Encouraging Future Growth / Opportunity
Future growth can be encouraged through:
Learning and Development beyond Current Role: The degree to which the organisation encourages and provides active support/facilities for personal development and learning.
Career Advancement Opportunities: The degree to which opportunities exist and individuals are encouraged to develop or advance their careers.
Regular Feedback on Performance: The degree to which the organisation works with individuals to clarify performance requirements, improve performance, and provide effective feedback.
What Could This Mean in Practice?
“I can see where I am going and know how to get there – and I get real support to make progress”
- Investment and support for long term learning and development - e.g. CIPD or Accounting qualifications, Public Service MBA, NVQs
- Clear Career paths across/within service/specialism
- Regular constructive feedback on progress and development needs - paced to match career milestones
- Coaching/mentoring - on promotion/change of role
- Sustained employability - building a balanced CV
Is this an issue in your organisation?
Once you have undertaken the analysis of organisational policies, employee perceptions, and your organisational practice, you may find that creating opportunities for future growth is a priority. In this area, it will be important to work closely with those training and development colleagues who are responsible for policy in this area.
Assess
- How often individuals meet with their manager to discuss their performance?
- What is the basis for this discussion (e.g. Position Description, Competencies, agreed Performance Plan)?
- Does the performance discussion include input from colleagues? Subordinates? Clients?
- Do managers receive training in conducting performance discussions and/or giving feedback?
- Is performance or contribution linked to pay in any way?
- What training and development opportunities does your organisation offer employees?
- How much do you spend on training and development per employee?
- Do all employees have equal access to training and development opportunities? If no, which groups of employees does training and development focus on? Which groups of employees are potentially excluded from training and development opportunities?
- How is training and development delivered (e.g. one-on-one, classroom/lecture, workbooks, e-learning)? Are these the most effective methods?
- Does your organisation provide opportunities for employees to undertake training and development not directly relevant to the current role?
- Does your organisation actively encourage employees to develop their skills, knowledge and experience? To advance their careers? If yes, internally or externally?
- Does your organisation practice succession planning? If yes, how does this work? Do individual employees know their career opportunities?
- How does your Performance Management system relate to the overall organisational and HR strategies?
- How does your provision of training and development opportunities relate to the overall organisational and HR strategies?
- How does your career and succession planning relate to the overall organisational and HR strategies?
Benchmark
External benchmarking (pdf, 25Kb) of non-financial awards may help you gather the evidence you need to support recommendations for change. Look at what some of the best employers are doing both here and overseas – Best Places to Work.
Consider
- Changing those aspects that do not work well, and which do not reinforce the organisation's HR and overall strategies
Examples
- A client was concerned at the level of turnover in their call centre function (over 40%). When Hay Group analysed this, they found that almost 75% of turnover was internal movement - the call centre was the 'step in the door' and recommended they formalise and promote the training and career development opportunities rather than consider it a liability;
- An Infant school in Kent solved their teacher recruitment problem by offering career development, staff counselling and unlimited chocolate. The school attracted many applications, while other schools in the area had almost 50 unfilled posts.
Contacts
- LearnDirect offer free 'Skills for Life' courses, which cover basic numeracy, literacy and ESOL. Other courses include basic computer and internet skills, or business skills such as marketing, bookkeeping, team management, recruitment and selection and health and safety. Courses are delivered on-line, providing complete flexibility over where and when learning takes place. Asda say offering such courses on work time 'makes a huge difference to people's lives and helps build confidence. It also improves their performance at work, but that is a bonus'.
- Pitman Training suggest offering training in touch-typing to employees. They estimate that an average touch-typist can save at least 15 minutes per day (or 8 days per year) over a fast two-finger typist.
- Contact your local Further Education College - some offer management development programmes in partnership with local employers.
Further Resources
