Dive Brief:
- MITRE Corp., a not-for-profit located in McLean, VA, is shifting away from 'career ladder' employee development toward experience-based learning involving job shadowing, rotational work and career goals discussion, SHRM reports.
- Julie Gravallese, VP and CHRO at MITRE Corp., recently spoke at the HR People + Strategy Conference, saying that HR is focused on helping guide employees towards more meaning in their careers through a clear communication strategy. Employees benefit from a yearly talk with their supervisor to align learning with career goals.
- Managers must convey to employees how they can achieve their goals, explain how they can meet company expectations, provide feedback and ensure there are opportunities for development.
Dive Insight:
MITRE Corp. highlights a couple of the oft-missed elements of employee development programs. First, management must get behind the career goals of all employees — otherwise it's hard to convey how important continuous earning is.
Second, having structured and regular conversations with employees to understand what they want out of their career experience is an absolute must. This is especially the case for millennials who will move to greener pastures in the event that their current employer doesn't offer this.
When employees understand how their efforts to learn are tied to organizational goals, they are more apt to feel supported in their efforts to complete them. Your employer branding should be particularly aimed at painting the workplace as a place to learn and develop through diverse opportunities.
