Do you know your employees long-term career goals? If not – the time is now.
Do your employees know what their career will look like 15 years from now? It s an odd question to ask, but important when you re considering career management. Described by Wikipedia as:
The combination of structured planning and the active management choice of one s own professional career. The outcome of successful career management should include personal fulfillment, work/life balance, goal achievement and financial security.
Career management has in a way become a thing of the past, as most employees and employers don t consider long-term employment with companies anymore. Today we ll be taking a closer look at why career management is still an essential concept to keep in mind. Many employees actively look for organizations that support them throughout their entire employment cycle, including helping them realize their future career goals.
Your employees may not stay with you for their entire careers, but that doesn t mean that you can t offer them insight into their career management. After all, an employer should be more than just a company that pays you every 2 weeks! Either way, it s better to learn early on what your employees future goals look like. That way you can help them work towards those goals which hopefully helps shape the perfect company that your employees can see a future in.
What exactly is career management?
Career management is a very multifaceted and complex concept revolving around helping employees understand and realize future career goals. Each one of your employees likely has different and diverse career goals – and they should! Different employees that bring a variety of skills and potential to the table can help form the perfect foundation for a successful company. Some may look to start their own business one day – others to become CEOs, or they may just simply want to stay in the same position for as long as they can and maintain a solid work-life balance. The best way to plan for career management with employees is by asking them what their career goals are!
For many companies, it seems counterintuitive to ask employees what their future career goals are in case they don t align with the company s vision. But that line of thinking is flawed and damaging for employee relations. Your employees will likely never stay for their entire work career with you, so because of that, it makes the most sense to be their trusted advisor.
All of your employees have a journey within your company, and the most productive solution is to help them manage their careers and reach their goals, leaving them engaged and productive within their current roles. The relationship you build with your employees is a direct reflection of your company s image and success.
Here at AirMason, we help let your employees know that you value career management and are here to help them reach their future goals. By creating an AirMason employee handbook, you re growing your employee experience and employee engagement easily through just a couple of clicks. Build the handbook that your employees deserve today!
Why is career management not as popular anymore?
We mentioned it earlier, but in today s modern work environment very few employees are committing to long-term careers with their employers. Today s reality is that employees tend to average out only a couple of years before finding a new opportunity at a different organization. Some attribute this to salary demands, other to modern workplace trends, but that s a whole other discussion. Very few companies see a value in committing long term to employees, simply because of how volatile their employment status at the company is.
Organizations don t take the extra step of career management simply because they don t see the value of focusing on an employee who s likely to leave after a couple of years. Rather than looking at long-term plans for employees, companies focus on the now factor that employees can bring since they feel an inevitable sense of doom that employees could leave them at any time.
How can we modify career management so companies can use it today?
Career management in itself is more than just planning out an employee’s future at your company. It s a showcase that an employer can make to show how serious they are about their employees and what valuable assets they are to the company. For an employee looking to be engaged at their workplace, seeing their employer take the time to learn about their goals and ambitions builds a strong connection between the two.
This connection is essential – even if the employee may leave after a certain time. Employers need to modify career management to be a tool they can use to connect with employees and prove their interest in the future of their employees. Learning that an employee has specific goals in mind can also be incredibly beneficial in a company, as an employee will work harder to achieve their goals if they have the push from their company to do so. If done correctly, there s no reason that an employee couldn t work hard to reach their own goals – on top of working hard for the company since the two are ultimately looking to achieve the same goal.
For example, if you have a sales rep whose goal is to make over a certain amount of money per year. You can help them manage their career by providing training to advance to new levels and learn new skills, generating more income for your company and a higher salary for the said employee. Happy employees mean a happy, long-lasting life for your company.
How to use career management in your organization
The example listed above is just one showcase of the limitless benefits of focusing on career management. As a whole, career management ties into the bigger picture of growing your employee relations by communicating and engaging with your employees. You already know that employees are more than just seats to fill chairs and drive profits, but now it s time to prove it to them. A strong connection is vital for the success of your company.
With the right amount of focus on career management, your organization will soar. Also leading its employees to work hard behind a driving force that achieves great things in their future.
