12.9. Career Development Strategy

Scope

Human Resources develops a Career Development Strategy for all employees as an essential role in helping employees achieve their professional and personal goals. The Career Development Strategy helps employees to grow and shape their careers on their competencies and interests. All employees will be provided guidance for their future based on their Human Resources career goals and abilities.

Key Stakeholders

Human Resources takes the lead in designing career paths with all employees. Supervisors within each department will provide input on each employee’s career path. Each employee will define their interests, strengths, and areas of improvement.

Business Case

Many companies cannot attract and retain the right people for the right job. Some companies may lack diversity in their management, have a multi-generational workforce, have a need for an organizational culture change, or have limited opportunities for advancement in a smaller organization.

Some companies are in a talent crunch. According to a Verizon survey (2021) 62 percent of people who plan to re-enter the workforce after the pandemic are looking for positions that offer more opportunities for advancement and skill development.

Career planning improves the organization’s ability to attract and retain highly valuable employees. Employees become more motivated and are highly productive when they have a career plan. As well, people feel more fulfilled and have a sense of belonging. When employees have a career plan, they have job satisfaction and are more apt to remain loyal to the employer. In turn, this allows the organization to be more competitive in the economy.

Project Description

A career strategy is used to follow a progression of steps that may lead to a supervisory position. The career path followed a hierarchical structure in an organization. This is no longer the norm in organizations. Today, careers are treated as a series of experiences that provide employees with opportunities to develop skills and knowledge. The reason for this change is that in today’s ever-changing work environments, employees need a diverse set of skills and competencies that are achieved through meaningful experiences. Jobs are no longer linear; employees are expected to have more diversity in their career paths.

Resources

Managers, Supervisors, and mid-management of the organization who supervise employees, Human Resources Specialists, technology, database, mentors who may support employee growth, and colleagues who are interested in the same career paths.

Deliverables

1. Meet with and discuss Career Development Strategy with all stakeholders
2. Design a Career Development Strategy with stakeholders
3. Develop the Career Development approach
4. Seek financial resources and other resources for the Career Development Strategy
5. Implement the Career Development approach
6. Provide feedback and evaluate the Career Development Strategy
7. Monitor the Career Development Strategy for improvements, changes, and modifications

Action Plan

1. Meet with managers. They know what employees want and need. The manager ought to have had meetings with employees to discuss goal setting. Managers are best at aligning employee interests with organizational goals. Employees will gain clarity on their goals.
2. Provide opportunities for employees to share stories about their motivators, setbacks, achievements, and disappointments (these can be posted as podcasts, videos or written). Employees will gain ideas for their career growth.
3. Design fair and consistent policies and procedures for career development within the organization.
4. Seek legal advice related to the Career Development Strategy to avoid gender stereotyping and discrimination (promotions and pay).
5. Seek funding, if necessary, by writing a proposal for a Career Development Strategy.
6. Human Resources helps Managers/Supervisors view employees as organizational resources through discussions or workshops.
7. Communicate the Career Development Strategy and its function to all employees.
8. Develop toolkits for employees (employee development, developing leaders, etc., post the policies and procedures).
9. Post information on the organization’s intranet or website related to the Career Development Strategy (job rotation, job postings, staff promotions, professional development, training opportunities, certification programs, reimbursement policies, forms, skills analysis forms, and other career resources).
10. Begin to collect information on employees’ interests and coordinate with the business needs. Meet with employees individually (either Human Resources or direct Supervisors) and find out their career goals.
11. Compare the results of the employees and find common ground with the business strategy.
12. Review the performance plans of all employees to identify areas of improvement.
13. Define if employees have the required skills to perform or advance in their jobs.
14. Design a Career Development Plan with templates for all employees that include strengths, areas of improvement, personal information, list any achievements, short- and long-term goals, current skills, resources, and required action (training, education, professional development).
15. Meet with employees and work together to complete the Career Development Plan.
16. Define if employees are seeking a job promotion, job enhancement or job enlargement.
17. Develop training opportunities and provide training or provide educational opportunities for employees. Other employees may seek out coaching or mentoring.
18. Outline the next steps to be taken by a Supervisor, Human Resources, or the employee.
19. Provide employees with all the resources they need to be successful.
20. Record the Career Plans of all employees using a database.
21. Set up checkpoints when the Career Plan will be reviewed.
22. Ensure all Managers/Supervisors have copies of the Career Plan and ensure they provide support and guidance to employees.
23. Evaluate the Career Plan at least yearly and record all the information.
24. Analyze the metrics related to career progression and determine the return on investment (ROE) to the organization. Examples: turnover and retention rates and quantify them in financial terms.