Author: Joanne Loberg, BA. CMP, CEC JL Careers
Following up from my Career Planning – What Savvy Employers are doing to Attract, Retain and Engage Employees presentation at the BC Human Resource Management Association – North Shore Roundtable, here is a guideline to assist you in determining next steps should you wish to build a Career Development Roadmap for Your Organization:
Progressive organizations including Microsoft, Boeing, Deloitte and many multinational firms are addressing succession planning, employee engagement and talent retention issues through the use of Career Development Programs.
PROFIT Magazine identified that high performance firms (min 10% net profit, 15% annual growth) have developed comprehensive Career Development Programs, which encompass:
Employee Engagement and Talent Development:
- Managers have engaged in career conversations with their employees, and career action plans are developed
- Training and development opportunities are provided to support employee career growth
Succession Planning:
- High performers are identified; their career goals are discussed and supported with development activities.
If you are interested in creating a Career Development Program within your organization, consider the following:
1. Do an HR Audit
Firstly, consider the issues impacting your organization:
Workforce Shrinkage due to Retirement:
- What percentage of your workforce is eligible for retirement in the next 3-5 years?
- As part of your succession planning, have you identified your emerging leaders for these future vacancies?
Your High Performers – Minimizing Flight Risks:
- To mitigate employee turnover have your high performers as well as your high potential employees engaged in career conversations with their managers, including a discussion of their career aspirations and development needs?
- Have these goals been captured in career action plans which are reviewed by both management and Human Resources?
Employee Engagement and Your OES Results:
- Are your employees committed to your organization, satisfied with their careers and engaged in their work?
- The Corporate Leadership Council studied Fortune 500 organizations and found 11% of employees are committed to the organization; 27% are leaning towards commitment; 29% are neutral; 20% are leaning towards non-commitment, and 13% are non-committed to the organization and their job.
- Do your managers regularly conduct career conversations as a means to engaging their employees?
Job Satisfaction and Health Benefit Claims:
- Health benefits providers are now reporting a correlation between job satisfaction and disability claims. What percentage of your claims are related to ‘job dissatisfaction’?
2. Identify Career Resources and Tools
You have done the critical research and assessed your organizational needs. Now map out what resources and tools you will need to implement a Career Development Program. Resources include:
- Career Resources for your managers and employees. Resources include: job descriptions, career paths, GAP analysis, leadership competencies, information interviews, mentoring, training calendars, acting assignments, projects, volunteering, career assessments, HR Career Coaching, an employee career portal, and a corporate career library.
- Career Development Workshops including interviewing skills, resume and cover letter writing, and career exploration workshops. To support your employees’ career development, JL Careers offers the workshop: Ignite Your Career: Career Advancement Strategies
- Conducting Career Development Conversations – Managers Training Workshops. Training should include strategies for dealing with the career development issues of your long-term employees, emerging leaders, career changers as well as issues related to job dissatisfaction and entitlement.JL Careers can help you ready your people managers for these career conversations with our workshop: Career Planning Conversations: Retaining and Engaging Employees
3. Championing from your Executive team – The Executive Briefing
A sustainable Career Development Program must be recognized as part of the strategic Human Resources mandate for the organization’s short and long-term success.
Use your HR Audit to provide an Executive Briefing outlining the costs incurred in your organization related to employee engagement and job satisfaction, staff turnover and leadership gaps. Then propose how a Career Development Program can mitigate these risks.
All the best with your audit and development, and please keep in mind that JL Careers is here to help you. We provide leading-edge career development resources, models and the Manager’s Guide to Conducting Career Development Conversations workshop, in addition to career and leadership coaching.
Looking for insightful, tailored career coaching or retirement planning? Contact us today to learn how you can fast-track your career and create a life you’ll love.
Wishing you much career success!
Joanne Loberg
Certified Executive Coach & Internationally Certified Career Management Professional
JL Careers Inc
