Career
Development as Part of a Performance Management Program
One of the fundamental factors for bringing about
an effective performance management program is often
one of the most forgotten. All too often a supervisor
will mistakenly focus all of his or her resources entirely
on rating and ranking the workforce, doling out promotions
or laying off workers as need be. While these steps
are an essential element of performance management,
they fall short in the long run. To begin with, employees
are left feeling as though their company has neglected
their individual career needs. This ultimately leads
to higher employee turnover and makes it difficult
for an organization to retain top quality talent. That
is why effective performance management incorporates
the workers’ needs with that of the company.
When engaging an employee base on the level of their
performance, the successful manager will work to align
the company’s goals with those of the individualized
career paths to insure a high level of worker loyalty
and long term productivity.
One area of particular concern for performance management
is a large and growing population of employees whose
careers have reached the half way marker. For many
an employee, this is a crucial time for climbing up
a few more steps on the corporate ladder. Unfortunately,
the gaping absence of motivating organizational structures
present in many business environments kills the career
momentum for these people just when it should be moving
right along. After screeching to a halt, this significant
population loses ambition and is left feeling worthless
in the workforce. This negatively affects the contribution
made by these employees to the overall output and productivity
on a corporate level.
There are a variety of causes behind the lack of momentum
within the halfway crowd. As mentioned before, lack
of organization is a major culprit. This really stems
from having little or no management at the top. Unfortunately,
these important causes for the slowdown are seldom
recognized, and the fault becomes that of the employees,
rather than the faulty system under which they work.
In order to combat this dilemma, one approach that
has enjoyed widespread success is the organized setting
of goals. If an employee can visualize the steps it
takes to achieve a promotion, he or she will proactively
take up the challenge to improve his or her status.
Another way to add to the challenge is to transfer
an employee into a different job area. This allows
the worker to learn new skills and become reintegrated
into the process of advancement. A performance manager
can even knock the employee down a rung or two before
making a transfer. However, the supervisor should do
so by showing the worker long term benefits of advancement
and thus not packaging the transfer as a demotion that
would lead to lower morale and productivity.
Employees want to work hard and develop their careers,
but they must be given the right incentive. By making
the company’s increased productivity a shared
goal between the employer and the employee, then positive
results will be achieved on both sides.
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