The employees are the most important asset a company has. They are the ones who make or break a company. However amazing a product or flawless a service is, without the employees to make them, market them and deliver them, there would be no company who would survive, regardless of the industry. This is why company owners should take all the necessary steps in making sure the employees are taken care of.

Every company should invest in their employees just as much as they invest in research and development of their product or service. From the lowest position in the company to the highest, there should be a career path in place. Career growth plans are executed through a series of steps or guidelines that need to be met for the employees’ personal growth. When employees are successful and happy, the company will much more likely be successful too.

Here are some guidelines to help formulate successful career growth plans:

1. Assessment

In laying out an employee’s career path, a manager must have a projected career plan in place. This plan can be modified according to the personal career growth of the employee. A coaching session should take place and during this session, one of the topics that need to be discussed should be whether the plans of the employee are in line with the company’s growth. This plan will be compared with the company’s career path for the employee’s position and compromises should be thoroughly documented and reviewed. This way, the manager can then schedule shadowing or mentoring when necessary, and of course, continuous evaluation of needs and performance. If the employee’s and the company’s goals are aligned it benefits to the both the company, and the employee who would be able to better achieve a successful career growth plan.

2. Needs vs. Resources

In laying out a successful career growth plan, the needs of the employees and the needs of the business should be evaluated and measured. This way, the timeline of the career growth plan of the employee is determined. The necessary training, upskilling and mentoring schedules would be laid out to fit the desired timeline. The employee would be evaluated to determine at which stage of the career growth plan the employee belongs. This is important because the company needs to provide the necessary resources for the career growth plan to be successful.

3. Individual Aims vs Company Aims

An employee’s growth plan should always be considered in formulating a company’s career path for every employee. As previously mentioned, it should always be in sync with what the company aims when it comes to employee performance and success. Otherwise, a career re-alignment is needed. When the employees’ objectives are in sync with the company’s goals for success, the company will prosper. This is because the employee will work hard to succeed, thereby contributing to the success of the company.

4. Evaluation

Once a career path discussion takes place, constant observation and evaluation are expected. The employee himself must be aware that he needs to keep an eye on the prize when it comes to his job performance. Remember, there is a timeline involved in a successful career growth plan and one needs to be on schedule.

5. Results

The results of the evaluation process are very important. These evaluations are the determining factor of whether to go back to the drawing board and redesign the career growth plan for the employees or, to carry out and implement it for the entire workforce. Follow-through is necessary, once a stage in the career growth plan has been successfully passed, the employee and the management team must be alert in moving forward to the next stage of the plan. This way, skills are at par with the needs of the company and the employee, and also, the performance of the company is progressing.

At this time, many companies face a dynamic rise in the needs and demands of consumers. For this very reason, each company must exert effort in maintaining the well-being of their employees to ensure the quality of the service they provide and/or the products they produce. Employees must be taken care of. Their needs and development must be taken into consideration and dealt with. With a proper career growth plan, employees are expected to be more productive and more successful personally, and professionally. All of these are necessary for achieving a successful career growth plan.

Need guidance to a successful career growth plan? MRS V can help, get in touch with her today.