fortunately, weve now come to realizethat this approach no longer works; the supply of civil engineers is extrem
3、ely limited andloyalty has value. Putting people on the street and then hiring replacements is not a goodplan for the long haul. If youre asking people to accept and embrace constant change, thenyou need to establish a long-term commitment.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataGuide to h
4、iring and retaining great civil engineers / edited by Robert J. Russell; sponsoredby Committee on Professional Practice, Constituent Committee on Employment of CivilEngineers.p. cm.(ASCE manual and reports on engineering practice; 103)ISBN 0-7844-0627-81. Civil engineersRecruitingUnited StatesHandbo
5、oks, manuals, etc. 2. Engineer-ing firmsUnited StatesPersonnel managementHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Russell,Robert J., 1946- II. American Society of Civil Engineers. Committee on Standards ofPractice. III. ASCE manuals and reports on engineering practice; no. 103TA157.G85 2002624.0683dc21 200207173
6、5Any statements expressed in these materials are those of the individual authors and donot necessarily represent the views of ASCE, which takes no responsibility for any statementmade herein. No reference made in this publication to any specific method, product, processor service constitutes or impl
7、ies an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty thereof byASCE. The materials are for general information only and do not represent a standard ofASCE, nor are they intended as a reference in purchase specifications, contracts, regulations,statutes, or any other legal document.ASCE makes no represent
8、ation or warranty of any kind, whether express or implied,concerning the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or utility of any information, apparatus,product, or process discussed in this publication, and assumes no liability therefore. Thisinformation should not be used without first securing comp
9、etent advice with respect to itssuitability for any general or specific application. Anyone utilizing this information assumesall liability arising from such use, including but not limited to infringement of any patentor patents.ASCE and American Society of Civil EngineersRegistered in U.S. Patent a
10、nd Trade-mark Office.Photocopies: Authorization to photocopy material for internal or personal use under cir-cumstances not falling within the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act is granted byASCE to libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)Transactional Rep
11、orting Service, provided that the base fee of $8.00 per article plus $.50 perpage is paid directly to CCC, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923. The identificationfor ASCE Books is 0-7844-0627-8/03/$8.00 -I- $.50 per page. Requests for special permissionor bulk copying should be addressed to Permis
12、sions nor is it so elementary or so conclusive as to provide a “rule of thumb“for nonengineers.Furthermore, material in this series, in distinction from a paper (whichexpresses only one persons observations or opinions), is the work ofa committee or group selected to assemble and express information
13、 ona specific topic. As often as practicable, the committee is under thedirection of one or more of the Technical Divisions and Councils, andthe product evolved has been subjected to review by the ExecutiveCommittees of these Divisions or Councils. As a step in the process of thisreview, proposed ma
14、nuscripts are often brought before the members ofthe Technical Divisions and Councils for comment, which may serve asthe basis for improvement. When published, each work lists the names ofthe committees by which it was compiled and clearly indicates the severalprocesses through which it has passed i
15、n review, in order that its meritmay be definitely understood.In February 1962 (and revised in April 1982) the Board of Directionvoted to establish:A series entitled Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice, toinclude the Manuals published and authorized to date, future Man-uals of Professional P
16、ractice, and Reports on Engineering Practice.All such Manual or Report material of the Society would have beenrefereed in a manner approved by the Board Committee on Publi-cations and would be bound, with applicable discussion, in bookssimilar to past Manuals. Numbering would be consecutive andwould
17、 be a continuation of present Manual numbers. In some casesof reports of joint committees, bypassing of Journal publications maybe authorized.MANUALS AND REPORTSON ENGINEERING PRACTICENo. Title No. Title13 Filtering Materials for Sewage TreatmentPlants14 Accommodation of Utility Plant Within theRigh
18、ts-of-Way of Urban Streets andHighways34 Definitions of Surveying and AssociatedTerms35 A List of Translations of Foreign Literatureon Hydraulics37 Design and Construction of Sanitary andStorm Sewers40 Ground Water Management41 Plastic Design in Steel: A Guide andCommentary45 Consulting Engineering:
19、 A Guide for theEngagement of Engineering Services46 Pipeline Route Selection for Rural andCross-Country Pipelines47 Selected Abstracts on StructuralApplications of Plastics49 Urban Planning Guide50 Planning and Design Guidelines for SmallCraft Harbors51 Survey of Current Structural Research52 Guide
20、 for the Design of SteelTransmission Towers53 Criteria for Maintenance of MultilaneHighways55 Guide to Employment Conditions forCivil Engineers57 Management, Operation and Maintenanceof Irrigation and Drainage Systems59 Computer Pricing Practices60 Gravity Sanitary Sewer Design andConstruction62 Exi
21、sting Sewer Evaluation andRehabilitation63 Structural Plastics Design Manual64 Manual on Engineering Surveying65 Construction Cost Control66 Structural Plastics Selection Manual67 Wind Tunnel Studies of Buildingsand Structures68 Aeration: A Wastewater Treatment Process69 Sulfide in Wastewater Collec
22、tion andTreatment Systems70 Evapotranspiration and Irrigation WaterRequirements71 Agricultural Salinity Assessment andManagement72 Design of Steel Transmission PoleStructures73 Quality in the Constructed Project: A Guidefor Owners, Designers, and Constructors74 Guidelines for Electrical Transmission
23、 LineStructural Loading75 Right-of-Way Surveying76 Design of Municipal WastewaterTreatment Plants77 Design and Construction of UrbanStormwater Management Systems78 Structural Fire Protection79 Steel Penstocks80 Ship Channel Design81 Guidelines for Cloud Seeding to AugmentPrecipitation82 Odor Control
24、 in WastewaterTreatment Plants83 Environmental Site Investigation84 Mechanical Connections in WoodStructures85 Quality of Ground Water86 Operation and Maintenance of GroundWater Facilities87 Urban Runoff Quality Manual88 Management of Water TreatmentPlant Residuals89 Pipeline Crossings90 Guide to St
25、ructural Optimization91 Design of Guyed ElectricalTransmission Structures92 Manhole Inspection and Rehabilitation93 Crane Safety on Construction Sites94 Inland Navigation: Locks, Dams, andChannels95 Urban Subsurface Drainage96 Guide to Improved EarthquakePerformance of Electric Power Systems97 Hydra
26、ulic Modeling: Concepts and Practice98 Conveyance of Residuals from Water andWastewater Treatment99 Environmental Site Characterization andRemediation Design Guidance100 Groundwater Contamination by OrganicPollutants: Analysis and Remediation101 Underwater Investigations102 Design Guide for FRP Comp
27、ositeConnections103 Guide to Hiring and Retaining GreatCivil EngineersFOREWORDHOW DO YOU FIND AND KEEP THE BEST CIVIL ENGINEERS?The decades of the 1980s and 1990s were among the most turbulentin business history. Downsizing, mergers and acquisitions in the privatesector, and tight budgets and reduct
28、ions in workforce in the public sector,became constants. Radical advances in technology combined with theglobalization of commerce have made change in the workplace a way oflife. The resulting, ever-increasing pressure to work longer, smarter, faster,and harder has driven many civil engineers to not
29、 only question theircommitment to an all-consuming career but also to search for meaningoutside of the workplace.THE GENERATION CHALLENGEWe as managers often must deal with a generation of employees withvalues quite different from our own. Just as we were getting used toGeneration X, along comes Gen
30、eration Y, composed of those born after1977. What are they looking for from employers? Heres how Generation Ycollege students responded to one survey about what they want in theirfirst jobs: a fun work environment growth opportunities competitive salary a wide range of projects to work on good benef
31、its, including healthcare, profit sharing, and 401K opportunities to learn and develop new skillsall paid for bythe company travel opportunities flexible work schedulesFor these new workers, putting their career first while robustly pursuingthe bottom line has been replaced by putting their family/p
32、ersonal lifefirst while robustly pursuing a better quality of life. Today many civilVvi GUIDE TO HIRING AND RETAINING GREAT CIVIL ENGINEERSengineers worry about how their work affects their personal life ratherthan how their personal life affects their work. This change in the workethic creates a si
33、gnificant challenge for us as civil engineering managers.MEETING THE CHALLENGEThe need for civil engineers has outstripped supply, and it has becomeincreasingly difficult for firms to retain civil engineersparticularly thebest onesand recruit additional civil engineers to meet staffing needs. Inresp
34、onse, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee onthe Employment of Civil Engineers (CECE) decided it was time to publisha guide on finding and keeping the best civil engineers.While this manual has been written primarily for middle managersthestaff level with prime responsibility for
35、 recruiting and retaining engi-neersit is also of value for new hires and junior staff, and senior man-agement. It was written by CECE members, who are civil engineers withmany years experience in both the public and private sectors. Addition-ally, several human resource practitioners were recruited
36、 to help. Thus, themanual represents the best of both worldsthe pragmatic focus of civilengineering practitioners as well as valuable contributions from specialistsin the human resources field.As the search for civil engineers has reached epic proportions, the com-mittee believes this manual can hel
37、p you to improve your organizationshiring practices and keep the good engineers you already have. ASCEcontinues to hear about the nationwide shortage of civil engineers and theresulting constraints imposed on engineering organizations success andability to grow. These include reports of failed strat
38、egic plans and aban-doned expansion opportunities due to a shortage of civil engineers on staff.In the past, many organizations viewed individuals as expendable. Ifemployees didnt have the right skill mix, they were replaced. Fortunately,weve now come to realize that this approach no longer works; t
39、he supplyof civil engineers is extremely limited and loyalty has value. Puttingpeople on the street and then hiring replacements is not a good plan forthe long haul. If youre asking people to accept and embrace constantchange, then you need to establish a long-term commitment.These issues are among
40、the many this manual addresses in detail.Remember, “Eagles dont flock. You have to find them one at a time.“Whether you need help finding them, recruiting them, or keeping them inthe nest, this manual is for you. Read on.Robert J. Russell, P.E., F. ASCEChairCommittee on Employment of Civil Engineers
41、of the Committee on Professional PracticeAUTHOR BIOGRAPHIESErnesto A. Avila, P.E.Ernie Avila is General Manager of the Monterey Peninsula Water Manage-ment District in Monterey, California. He is a professional civil engineer inCalifornia with a B.S.C.E. from Santa Clara University and an M.B.A. fro
42、mSt. Marys College of California. Mr. Avila is a member of ASCE and theformer chair of the ASCE Committee on Employment of Civil Engineers.F. Jay Burress, P.E.F. Jay Burress is a transportation project engineer for Shafer, Kline the construction,utilities, transportation, and manufacturing industrie
43、s employ another10-15%; while some 5-10% are self-employed.The BLS projects that about 75% of the growth of civil engineeringpositions between 1998 and 2008 will occur in the consultant engineer-ing design services sector, as shown in Chart 1. State agencies will seethe next highest growth at 10%, w
44、hile civil engineer positions in localCHART 1. Projected Growth in Demand for Civil Engineers, 1998 to 2008.2INTRODUCTION 3agencies are expected to remain flat. In contrast, positions with the federalgovernment are projected to decline by 20%. Other industries, such astelecommunications and research
45、, make up the remaining 15% of growth.Competition for civil engineers, however, is not limited to civil engi-neering employers. The BLS reports that telecommunications, engineeringmanagement, accounting, computer and data processing, research andtesting services, and other high-tech industries are a
46、lso recruiting from thesame pool. Internet access to job search sites, such as M, alsointensifies competition by providing candidates with immediate access todomestic and international job opportunities.Universities, multinational design firms, and the federal governmentwill all be significant playe
47、rs in recruiting civil engineers. It is critical thateach of us take an active role in looking beyond our present needs and beactive in promoting our profession and attracting sufficient students intothe field to meet future demand. Failure to do so will likely result in adegradation of the civil en
48、gineering profession, including the following: Nationwide loosening of civil engineering curriculum requirementsin an attempt to increase the quantity of graduates at the expenseof quality. Outsourcing of civil engineering work to resources located outsideNorth America; some civil engineers may not
49、be adequately trainedfor the work they will be asked to undertake. Appointment of noncivil engineers to positions traditionally held byengineers, such as directors of public works or general managers ofinfrastructure oriented organizations.RETAINING CIVIL ENGINEERSDemographics indicate that competition for civil engineers will focusnot only on new graduates but also on seasoned professionals in thefield. The need for maximum design value at the lowest cost will req
