The HR staff is called upon to create career development plans for employees at organizations of all sizes. Established organizations must update their career development strategies often while new and growing organizations need to create career development plans as a complement to an overall retention strategy.
In this assignment, you'll research the importance of career development planning and the role that HR plays. In addition, you'll provide recommendations for how to address challenges in career development, create a general career development questionnaire addressing individual employee career goals, and provide a framework and rationale for a comprehensive organizational employee development plan.
Scenario
You've been hired as a retention specialist at a large high-technology company with locations across the globe. You'll work within the United States HR division and will need to create an employee development plan. Your first task is to research employee development plans and understand the potential challenges inherent in these plans. Then, you'll need to create an employee questionnaire to be used as the basis for, and the first step toward, crafting a comprehensive organizational employee development plan.
Instructions
Create a framework for a comprehensive organizational employee career development plan in which you:
Provide the rationale for establishing a career development plan that cites credible sources and includes the benefits of a plan for both employees and the organization.
Describe HR's role in career development and two or more modern challenges to traditional career planning, citing credible sources.
Provide an example of each of the four career profiles identified in the XanEdu resource Developing Employee Career Paths and Ladders, and a course of action for how an HRM professional might use a career development plan to motivate employees from each profile. Note: The XanEdu resource is on the XanEdu page under the Course Information Module.
Create a career development plan questionnaire with 7-8 questions that address individual employee career ambitions and that will enable the initial steps toward a comprehensive organizational-level plan.
Describe the major components of a comprehensive organizational-level plan, citing credible sources, that include the concept of career mapping.
Full Answer Section
- ncrease their job satisfaction and engagement
For the organization, career development planning can help to:
- Improve employee retention
- Increase employee productivity and performance
- Develop a pipeline of future leaders
- Attract top talent
- Improve the organization's overall performance
HR's Role in Career Development
HR plays a critical role in career development planning. HR professionals can help employees to:
- Identify their career goals
- Develop a career plan
- Access training and development opportunities
- Network with other professionals
- Find mentors and coaches
HR professionals can also work with senior leaders to develop and implement organizational-level career development programs.
Modern Challenges to Traditional Career Planning
The traditional career path, in which employees start at the bottom of an organization and work their way up, is becoming less and less common. In today's world, employees are more likely to have multiple careers and to move between different organizations. This presents a number of challenges for career development planning, including:
- The need for lifelong learning: In today's rapidly changing world, employees need to be constantly learning and developing new skills in order to stay competitive. This can be a challenge for both employees and organizations.
- The rise of the gig economy: More and more people are working in the gig economy, where they are employed on a temporary basis for specific projects. This can make it difficult for employees to plan their careers and for organizations to develop career development programs.
- The need for flexibility: Employees increasingly expect to have flexible work arrangements, such as the ability to work remotely or to have flexible hours. This can make it challenging for organizations to develop career development programs that are accessible to all employees.
Career Profiles
The XanEdu resource Developing Employee Career Paths and Ladders identifies four career profiles:
- Achievers: Achievers are motivated by success and advancement. They are typically goal-oriented and competitive.
- Explorers: Explorers are motivated by new challenges and learning. They are typically curious and open-minded.
- Stabilizers: Stabilizers are motivated by stability and security. They are typically loyal and reliable.
- Relaters: Relaters are motivated by relationships and helping others. They are typically empathetic and collaborative.
Using Career Development Plans to Motivate Employees from Each Profile
HRM professionals can use career development plans to motivate employees from each profile as follows:
- Achievers: HRM professionals can help achievers to set ambitious career goals and develop a plan to achieve them. They can also provide achievers with opportunities to take on new challenges and responsibilities.
- Explorers: HRM professionals can help explorers to identify their interests and to find career paths that will allow them to pursue their interests. They can also provide explorers with opportunities to learn new skills and to develop their knowledge.
- Stabilizers: HRM professionals can help stabilizers to find career paths that offer stability and security. They can also provide stabilizers with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge within their current roles.
- Relaters: HRM professionals can help relaters to find career paths that allow them to build relationships and to help others. They can also provide relaters with opportunities to develop their leadership and mentoring skills.
Career Development Plan Questionnaire
The following career development plan questionnaire can be used to assess individual employee career ambitions:
- What are your career goals?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What skills and knowledge do you want to develop?
- What kind of work environment do you thrive in?
- What are your long-term career aspirations?
Comprehensive Organizational-Level Plan
A comprehensive organizational-level employee development plan should include the following components:
Sample Answer
Rationale for Establishing a Career Development Plan
Career development planning is the process of helping employees to identify their career goals and develop a plan to achieve them. It is a crucial part of any organization's talent management strategy, as it can help to attract, retain, and develop a highly skilled workforce.
There are many benefits to having a career development plan in place, both for employees and for the organization. For employees, career development planning can help them to:
- Identify their strengths and weaknesses
- Set career goals
- Develop a plan to achieve their goals
- Gain the skills and knowledge they need to advance their careers
- Increase their job satisfaction and engagement