CAREER MANAGEMENT

Career Management

Career Management

Introduction

In the globalised and technologically advanced business world of today, changes are taking place at a rapid speed on a daily basis which leads to the downsizing and restructuring of processes, acquisitions and mergers, further advancements in the field of technology and other procedures. These changes are aimed at fighting immense pressures which are being faced due to globalization. Keeping these changes persistent at level of organisations has increased the significance of managing people at work, and in particular, the managing and planning of their careers. People are the most valuable resource for any organisation, and if they are provided with a stable career that is long-term, then it not only beneficial for the employees, but also beneficial for organisation, resulting in a win-win situation (Baruch, 2004, pp. 15).

Need for implementation of career management practices

There is an increased need for implementing career management practices that are supportive because career management and development brings effectiveness in the workplace, and it is dependent on the ability of organisation to transform employees from a conventional model of expectation to the one that gives them more responsibility for the growth and development of their own career (Done & Mulvey, 2011, pp. 32). A career development and management system that is designed well will allow organisations to evaluate the amount of in-house talent they have for promotion and staffing. This can be done by comparing the skills, aspirations and experience of employees to the requirement and needs of the organisation. Other than that, it allows them to take logical decisions about compensation and benefits, and succession planning in order to not only attract, but also retain the employees by motivating them. This will result in a highly involved, dedicated, productive and motivated workforce (Done & Mulvey, 2011, pp. 45).

In addition to that, the system of career development must be active and constant, that is connected to the organisation's structures of human resource (HR) and not to events taking place just once (Baruch, 2004, pp. 21). This is because career management and development is a process that encompasses of psychological, educational, sociological, physical, chance and economic factors that accumulate to formulate the career of employees throughout their career at the organisation. Therefore career management is a process through which employees go through a series of stages, which are differentiated by various sets of issues, tasks and themes (Baruch, 2004, pp. 26).

Complexity in work environment and importance of career management

The concept of career management has been discussed for years in organisations. This is because the increase of complexity that is present in the work environment has made it essential to focus on implementation of career management practices that are supportive (Arnold, 1997, pp. 42). The main issue to be considered regarding Career Management is whether it provides benefit for the employees, as the organisation itself expects no return on the investments, or whether there are actual benefits present if career management practices are implemented (Arnold, 1997, ...