The pace and scale of change has left employees in a ‘career vacuum’ according to fresh research by Career Innovation with Creative Metier. The best employers are helping managers to have career conversations, and communicating what a career means today.
‘Constant change’ is the norm for all but one of the 36 well-known international employers interviewed for the study. This has resulted in a new career environment for workers.

“New ways of working are being introduced by four out of five organisations” commented Glynis Rankin from remote coaching firm Creative Metier who are launching the report at a reception at the British High Commission in Singapore today. “People need to develop different skills as jobs become more specialized and as organisations expand in the world’s growth markets. But who knows how long those skills will be relevant? Another change will come along. So they don’t just need training for today. They need help to be adaptive and resilient for tomorrow”.

The report documents good practices in careers. For example many organisations have internal job advertising for all jobs. But the overall picture is bleak. Three quarters of organisations in the study admitted they don't have a strategy for providing the kind of practical career support that helps workers develop 'career resilience' and adapt to these new realities. Few have measures in place, to know if they are achieving this. Most admit their practices are not yet good enough. In particular, they have been slow to adopt social networking tools, and struggle with ensuring managers spend the time needed to help people develop their careers.

The result has been a ‘career vacuum’, says the report.

One problem is the exclusive approach to talent management that dominates corporate practice. The report notes signs of a shift away from talent management for the few, and towards releasing the talent of the ‘vital many’.

"Ever since McKinsey’s ‘war for talent’ there has been a focus on potential star players at the expense of most of the workforce" says Jonathan Winter, Founder of Career Innovation.

“Segmenting the workforce is a good idea, but today’s Talent Management appears riddled with questionable practices. One obvious flaw is the individualistic nature of most Talent Management, which fails to account for the high performance that comes from a diverse team. So employers end up paying bonuses or fast-tracking certain individuals without enough evidence. Another problem is the language we use. If 5% of workers are ‘talent’ then what are the rest of us? It’s hardly a recipe for high employee engagement."

The report highlights three things organisations can do…

(1)    Communicate today’s realistic ‘career deals’ and provide a new kind of roadmap for careers. Not a traditional career ladder, but a map that shows possible roles and the mix of capabilities and experiences that could lead there.

(2)    Help people to be resilient in their career. Not just top talent, but everyone. That means blending online tools with encouragement to build their support network.

(3)    Support managers to develop their people. Career conversations are a vital way to raise engagement and doing this regularly can build a resilient, change-ready workforce.
   
Media enquiries: info@careerinnovation.com

Career Resilience – The Change-Ready Workforce is a Ci Intelligence Report, available from www.careerinnovation.com, priced £30/€40/$50.