4 Steps to Creating a Career Development Plan
Gail Merz, Director of Employee Development and HR, Pacific Crest Group
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Why do I need a Career Development Plan for my employees?
A Career Development Plan allows you to develop your workforce in a way that truly enhances the productivity of your company. Successful workforce planning is not a matter of filling seats with bodies to complete tasks; it is a careful exercise in which company principals plot how each position will support the goals of the company, and how each employee can mature and improve their contributions to those goals.
Employees who know the choices and opportunities available to them are more motivated. Developing your own workforce allows you to promote from within your company, limiting high turnover and retaining those key employees who are the right cultural fit, but who need the stimulation of upward growth and improvement.
The Steps:
1. Establish your Company Organizational Chart
a. Review and revise your current job descriptions
b. Fill in missing positions according to the needs of the company, NOT the existing workforce. There may be unoccupied positions, and you may have employees who are assigned more than one position.
c. Establish basic competency requirements (e.g. education, credentials, experience) for each position.
2. Develop your Company Compensation Plan by position
a. Develop a fair compensation range for your positions based on industry standards and the position’s ROI to the company
3. Develop Career Paths
a. Identify different possible career paths for each position with department heads.
b. Establish a process for helping employees and managers identify the best Career Path fit for the individuals, utilizing tools such as personality assessments, tests for special skill sets, etc.
c. Clearly identify the milestones employees will need to attain in order to be eligible to move into a new position, using the established basic competencies for the goal position.
4. Engage your employees in the concept
a. Integrate a Career Path discussion into your regular employee review process
b. Train managers to set individual goals and objectives that support career/company development
c. Create opportunities for your existing employees to engage in continuing education activities, e.g. attend seminars and workshops, obtain specialized training and certification, etc.
If you would like more information, or guidance implementing an employee development plan for your company, we’d like to help. Call or email for a free consultation:
Gail Merz is Pacific Crest Group’s Director of Employee Development and HR departments, and our resident human resources expert. She currently manages and operates many medical practices in the Bay Area. Before joining Pacific Crest Group, Gail spent eight years in medical office management handling recruiting, staff training, managing patient relations, and overseeing finances. Gail holds a B.A. from San Francisco State University.
You can reach Gail at (415) 461-2586 or by email at gmerz@pcg-services.com.
