KEY POINTS:
It takes a leap of faith to provide employees with career development advice. Will it lead to staff jumping ship to fast track their careers?
No, says Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief executive Phil Cammish, whose organisation offers all employees a career development programme.
Employees who take the programme have two sessions: an initial hour to determine what goals they have and a longer follow-up session to analyse them and develop a career development plan to meet them.
"Turnover has slowly reduced since the programme was introduced in 2004," says Cammish.
Bede Ashby, managing director at recruitment consultants Momentum, concurs. He cites the example of a financial services company whose top mobile mortgage manager was bored and wanted to move on - potentially expensive for his employer. But once Momentum had taken him through a career evaluation programme, the employee re-engaged.
DHB career development consultant Sarah Strong said her organisation's programme was initiated for two reasons - the first in response to a staff survey, where some people had expressed concerns that there wasn't a clear career path for them within the organisation. Secondly, with looming workforce shortages worldwide, it was seen as "something we could do to improve our retention rates".
At the DHB programme, staff use resources including a "Career Discovery" workbook, software programs to identify their personality type, and card-sorts to understand their needs. They are also encouraged to read the book: Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type, by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron, to understand more about their personality in a careers context.
Before the programme began, two-thirds of DHB employees were unsure of the career choices available to them and 40 per cent were uncertain what roles were suited to them.
After receiving career development support:
* 89 per cent of employees say that the programme has increased their job satisfaction.
* 74 per cent agreed that the programme assisted with employee retention.
* 100 per cent said they would recommend the programme to others.
Hester Hattingh, DHB clinical co-ordinator, community alcohol and drug service, encourages new members of her 25-strong team to do the programme within three months of joining.
"Most of my staff benefited from this in the sense that it confirmed to each of them that they are in the right role." The knowledge Hattingh gained through the programme also added value to the annual performance appraisal process and helped her identify the best people for specific projects.
The programme was developed in-house by Strong, who had looked at a range of other programmes in the marketplace but found little that was tailored to organisational-wide career development and decided to create her own. "We are working with everyone, from engineers to gardeners to surgeons to administration staff - the tools had to be versatile."
As well as reducing staff turnover and improving morale, it created a revenue stream as the programme was sold to other DHBs, including Waitemata and Counties-Manukau. A website www.careerdimensionz.co.nz has been launched.
"Our own staff are the top priority," says Strong. "But if we can get other organisations using it, we can benchmark it and continually improve the programme. Any revenue earned will go towards funding health initiatives."
Running the programme requires a career development adviser to be employed but the DHB argues that improved staff retention means the programme pays for itself. People using the health services reap the benefits of being provided a service by a more stable workforce.
Jane Walker, director of H2R Consulting, says that different staff retention schemes are necessary in different industries. "The DHB has recognised people want to feel valued. The [programme] makes people realise the organisation is caring about them. It also helps them to map talent and benefit from understanding where their people are at in their careers."
Other industries approach the same problem in different ways.
Walker says one business she worked with recently improved retention of call centre staff by offering to pay an airfare to the United Kingdom to staff who wanted to go on their OE, provided they stayed another year first.
The savings through staff retention to the business were far greater than the cost of the airfare .
Walker says large law firms recognise that many of their graduate employees want to travel and approach the problem by helping them make contacts in other countries and keeping in touch while they're away, through alumni organisations.
Employees and job seekers whose employers don't provide such services can take a DIY approach.
Strong recommends:
* Put one to two hours aside to focus on possibilities for your career.
* Think about your past and how you have achieved in your career to date.
* Identify the people who have influenced, helped and supported you in achieving your career so that you can utilise their support.
* Brainstorm possible future career goals, be creative, avoid putting barriers up.
* Research these possibilities by asking others about your strengths and qualities to gain affirmation about your transferable skills.
* Using internet searches for information on occupations and/or interest areas.
* Look for study options.
* Discuss the results with the people identified in step three to identify "What I want to do when I grow up".
* Develop a career action plan and write it down.
* Take control and make it happen. "You live the life you design."
Ashby adds that it can make good sense to visit a career coach if your employee doesn't provide career development services.
The $3000 to $4000 it may cost may be money well spent if it gets your career back on track. Other options, says Ashby, include getting your own psychometric assessment done or read books which over career advice.
The DHB found that the employee benefits of career development programmes included:
* Confirmation of being in the right role.
* Increased self-awareness of career preferences and confidence to make sound career choices and decisions.
* Motivation to take advantage of personal and professional development opportunities.
* A feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.
* Realisation of potential career path(s).
* Retirement planning.
Employer benefits:
* Demonstrating a commitment to maximising staff potential, satisfaction and retention.
* Acknowledging staff are valued.
* Recognising the costs associated with turnover need to be reduced.
* Establishment of systems to help reduce stress from "career uncertainty" impacting on employees' health and safety.
* Adding value to the performance appraisal process by incorporating developmental activities and career goals.
* Alignment of individual and organisational goals and values.
* Having the best person-job fit.
* Assisting in the development of a progressive and dynamic culture.
The DHB was a finalist EEO Trust Work & Life and won the regional (Waikato-BOP) Human Resources Institute of New Zealand award for innovation, thanks to the programme.
