Storm Beach

When leaders are being true to themselves there are times when they have to hand over to others. No matter how protective they might feel. So it’s time to hand over the reins of this posting to my good friend and colleague Janice Caplan from The Scala Group. Find out more about how you can learn from and contribute to the HR Barometer…

In today’s times of rapid change and insecurity, career development is the new job security

For years management practice has revolved around the notion that ‘people leave managers not organisations.’ And for good reason as research consistently showed that the most common reason for leaving was to do with problems with my line manager.’ Does this still hold sway? One effect of our new ways of working where people belong to flexible teams, and multiple teams, and work across boundaries, remotely and virtually, is that the line manager is becoming a distant figure. Perhaps this is why evidence is mounting to show that the prime cause for people leaving organisations is shifting towards ‘to pursue career development.’ Of course, this has always been important, but it now figures higher in our priorities, especially for the Generation Y and Millennials, who know from the moment of starting work that their best hope of advancement and job security is by keeping their skills, and their experience up-to-date.

Having a developing future, and having someone interested in your development are also prime drivers of engagement. And it is well known that raising levels of employee engagement also raises productivity and profitability. So the reasons for prioritising career development are powerful. However, “the changes brought about by globalization, technology and attitudes have brought the need for a revolution in the way we think about and manage our careers. It also changes the notion of succession. Identifying a few people to fill a few top jobs is not enough to future-proof your business.” (Caplan, Janice, Strategic Talent Development: Develop and Engage All Your People For Business Success, Kogan Page, September 2013).

Find out how others are approaching career development and international mobility by completing ACE’s International HR Barometer that addresses these questions. Participants will receive collated results and analysis. Click here to access the questionnaire. http://vip.sphinxonline.net/cepigonline/career_development/questionnaire.htm

Kind regards, Janice Caplan.