Employees and Employers Have Roles to Play in Career Development
The HR Bartender website has a two-part look at what each should bring to the Career Planning game:
Career Planning: The Organization’s Role in Creating Employee Success
Career Planning: The Employee’s Role in Driving Their Success
The reason I enjoyed both of these is because I also think that both sides of the equation have a role. Yes, I’ve always been the first to tell people to not wait for their employer to develop them but to take charge of that process themselves. Nothing in these articles changes that. However, it does add something:
Helping employees find a successful career path is in the best interest of the organization.
It is in your best interest to have employees who are growing and advancing in their careers. One is because they continue to become more valuable to the organization, which you need. Secondly, as they grow and become more valuable they are also more likely to stay. Turnover is costly. The organization can provide mentors and other resources that would be more difficult to do on their own. In return, they get employees who grow with the organization. Who wouldn’t want that?
Employees, you are responsible for directing your career planning. Employers, you can either choose to be part of it and likely be rewarded with growing and dedicated employees or you can watch them do all the work themselves and likely get hired away.
Neither choice is a guarantee but I know which one I’d bet on.
