Helping Employees to Manage their Career

As a Career Coach and  Professor or Career Management, I am always in promotion mode for people to always manage their career; that means that one knows what they want for a career path, know what their skill sets are, and are prepared for a job transition if they need one.  That being said, the majority of workers are not prepared and do not know what career management is.  In this month’s issue of Chief Learning Officer, there is a great article that addresses the topic of career management and what benefit it has for both an individual and for an organization.  According to the author, (Sullivan), employees who feel they have greater control over their career and the work they do have higher levels of engagement, which equals to higher levels of productivity and profits. 

Some interesting research findings include:

• 60% of 900 workers in North America are dissatisfied with their job and are seeking new opportunities
• 27% are in job-search mode, updating their resume and networking
• 76% of organizations are learning more toward flexible work arrangements as a way to boost employee morale
• 64% of companies believe co-locating work arrangements increases employee retention

Organizations that are paying attention to the trends that are out there and listening to their employees are positioning themselves for continued growth, productivity and loyalty.  Considering the generational influence, especially with the Millenials who truly want to define the workplace their way, it will behoove organizations to reframe and refocus the way they operate.  Helping employees in their career management journey not only leads to more engaged workers but it also helps to aid in their professional development, job satisfaction, involvement and loyalty which equals to a win-win situation all the way around.  Organizations not only get highly developed employees but it aids in keeping the knowledge within the organization and positively affects retention and turnover costs. 

How can an organization help its employees to manage their career?

1. Encourage them to take control of their career by providing opportunities for professional development, such as training opportunties, seminars, publications, workshops, or career mapping within the organization

2. Listen to them – employees who feel that they are heard about their wants and the direction they want their career to take feel more empowered and willing to give their best to the work they do, which only benefits the organization as a whole

3.  Develop a career management center, where they can access a career coach, assessements, and resources to help them develop their skills and to keep them as high performers, especially for leadership

Helping employees to manage their career will ensure that you have high performing, highly satisfied and engaged workers and that you have the right people in the right roles.  With emerging trends that are impacting the world of work, organizations must act now to align their business strategies and goals, to aid in workforce development and retention, and for leadership and succession planning – effective career management is the key.