This article relates to
Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It explores issues such as internal growth opportunities, potential for advancement, career development importance, and relationship between job performance and career advancement. It examines whether your employees believe they have a chance to grow within organization. Studies show that lack of career opportunity is one of top reasons why employees leave an organization. Also, continually hiring open positions from outside organization can be detrimental to morale when a qualified candidate is available internally. Topics covered in this competency are: perceived opportunity for advancement, existence of a career development plan, and organizational commitment to staff development.
This short story, Providing Career Opportunity, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales From Corporate Frontlines. It illustrates how employers can offer career opportunity to their employees using a well-planned career development strategy, and reap benefits of a knowledgeable and dedicated workforce.
While searching through employment ads in my local newspaper, I noticed that several companies made a point of adding line----"we promote from within". Those are definitely companies I would apply to - if I were on a job hunt.
But, fact is, I am currently working for one of those companies. That's not to say that we never hire from outside; sometimes it's unavoidable. If an employee leaves company with a unique level of skill or training, it may have to look outside for a replacement. The point is that whenever possible, our company offers a career opportunity to a current employee.
This advancement doesn't happen magically. Employees have to be on lookout for career opportunity within company, and prepare for it. Our company helps them by operating a structured career development program. Managers are entrusted with duty to help employees evaluate their skills and performance on a regular basis and create a plan for future based career goals.
