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Union Pacific Hr

To build the exceptional workforce that connects Americans to what's important by being the premier human capital partner enabling sustainable growth

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To build the exceptional workforce that connects Americans to what's important by being the premier human capital partner enabling sustainable growth

Strengths

  • CULTURE: Strong safety-oriented culture with established protocols
  • TALENT: Experienced, highly skilled workforce with tenured leaders
  • TRAINING: Robust technical training programs with 98% completion
  • COMPENSATION: Competitive total rewards package in the industry
  • DIVERSITY: Improving diversity metrics with 12% YoY female hiring

Weaknesses

  • RETENTION: 15% turnover rate among early career employees
  • TECHNOLOGY: Outdated HRIS limiting data-driven decision making
  • SUCCESSION: Limited bench strength for critical operational roles
  • ENGAGEMENT: Below industry average engagement scores at 68%
  • AGILITY: Slow hiring process averaging 65 days for critical roles

Opportunities

  • AUTOMATION: Leverage AI for routine HR tasks and talent sourcing
  • DEVELOPMENT: Create internal mobility paths for technical talent
  • VETERANS: Expand veteran recruiting to address labor shortages
  • REMOTE: Implement flexible work arrangements for eligible roles
  • PARTNERSHIPS: Build strategic educational partnerships for talent

Threats

  • COMPETITION: Increasing competition for skilled technical talent
  • DEMOGRAPHICS: Aging workforce with 28% eligible for retirement
  • REGULATION: Changing labor laws and compliance requirements
  • PERCEPTION: Outdated industry image hampering recruitment
  • EXPECTATIONS: Evolving workforce expectations for flexibility

Key Priorities

  • MODERNIZE: Implement next-gen HRIS to enable data-driven HR
  • DEVELOP: Create compelling career progression for key talent
  • STREAMLINE: Redesign hiring process to reduce time-to-fill
  • ENGAGE: Launch comprehensive engagement program for retention
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To build the exceptional workforce that connects Americans to what's important by being the premier human capital partner enabling sustainable growth

DIGITIZE HR

Modernize HR infrastructure for data-driven decisions

  • SYSTEM: Complete HRIS implementation with 100% data migration by Q3 end with <1% error rate
  • DASHBOARD: Launch real-time HR analytics dashboard tracking 15 key metrics for all leadership by Q2
  • AUTOMATION: Automate 5 high-volume HR processes reducing manual work by 65% and errors by 80%
  • ADOPTION: Achieve 90% employee self-service adoption rate for core HR transactions within 60 days
TALENT MAGNET

Attract and retain exceptional talent at all levels

  • PIPELINE: Establish talent pipelines for 15 critical roles reducing time-to-fill by 40% by Q3
  • EXPERIENCE: Redesign onboarding experience resulting in 90% satisfaction and 95% 90-day retention
  • REFERRALS: Increase employee referral program participation to 35% with 120 quality hires
  • RETENTION: Implement retention program for high performers reducing voluntary turnover by 25%
FUTURE READY

Develop capabilities needed for tomorrow's railroad

  • SKILLS: Complete skill gap analysis for 100% of departments with action plans by end of Q2
  • LEARNING: Deploy personalized learning paths for 5 critical capability areas with 85% completion
  • LEADERS: Develop 50 high-potential employees through expanded leadership acceleration program
  • SUCCESSION: Identify and develop successors for 100% of critical roles with 2:1 bench strength
CULTURE CHAMPIONS

Create an engaging workplace where people thrive

  • ENGAGEMENT: Increase employee engagement score from 68% to 78% through targeted initiatives
  • INCLUSION: Improve inclusion index by 10 points with 90% of managers completing bias training
  • WELLNESS: Launch comprehensive wellbeing program with 75% participation reducing absences by 15%
  • RECOGNITION: Implement peer recognition platform with 60% monthly active users by end of quarter
METRICS
  • RETENTION: 90% overall retention rate with 85% for critical roles
  • TIME-TO-FILL: 30 days average for critical positions (down from 65)
  • ENGAGEMENT: 78% employee engagement score (up from 68%)
VALUES
  • Safety First and Always
  • High Ethical Standards
  • Care for People and Communities
  • Continuous Improvement
  • Passion for Performance
Union Pacific logo
Align the learnings

Union Pacific Hr Retrospective

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To build the exceptional workforce that connects Americans to what's important by being the premier human capital partner enabling sustainable growth

What Went Well

  • METRICS: Strong safety performance with incident rate down 12% YoY
  • DIVERSITY: Achieved 25% representation of women in management roles
  • EFFICIENCY: Reduced cost-per-hire by 8% through process improvements
  • COMPLIANCE: Zero major labor violations across all operating regions
  • LEARNING: Achieved 95% completion rate for mandated safety training

Not So Well

  • ATTRITION: Lost 22% of new hires within first year of employment
  • RECRUITING: Struggled to fill critical technical positions in key markets
  • TECHNOLOGY: HRIS implementation delayed by 3 months and over budget
  • ENGAGEMENT: Employee satisfaction scores declined 5 points to 68/100
  • ABSENTEEISM: Unplanned absences increased 7% in operations roles

Learnings

  • ONBOARDING: First 90 days critical for new hire retention and success
  • COMPETITION: Need more competitive offers for specialized tech roles
  • COMMUNICATION: More transparent communication needed during changes
  • ANALYTICS: Better predictive data needed for workforce planning needs
  • BALANCE: Work-life balance programs significantly impact engagement

Action Items

  • REDESIGN: Implement enhanced onboarding experience for first 90 days
  • ANALYZE: Conduct comprehensive compensation analysis vs competitors
  • DEVELOP: Create structured career paths for high-demand technical roles
  • MODERNIZE: Accelerate HRIS implementation with dedicated resources
  • AUTOMATE: Implement AI-driven recruitment tools for faster hiring
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To build the exceptional workforce that connects Americans to what's important by being the premier human capital partner enabling sustainable growth

Strengths

  • ANALYTICS: Strong foundation in operational data collection
  • LEADERSHIP: Executive support for technology transformation
  • INFRASTRUCTURE: Robust IT backbone for supporting AI systems
  • INVESTMENT: Dedicated budget for HR technology improvements
  • PILOTS: Successful AI chatbot for employee FAQs with 82% accuracy

Weaknesses

  • ADOPTION: Low digital literacy among 35% of HR team members
  • INTEGRATION: Siloed systems preventing unified data approach
  • SKILLS: Limited AI/ML expertise within the HR organization
  • STRATEGY: Absence of comprehensive HR AI roadmap and governance
  • PROCESSES: Manual workflows not optimized for AI enhancement

Opportunities

  • PREDICTIVE: Implement retention prediction models for proactive
  • TALENT: AI-powered candidate matching and screening capabilities
  • LEARNING: Personalized AI-driven learning recommendations
  • AUTOMATION: Automate 80% of routine HR administrative tasks
  • INSIGHTS: Advanced workforce analytics for strategic planning

Threats

  • PRIVACY: Increasing data privacy regulations affecting HR data
  • RESISTANCE: Employee concerns about AI replacing human roles
  • QUALITY: Poor data quality impacting AI model effectiveness
  • VENDORS: Dependency on external vendors for specialized AI tools
  • BIAS: Potential algorithmic bias in HR decision-making tools

Key Priorities

  • UPSKILL: Develop comprehensive AI literacy program for HR team
  • INTEGRATE: Unify HR data systems for AI-ready infrastructure
  • PRIORITIZE: Deploy retention and recruitment AI tools first
  • GOVERN: Establish ethical AI framework for HR applications