Insights from Career Development Practice Leader Cate Jones
Most Career Development Programs Fail to Meet Employee Needs
Career development is about getting people to where they want to be and where the
organization needs them to be. As part of an overall talent management strategy, career development initiatives increase the odds that a workforce will be willing, ready, and able to move into the roles that an organization needs them to play when the marketplace demands change, speed, or innovation.
We
know that effective career development is not easy,
and our 2007 State of the Career Report underscores
the challenges that organizations face in executing
career development strategies that achieve increased
retention, engagement, and business performance.
Why worry now?
The survey responses of nearly 1,000 executives
and professionals from 33 countries indicate that too many employees are at risk of leaving. Only 48% of respondents believe they have decent career opportunities
with their current employer, and over a third (39%) expect their next career move will take them elsewhere.
Key findings
Significant numbers of employees are skeptical of their employers' efforts.
Although most of the executives we interviewed described good intentions and significant investments in career development, less than half (40%) of survey respondents overall
believe that their organization is committed to helping employees achieve personal career goals. One UK manager shared, "People development is seen as increasingly important — in fact as a strategic imperative.
However, a lot of this relates only to the top commercial people in the company, and I see it as lip service only for most functional employees."
The large majority of employees don't benefit from career development initiatives.
Fewer than one in three respondents (29%), regardless of organization size or employee tenure, indicated that their employer's approach to career development meets their personal needs. One U.S.
manager wrote: "You must take ownership of your career. Do not allow yourself to become a 'victim' of your company's misguided or ineffective structures."
Employees
value advice and development over mere information.
Career coaches, career coaching training for managers,
training/workshops for employees, and temporary assignments/ secondments
were rated by survey respondents as the most helpful
career resources. Information (whether in print or online)
consistently ranked as least helpful. During our interviews,
employees often described how mentors or managers influenced
their career decisions. They also praised the value
of special projects, as a U.S. federal employee explained,
"Temporary stints are very valuable. They help you broaden
your skill set, and you make a lot of lasting contacts."
Lateral
moves can be uphill battles. Less than half of
survey respondents overall (40%) agreed or strongly
agreed that their employer makes it easy to pursue lateral
career moves, not just promotions. Our interviews confirm
that mobility across functions is a challenge —
one that organizations are addressing by educating employees
on alternate career paths and using internal PR to "legitimize"
moves that aren't up an obvious career ladder. The sober
tale of one CLO of a global division: "When we looked at the unacceptable
turnover of our high-potentials, we found we had 'renters'
not 'owners'. We also discovered it was easier for them
to leave than to negotiate a career internally."
Our recommendations
Despite solemn findings, our interviews uncovered success stories
in firms large and small. Here are three of the report's recommendations for ensuring that career development initiatives positively impact employee engagement, retention,
and the bottom line.
Establish
three cornerstones of career development success.
- Individuals must own their careers, be clear about what they're looking for, and be committed to taking action. They cannot succeed on their own, however, nor
should they manage their careers in a vacuum of free agency.
- The organization must have a point of view about career development and provide tools and a structure to enable employees to develop their careers in the context
of what the organization needs.
- Managers stand at the cross roads where their team members' capabilities and goals meet the organization's priorities. They need to understand and buy in to the
organization's career development point of view. They also must be competent and confident in supporting (not directing) employees' career journeys.
Link career development and business priorities. The more
employees know and care about the organization's direction and business priorities, the more willing and able they'll be to satisfy their career aspirations and apply
the necessary skills when the organization needs them.
Take
a multi-faceted approach, creating a strategic talent
management strategy, with a blend of information, high-tech
tools, coaching, development, and HR processes. High-tech
tools excel at providing information to employees or
gathering information about employees. Yet employees
themselves place highest value on career coaches, managers
or mentors, networks of colleagues, special projects,
even training sessions — where they can exchange
ideas and get advice.
The potential rewards are worth the effort to crack
the code for career development that delivers for your
unique organization and workforce: increased employee
engagement, reduced turnover, and high performance that
results from the right skills in the right place at
the right time.
You may download a full copy of the report from the Research section of the website.
For more information on how BlessingWhite can help your talent achieve career success while delivering the results you need, call 1.908.904.1000.
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