Celebrating the decline of the job for life

New US Department of Labor statistics quoted in the previous post continue to reveal more about employee/employer relationships and the career long relationship between individuals and their work. Despite the job and direction changes they expose, it wasn’t too long ago that the phrase ‘a job for life’ was associated with many careers.

Employers and employees took a longer term view of their commitment and it was not uncommon for a 25 or 30 year career to be spent within the same organisation. So why is it now time to celebrate these statistics and welcome the decline of the job for life?

Employers have benefited for some time from more fluidity in the labour market but the advantages to employees are only just beginning to be fully understood. With the ability to exercise choice throughout their career, the average worker has the chance to apply the lessons learned through direct, practical experience in their career decision making. 

This degree of insight into any individual relationship with work is invaluable. For example, a career decision made at 18 years of age might still be relevant at age 35 but if it is not, a more informed choice can be based on the understanding created through 20 years in work.

Interpreting an individual’s values, talents and goals enables such informed choices to be made. Decisions are based on what an individual has learned through their full range of experiences at work, what this qualifies them to do and what they are motivated to do in the future.

The decline of the job for life has created the opportunity for more individuals to pursue personal success. This in turn can create a greater number of successful and meaningful relationships with work. A reason to celebrate indeed.

One career, One conversation

According to new statistics from the US Department of Labor, individuals born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 10.8 jobs from ages 18 to 42. Similar studies have revealed that the average US worker experiences 3 to 5 trade/professional changes over the lifetime of their career.

This report and statistics like the above are a fantastic insight into the nature of careers, job searching, recruitment, redundancy and a host of other aspects that influence individual success but for me the most interesting question it provides insight into is: How should we prepare for the life of our career?

In the 3 to 5 direction changes and 10.8 jobs, the average worker will interview, meet recruiters, work alongside new colleagues, experience new bosses and work with a variety of customers and clients. Jobs, surroundings, locations, pay and satisfaction are all variables but one remaining constant is the individual's relationship with work. This in turn suggests a dialogue focusing on our relationship with work, adaptable to the changing nature of our careers, as the best preparation for any individual.

A long-term dialogue based on the pursuit of personal success, founded on rigourously tested values, talents and goals, prepares for the changes all individual careers will encounter. Not only does this understanding allow different jobs and direction changes to be dealt with, it also goes further to ensure that changes are made in a direction that delivers improvement to the individual with every step.

Of course, not every change will be a promotion (change for example, could mean redundancy) but each change can be experienced, even managed, with the application of past learning in present decision making. In addition, guidelines from the fundamental elements that continue to shape our relationship with work (e.g. values, talents and goals) provide insight into a preferred direction going forward.

Studies like the above create opportunities for those of us in work today (and those beginning their careers) to learn from the practical experiences of others. Opportunities that can positively influence individual relationships with work and personal success.

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I am currently researching similar statistics for the UK and other nations. If you know of any relevant, recently released studies outside of the US your input would be most welcome. If you have any comments or emails regarding the above, please send them along or post them here. Enjoy the weekend ahead, With Thanks, Paul 

Making network connections

At a recent networking event I met with an entrepreneur and we talked about her new venture. It was soon clear that the business concept was a sound one. The individual energy, passion and expertise were all in place. The profile of the business had grown beyond all expectation but at the same time something was missing.

Continuing our conversation we agreed on an important point, in this case the need for a professional marketing opinion. We also agreed that neither of us were experts in this field. The good news was that between us we had worked closely with professional marketers in the past. Between us we could make a connection and an introduction with the potential to move this entrepreneurial business one additional step forward.

Considering this encounter a few days after the event, there are parallels with the networking activity that forms an integral part of successful career management and job searching. Most networking conversations and introductions will not create immediate opportunity but they are great opportunities for understanding and gaining new perspectives. What can you learn about the other person, their career or business? What are their priorities, trends in their market or expectations from the future? How does your perspective differ and importantly, as in the earlier example, what opportunities do your combined networks create?

Understanding in such situations creates opportunities on both sides. The people in your network (old and new alike) can easily be the greatest asset in your pursuit of personal success but becoming so depends on their success too. Creating opportunities, regardless of whether they appear to benefit you immediately or not, enables success in the future. A narrow focus for your network discussions also contrasts with the aims of a successful career management plan and what it can help you achieve. 

Challenging the outplacement response to redundancy

How could outplacement services deliver more value to both employers & employees?

Outplacement success is traditionally measured by how quickly an individual gets back to work. While this is not an unreasonable aim, it often doesn't take into account the longer-term impact on the individual's career. Evidence also exists to show that long-term commercial & organisational opportunities from the employer's perspective are also being missed.

Getting an individual back into work is a necessary objective but the longer-term after-effects of redundancy - as well as the number of individuals who go through outplacement repeatedly -presents a challenge that providers of outplacement services have yet to respond to meaningfully.

So, is it reasonable to ask outplacement providers for something more strategic than short-term re-employment? In my view the answer is yes, and there are now practical as well as statistical means to support this.

Employees, employers and outplacement providers could all benefit from a revision of their aims and expectations. Providing individuals with a service that achieves short-term re-employment but also considers broader career factors - e.g. personal success, managing opportunity situations, decision making in context, etc. - can deliver value to the former employee well into the future and well beyond the initial redundancy event.

A service that considers the long-term aims of the former employee also creates advantages for the employer as well (employers are the fee-paying client after all!).  As discussed in a previous post, investment in an individual's future is one that repays both parties over time. As well as more meaningful management data from every intervention, employers can positively impact their organisational culture and employer brand. In-turn helping them to attract, motivate and retain the people they need in order to be successful.

Delivering value in outplacement situations is a challenge to employers and outplacement providers alike. Both sides should be looking to take their partnerships and the opportunities they create, to the next level. In the economic climate many commentators are now predicting, benefits to employers and employees facing redundancy situations play a pivotal role in business and career success for a growing number of people on both sides.

If you have an opinion or a personal experience relevant to this subject or any of the other subjects discussed on this blog, please comment or email me directly!

KEEP Consulting: The value of career conversations between employers and employees

Traditionally, employers & employees do not discuss careers. Discussions that focus on an employee’s future regularly take place but exploring the independent direction and development of an individual’s career is a rare thing indeed.

This poses an interesting question: Is there an opportunity that both sides are missing?

A career conversation between employer and employee can become a powerful statement of partnership. Even if an employee leaves there are investment returns that both parties continue to benefit from. Through a strategic career dialogue employers can positively impact the future of their former employees beyond their time within the business.

So, what do employers get out of this? First, a positive investment by their brand that former employees carry with them throughout their future careers. Second, significant benefit if the employee decides to remain within the business.

This is where things start to get exciting. An employee leaving is actually the worst case scenario  but even this can have its positives, as seen above.

Before an employee leaves the company, a career conversation has even more to offer. A strategic career dialogue establishes clear priorities for the future. It also connects employees to their development with a greater influence on motivation. There is also evidence proving that both employer and employee gain a unified perspective on how to achieve mutual reward and results.

In short, a valuable connection (or re-connection) is made between the individual and the organisation through a strategic career dialogue. Through our successfully delivered client work to organisations & individuals alike, we [KEEP Consulting] have proven the ability of career dialogue to offer unique, long-term advantages for both sides. Particularly in situations where performance, business strategy, investment and resources are under pressure or review.

The career conversation is a subject employees and employers have the opportunity to rethink and benefit from in a variety of ways in the future. If you are an employee or an employer and you have an opinion or a situation that might be relevant, we invite you to contact us and begin a new dialogue!

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This article is an excerpt from a white paper by KEEP Consulting Ltd.

Visit http://www.keepconsulting.net for more information.

Complex career issues

The first reader poll on this blog finished a few days ago with a small majority voting for more of the same, i.e. debate about complex career issues. With that result in mind, during a recent conversation I was told about a General Manager who received resignation letters from four of the managers in his region (almost half of his mid-tier leadership team). Now this fits the bill as a complex issue but what career issues are also involved?

Clearly, the four individuals who chose to leave made an earlier decision to separate their employer from their career decision making. They also came to the joint conclusion that their careers would be better served elsewhere. Without learning more about the situation it is difficult to pinpoint cause and effect but we do know that somewhere along the line, the feeling of partnership with their employer was lost.

This is an interesting case study for employers and employees alike. From an employer's perspective, detailed career dialogue with an employee can serve as a point of alignment and it has the potential to avoid situations like this. Employers are working harder than ever to understand what employees at this level want from their future and a career dialogue creates opportunities on both sides.

Of course, a career focused conversation won't always be enough to prevent employees leaving. There are some offers that can't be beaten after all. In this example, an existing career dialogue with mutually agreed priorities could have provided common ground for talks before any decision to leave was made. From that point at least the opportunities for continued partnership between employer and employee could have been discussed.

A broader perspective

One of the great things about blogging is the access it gives to opinion. Blogs are written on most subjects, whatever your questions or interests might be. It was reading blogs that inspired me to become a blogger myself and contribute something to the debate.

MultiCultClassics is an example of a great blog that got me into blogging in the first place and I have enjoyed reading it for a while now. For me, the heart of the MCC blog is the assertion that starting from a narrow perspective (in this case a lack of cultural diversity in the advertising agency world) creates a limited outlook. Even if efforts are made subsequently to redress or balance this view.

Following the MCC blog over time has helped me to recognise the same principle at work in career planning. If your career perspective is limited at the planning stage, the opportunity for it to deliver satisfaction and success in the future is limited too.

Developing an understanding of what drives our careers and our relationship with work at a more fundamental level delivers a broader, more accurate definition of success. As well as a clearer view of the opportunities where progress can be made.

If you are intrigued by brand communications and/or comment on the evolution of an entire industry sector, you might find the MultiCultClassics perspective interesting. If you have an interest in the future of your career, you could always add your perspective to the debate here.