Career Planning & Support Activities
By taking an active role in employees career management an organisation can realise a number of benefits. Including higher retention rates and higher levels of productivity. This active role can also enhance the achievement of organisational objectives as careers can be managed in line with business goals.
Organisations may chose to facilitate career development because although some people have a very clear idea of what they want to achieve in their careers, and how to go about it, many people need help to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to plan their own development in a structured manner.
Guidance
From the point of view of the organisation the underlying principles that characterise effective career management are:
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Consistency. Responsibility for career management is usually shared by HR professionals and line managers, employees can pick up messages about their careers in a variety of situations. Effective career management involves making sure that a coherent and consistent picture of the organisation’s perspective is presented.
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Proactivity. Effective career management anticipates the future direction of the organisation and reflects the wider corporate strategy or objectives.
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Collaboration. Effective career management is based on partnership between the employer and the employee. Employers should work together with employees at all levels of the organisation to find mutually satisfactory solutions.
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Dynamism. Career management requires flexibility and compromise over time, as changing organisational and individual circumstances mean that each party wants and expects different things from the employment relationship.
Typical career management activities:
- Setting objectives for development.
- Formal appraisal or developmental review with manager.
- Informal appraisal, developmental feedback and career support from manager.
- developmental programmes which include work or career experience.
Discussions about careers can be difficult to have in an open-handed way. Employees are often reluctant to divulge their long-term aspirations, for fear of seeming uncommitted. Managers can often feel uneasy about engaging in discussions that may lead to unrealistic expectations, disappointment or demotivation. To avoid this:
- People should be encouraged to be realistic when formulating their development plans. It may not always be appropriate to think in terms of promotion and upward progression. They may need to think about how they can develop by facing new challenges in their current role, or through job transfers or secondments.
- All parties should be clear about who is responsible for identifying developmental objectives.
Some organisations incorporate a discussion of personal development as part of the appraisal process to set a structured approach to career management. However such approaches can be problematic, in such cases development issues are often overshadowed by discussion about performance and reward. Employees may be reluctant to talk frankly about weaknesses and areas for development if they think this will compromise perceptions of their performance. Whilst a career management may be incorporated in the same way as a performance management structure, the urge to combine the two should be resisted.
Tools
Identify Your Learning Needs – A framework provided by the Department for Work and Pensions that helps to identify and develop your learning needs.
Making the most of your PDP – A tool that helps an individual approach and structure a personal development plan.
Example Personal Development Plan - A Template used by the Ministry of Justice to set out and monitor individuals development objectives.
MoJ Quick Guide to PDPs
Supporting Study - The Cabinet Office Guidance on supporting students who are taking professional accountancy exams.
Bite Sized Learning - A 60 second interview with the co-ordinator of the MoJ Bite-sized learning scheme.