Talent Management
Sham Majid
27 Jan 2015
Are your staff ready to switch to “autopilot” mode having been happy and comfortable at where their careers are at?
They may be wise to reconsider.
The era of employees resolutely sticking to just one job vocation during the course of their working life has been well and truly consigned to the history pages.
According to the Towers Watson 2014 Global Workforce Study and 2014 Talent Management and Rewards Study- Singapore report, the potential for career advancement was the number one attraction driver for employers in Singapore, while the same aspect was ranked as the fourth attraction driver for employees.
From a retention perspective, career advancement opportunities were ranked second in terms of importance for both employers and employees in Singapore.
The notion of the modern-day employee who is nimble, agile and adaptive is succinctly surmised by Sue Olivier, Asia-Pacific Regional Talent Development Director for advertising, marketing and public relations agency Ogilvy & Mather.
“We think of our agency career paths less like ladders and more like a climbing wall – different people being on different tracks, but with the ability to move onto a different track at any time,” she says.
An open ticket to career development
While formulating career pathway structures at the beginning of an employee’s tenure used to be unthinkable for firms, it starts at the hiring process for Ogilvy & Mather, says Olivier.
“We are a communications agency offering services across a number of disciplines (including advertising, public relations and one-to-one marketing) all under one roof,” says Olivier.
“So we need our people to embrace all of these disciplines, although they might be assigned to only one at a time.”
In addition, Ogilvy & Mather has a cell structure for managing clients – grouping similar clients (such as those in the fast-moving consumer goods space) together in a cell, serviced by a multi-disciplinary team.
According to Olivier, this forms a much stronger team and gives each member of the cell exposure to other disciplines.
“Cell members operate as a real 360-degree team, focused around the client’s business, not the business unit profit and loss, allowing each member to bring their unique or specialist skill to bear on the client’s business,” says Olivier.
“The cell feels like a small agency: it’s nimbler, more entrepreneurial and more fun.”
Bloomberg, a global business and financial news provider, also adopts a flexible and open stance when it comes to career pathways for staff.
“Because of the nature of our industry and the entrepreneurial spirit of the company, we have a very unique corporate culture and a relatively flat organisation,” says Vandna Dawar Ramchandani - Head of Asia-Pacific Recruitment, Bloomberg.
“This means employees can have many different career pathways and possibilities at Bloomberg - across departments, specialties, geographies and business areas.”
While she says some employees follow traditional paths, it is also common for Bloomberg workers to craft new paths in collaboration with a new business or market need; try out new opportunities that leverage a skill set; experience an area of expertise that positions them for a role; or seize a new market opportunity which requires new talent and resources.
PPD, a global contract research organisation in the pharmaceutical industry, also prides itself on a clear job framework that explains and details career paths at various management and professional levels, says Haley Hopkins, Executive Director of Asia-Pacific HR for PPD.
According to Hopkins, the career pathways at PPD involve formal training, on the job learning, and development of personal skills. Many in-house and online training programmes help to guide each employee.
“An employee works with their manager to decide on his career progression and then works towards it,” explains Hopkins.
A buffet of career pathways
The Towers Watson 2014 Global Workforce Study - Global revealed that only 38% of employees in Singapore polled said their organisation provided opportunities to advance their career.
Furthermore, only 43% of workers in Singapore claimed their firm provided useful career planning tools and resources.
From an employer’s point of view, the study found that only 47% of companies in Singapore had defined career architecture and levels as components of their career management programmes, while only 33% of firms in Singapore said their managers were effective in explaining possible career opportunities (see: boxout).
Bloomberg employees need not worry about this notion however.
Ramchandani says Bloomberg’s Career Adviser programme enables employees to connect with global colleagues who can share their own career paths and stories.
“We use historical job transfer data to reveal the paths that have been travelled for employees to view, and we are working to make this a visual tool and resource for our employees around the world,” explains Ramchandani.
“We help our employees see where their skills may be transferable.”
Ramchandani explains that by having robust job descriptions and an understanding of what it takes to be successful in various groups, employees can align their own skills, interests and aspirations to the needs of the business.
“There are hundreds of Bloomberg employees who have had a diversity of career pathways in our company, transitioning and adapting across departments from sales to news to customer service to analysis and even leadership training, operations, technology and HR roles,” she says.
Over at Ogilvy & Mather, Olivier identifies a range of career pathway frameworks for employees to rise through the corporate ladder.
One such pathway Olivier says has been running for the past five years is the Graduate Fellowship Programme.
“It offers top graduates across the region an eight-week introductory course that familiarises participants with all functions,” she explains.
This is then followed by a rotation programme and an ensuing placement in the discipline of their choice.
For creatives, Olivier says the “Lucky 8” programme welcomes eager young talents who are keen to work in advertising.
For three months, they are put on day-to-day live projects and given a chance to work on some of the biggest brands in the world.
At the end of the programme, these participants hold an exhibition of their work and decide if they want to seek a creative career in the agency.
The organisation also offers secondments to other offices, teams or clients for a few months at a time.
“These allow people to gain new experiences or perspectives which can be brought back to the team upon their return,” adds Olivier.
PPD’s career development strategies also comprise of many different programmes across different regions.
According to Hopkins, two such programmes are Global Leadership for senior management and the Key Talent Programme for junior management.
“These help us in retaining the best and the brightest,” says Hopkins.
All in their own hands
Taking charge of one’s own career has become something of a norm for employees, although the 2014 Talent Management and Rewards Study – Singapore report unveiled conflicting sentiments between employees and employers in Singapore.
Only 16% of employers in Singapore polled said they wanted staff to take ownership of their own careers, while the figure stood at 51% for workers in Singapore.
Meanwhile, 67% of employers in Singapore stated they wanted employees and managers to have “joint ownership”, as compared to 38% of employees.
Hopkins says PPD firmly believes that an employee needs to take ownership of their own career.
“It is very much an employee-driven process based upon a partnership between the employee and manager,” she explains.
According to Hopkins, the developmental objectives are decided and recorded in a Career Development Plan and ongoing discussions around career possibilities and learning experiences take place throughout the year.
“PPD HR makes employees aware that their managers or HR cannot fulfil their career aspiration if they do not take the initiative,” explains Hopkins, adding that HR Generalists work with managers to stream developmental opportunities for their teams.
Likewise, Ramchandani cites that assuming ownership of one’s own career progression “is a hallmark part of our career development initiative at Bloomberg”.
“We have always motivated employees at Bloomberg to make their mark and it is actually a core part of who we are,” says Ramchandani.
Bloomberg encourages staff to take ownership of their work and foster a positive work environment that is supportive of employees taking initiative.
“For example, we provide support at the organisational level – through tools, resources and programmes,” explains Ramchandani.
Meanwhile, Ogilvy & Mather employees can ask for a “Path to Growth” assessment – either one-on-one, or as a 360-degree assessment, says Olivier, adding that 360-degree assessments are done for all senior positions.
In addition, the company’s intranet has published policies and guidance for anyone interested in a transfer. They have access to either the HR Manager or talent lead for a career discussion.
“All job descriptions are posted on the intranet for all staff to see,” she explains.
Sideways anyone?
Not every employee, however, aspires to rise through the corporate ranks and slip on a managerial gown.
In fact, lateral and parallel career paths are increasingly being touted as options for employees wishing to embark on something different, without necessarily being burdened with managerial responsibilities.
A lateral switch means a worker shifts to a similar position in the company, usually with a similar wage range and a job title at the same level.
The employee’s job functions do alter however, therefore providing them with new chances and a new enthusiasm.
The 2014 Talent Management and Rewards Study - Singapore report highlighted that 43% of companies in Singapore had defined vertical career paths as part of their career management programmes.
In addition, 26% of firms defined lateral career paths, while another 26% had dual career paths for people managers and individual contributors as part of their career management programmes.
Ramchandani acknowledges that in a relatively flat organisation, lateral and parallel moves are very common.
“In fact, we describe career development as a combination of experiences that one acquires over the course of their career and not about the formal progressions or titles they have had,” she says.
“This differentiates us and encourages our employees to define success differently than in other organisations.”
Olivier also espouses the notion that due to the size and structure at Ogilvy & Mather, there are many opportunities across the organisation.
“Employees may choose to go ‘deep’ (with a single client, for example) or ‘wide’ (more general management-based roles),” she elaborates.
“If you work on a global account for example, you could go from working in the local office on the account to the regional team for that account and possibly end up on the global team.”
Olivier says that should general management appeal to an employee, they can be asked to run a cell, or a discipline, or an office.
More often than not, she says the organisation sees a combination of these options.
“Someone may start off going deep into an account, then switch to more general management, and then go back to an account,” explains Olivier.
“We encourage this, because each ‘tour’ gives you a different perspective and access to a different set of skills.”
The PPD Job framework also provides long-term career growth options to employees in every possible way, says Hopkins.
“If the employee wants to move to the management role, they will have a different career ladder that is clearly defined; whereas employees wanting to specialise in a particular space will continue in that professional field,” she elaborates.
In addition, Olivier adds that the agency has also converted some of its specialists to “intrapreneurs” within the agency. “These would typically be people who would have wanted to leave the agency to establish their own start-ups,” she says.
“We partner with them to design agreements that will allow them to create their start-ups within the Ogilvy structure.”
Bloomberg also recognises that management is not for everyone, says Ramchandani.
She explains that the organisation consists of many employees who are product or technical experts or sales people who are highly regarded by their clients.
“These highly valued employees are often individual contributors,” adds Ramchandani.
“We try to make this message transparent - that ‘up is not the only way to succeed’ - and that one can have a robust and fulfilling career at Bloomberg without moving into a management role.”
Singapore’s take on career management
According to the recent Towers Watson 2014 Global Workforce Study and 2014 Talent Management and Rewards Study- Singapore report:
39% of employees believe their company makes effective use of technology to deliver programmes that help them advance their careers
30% of companies have an articulated career management philosophy
28% of firms monitor the effectiveness of their career management programmes
28% of companies believe their managers are effective in conducting career development discussions
When is it time to move laterally?
Employees do not always have to be obsessed with moving up the corporate ladder. Instead, switching sideways is also a viable career path option. But when would a lateral move be relevant?
They include when:
You may fancy more challenge but not added responsibility as you are already burdened with challenges outside your work life
The functions your unit does are being outsourced, but you are not willing to leave the firm
You are attending courses or finishing a degree and do not want the burden of a promotion presently
You are getting ready for an eventual switch and want to spend time in a functional unit where you do not possess much experience
Source: Barbara Reinhold, Lateral Moves: When Do They Work? (Monster.com)
Talent managment
Article Summary:
In today’s ultra-competitive working world, employees are picking up new skills and immersing themselves in a wide array of positions to remain relevant and adaptable. HRM investigates how companies are facilitating these endless career roadmaps
Sub Category:
Performance Management