'It shouldn't be a couple of random, independent activities that aren't well connected and integrated'
When it comes to career development, just 46 per cent of employees are satisfied.
But when organizations close the gap on employee career growth expectations, it can have up to a 45 per cent positive impact on employees feeling as though they are supported in their career growth, finds a recent Gartner survey.
And when employees feel supported by their organization to grow their careers, their willingness to stay at the organization increases by up to 19 percentage points.
“[Solving this issue] is about employee retention, it's about talent management, it's about career development, and it requires the integration of a lot of different things and the involvement of a lot of different people,” said Alan Saks, professor of organizational behaviour and HR management at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Job shadowing and talent management programs
Creating a comprehensive talent management and development program should incorporate input from the employee. It should also involve the identification of opportunities and experiences that will allow employees to purse their career development goals and objectives, Saks said.
Job shadowing is often touted as a way to boost career development. But it needs to be part of a larger talent management program to be effective, he said.
Job shadowing should be part of the job rotation experience, which is an effective form of training to develop knowledge and skills, while promoting career growth and internal connections between employees. And both of these should be part of an overarching development program, Saks said.
“Providing employees with a variety of experiences could include job rotation, assignments, classroom training programs or online training programs, and all these things should be part of an overall talent management and talent development plan.”
Employee input key to job shadowing
To ensure effectiveness, especially when it comes to job shadowing, the person training the employee should be well prepared and have experience in being a trainer, Saks said.
“The program should have a series of events, activities and experiences that will all help the employee develop and contribute to the achievement of their career goals and objectives. So, it shouldn't be a couple of random, independent activities that aren't well connected and integrated; they need to have their basis in an overall plan that involves employee input and participation.”
Job instruction training should go through a series of steps and stages in which they have the opportunity to prepare different tasks, usually each part at a time, followed by the whole task. This should be followed by feedback and reinforcement and the opportunity for the employee to practice again, while monitoring their progress, Saks said.
ROI to job shadowing
Job shadowing is a low investment way to highlight different career options, according to Laura Ribadeneira, director, human resources advisory services at McLean & Company.
“Employees who feel there are career opportunities are more likely to stay with an organization and be engaged in seeing a future with the organization.”
Job shadowing allows employees to up their skills and become exposed to roles and careers either at the same level or a level higher than the role they currently occupy. Creating this exposure serves as a way to increase internal mobility, which ultimately benefits employers by allowing them to retain talent, she said.
Job shadowing also increases engagement and can help reduce the short-term turnover, which can occur when employees who join the organization are unsure of their responsibilities and therefore struggle more, she said.
“We’d rather have employees move into other career streams within the organization rather than feel that they have to leave the organization in order to grow,” Ribadeneira said.
And career development tools like job shadowing should have structure, with the purpose of the opportunity being clearly outlined to ensure productivity and efficiency.
“It needs to be done intentionally… let it be known that job shadowing is a way they encourage individuals to learn and grow. You might apply this so when new hires join the organization, the onboarding process allows them to shadow others who are in similar roles. It could also be an organization's way of showcasing a particular career opportunity that has really nice transferable skills that allow people to launch their careers in different directions,” she said.
