Career Development Plan Summary HRM/531 August 16, 2010 Abstract Career development plans are essential within a successful organization. Career plans allows the organization to both actively manage employee career progression, but also empower the organizations employees with active career management assets. Kudler Fine Foods to maintain sustainable growth and additional success must make an investment in the organizations employees to reach the organizations strategic goals, and objectives.
The following summary contains justifications and recommendations to Kudler’s upper management in several key areas including; job descriptions and qualifications for five new positions, training programs to introduce and enhance the skills and qualifications of new and current employees, methods for evaluating both employee and team performance, team performance evaluation challenges, incentive and benefit packages, strategies for managing career development, and an appropriate compensation plan.
Career Development An organization operating in today’s ever changing global and domestic markets understands the importance, and need to invest in the organizations employees to build and sustain future growth for the organization. Kudler Fine Foods has developed a stellar reputation among the organizations client base by implementing and demonstrating an approach to customer service, and daily operating business that is based upon the company’s core values, and strategic vision.
The level of success Kudler has achieved has afforded the organization the opportunity to grow, expanding operations into several key markets identified by the organizations leadership. Such success and growth would not be possible without the tremendous help, and support of the organization employees who are essentially the face, and image of the organization being presented to the customer. Kudler’s employees are tasked with executing and achieving the company’s strategic objectives, therefore investing in the organization employees through career development plans allows the organization to maintain a close relationship with employees, and xceed employee satisfaction levels which also leads to higher productivity, efficiency, and reducing turnover. Career development plans empower employees, and provide recognition and reward to achievements, and accomplishments that previously may have gone unnoticed within the organization. Employees are able to highlight important accomplishments or achievements to Kudler’s leadership, and draw attention to his/her strengths and value to the organization.
Career development plans also enable Kudler to effectively address or manage key internal and external factors essential to the organization’s success, and growth including; identifying and forecasting personnel needs, social and demographic trends, the changing nature of the workplace, jobs changes, diversity and the workforce, employee productivity, and changes in technology. The following statement best describes the importance of career development plans to employers, such as Kudler Fine Foods.
Employers are motivated to establish career development programs because such programs are seen as an effective response to various personnel problems, because top managers prefer to promote existing employees and to ensure a good fit between the work and the worker, and because employees have expressed interest in career development as a benefit. Above all, most organizations adopt career development programs in response to pragmatic human resource concerns and because they believe it will help ensure a continued supply of qualified, talented personnel (Harrison, 1989) Job Descriptions and Qualifications for Five New Positions
Identifying and accurately describing new job positions and the required qualifications to Kudler’s upper management are essential to the continued development and strength of the company. The following job descriptions represent the additional five new positions that satisfy Kudler personnel needs for restructuring the present team: * Store Manager: A first-level or field level management position tasked with management of the organizations daily store operations.
The store manager is responsible for providing accurate and effective guidance to the store’s employees. Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, and a minimum of five years of retail or industry related management experience. * Account Manager: Responsible for managing Kudler’s accounts, and subsequent reporting to authorized, and necessary organizational employees. Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in finance, and related experience. Stock Manager: Responsible for management of store locations stock, the development, and management of supplier and business relationships, accurately and efficient communication to store management of stock levels, issues, and pertinent information. Qualifications include an associate’s degree, and a minimum of three years related experience * Customer Service Executive: Responsible for customer relations, ensuring efficient management of customer feedback, comments, ensuring employees are provided with accurate, effective stock and merchandise information, and effective salesmanship proficiencies.
Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree and related experience. * Sales & Marketing Manager: Responsible for the management of sales and marketing of assigned Kudler store or stores. Qualifications a bachelor’s degree in the field of marketing, and minimum of three years related experience. Training Program Kudler’s current training offered by the organizations management is currently successful, however the organizations management has identified the needs to restructure, and revamp the current program offered.
Kudler’s management’s reason for changing the current program is to provide the necessary tools, coupled with adequate training or related information to both new, and current employees to excel. Griffin & Ebert (2002) stated, “ restructuring and improving current training programs, allows the company to adopt different training programs founded on diverse levels like training programs for first level employees, middle level employees, new hires, management, team leadership and OSHA ordinances. The training plan to be established provided the organizations new employees, an effective and efficient resolution method, in regard to employee difficulties and concerns. The main objectives of the new training program are to also include the development of necessary kills to employees. Providing adequate and effective training in employee skill management ensures that Kudler’s employees will be successful, and excel in performance. Mathis & Jackson (2006) stated, “subsequent to the heoretical training each employee will be given a practical training on how they need to execute on different levels in their discipline. ” Additionally, such training will ensure employees possess an adequate understanding of department, or job specific necessities. Methods for Evaluating Employee and Team Performance Numerous methods are available to Kudler’s management to evaluate the organizations employee and team performance. Kudler’s management must take into consideration when providing evaluations the employee and employer functioning, administrative responsibilities, and team cooperation.
The most appropriate method for evaluating employee and team performance is 360-degree feedback, which is comprised of diverse observational perspectives, provided by either the entire organizations employees, or the specific department employees. The following statement best defines the effectiveness of the 360 systems. This evaluation method offers company team members with the complications of an individual’s performance as observed by his or her peers in a better way in comparison to objective performance.
By making use of 360-degree feedback system the company management will become able in aiding its employees’ good performance and understanding in concern to how one thing could be done differently and effectively (Chris, 2010) The 360 performance evaluation system, also presents challenges in regard to employees not following through with given feedback. It is essential to management to adopt a progressive disciplinary process that focuses and takes effect when employees do not follow their respective job responsibilities to resolve such situations.
An effective progressive disciplinary process should include following steps: * Verbal: A manager should directly talk with their employee regarding their faults. * Written: If employee does not follow the given direction, a written action should be demonstrated against the employee. * Conference: A conference should be held with the employee’s designated manager, and human resources to correct previous behavior and outline a plan, or provide final warning of possible termination or suspension Challenges of Team Performance Evaluation Numerous problems are present, and present a challenge when evaluating team erformance. Additionally, as explained by the key points addresses below, quality, quantity, and the level of participation of team members is always a present, and important issues to be addresses and properly managed, thus team appraisals should reflect the team as a whole, while individual feedback and appraisals of team members is to be done in a private, and individual setting. Differences between the Two Appraisal Systems From comparing team member’s appraisal to mine, it is evident that we both feel an employee be evaluated based on how an employee accomplishes specific job duties.
The only difference is one appraisal done for a monthly review; the other is for a yearly review. The team as a whole feels a Development plan to either needs improvement or to help the employee to further their career in the industry. Difficulties of Evaluating Team Performance The difficulty of evaluating team performance is depending on what the consensus is and how each member feels about different aspects on how an employee performs, there could be complications or everyone will be willing to compromise to determine for the good of the team what aspects be evaluated and reviewed based on an employee’s performance.
In most cases the team members will come into an agreement as long as each member provides appropriate, constructive input. Unique Needs of a Team Appraisal System A team appraisal system must not only take into account the performance of the entire team, but also the individual team members contributions to the team as a whole. The quality of work, quantity, and participation are also unique to team evaluation and must be effectively managed and provided feedback accordingly to further develop each team member, while allowing and constructing feedback to encourage team performance as a whole as well.
Team appraisal should reflect the efforts of an entire team, while individuals should be able to appraise team members in a more private forum. Team Motivations and Expectations The entire team should be on the same page in regard to motivations, and expectations. Communication again is key to the success and development of the team. Team members should also be clear, and understand fully exactly what is expected of each team member, so that no room for error or misinterpretation is present.
When teams are formed, and managers delegate responsibilities to the team, the team is expected to resolve barriers to completion of the designated process or project, thus upon initial team formation expectations both from managerial level, and inter-team communication must take place in which rules, processes, and other important aspects are addressed to eliminate potential conflict, and challenges that may arise later. This also allows the team to clearly reference such acknowledgments made by each team member initially, if a team member claims unfair work share, or treatment.
Motivations for teams should reflect elements, systems, or benefits that inspire all members, whereas individuals rewards serve to motivate individual specified interests, team motivations should take into account all individual elements as a whole. Individual Equity and How It Impacts Team Performance Teams are not always able to distribute, or split workload or work share evenly. This is why it is important to accurately take stock, list, and evaluate individual strengths and weaknesses that will aid when distributing work and responsibilities among team members.
Such assessments and distributions based on strengths and weakness also ensures the workload and distribution is fair, and consistent. Unfair workloads take away from team performance, and create conflicts and challenges that also threaten the quality and completion of assigned goals and responsibilities. Strategies to Discourage Social Loafing Various methods and strategies exist to discourage social loafing; however, each must be adapted to fit the team uniquely based upon the team’s individual members and ethics.
Such strategies include; identification and recognition of individuals who both participate and don’t participate. The organizations leaders or managers can document individual who are not fairly, or actively participating and include in individual and team appraisals accordingly. Such documentation can directly be associated with rewards such as bonuses, or compensation for team performance indicators and level attainments. The organizations management can identify the team’s oals, completion of goals, and individual’s role and active effort or quality of work in regard to goal completion. Individual Employee Responsibilities towards the Team Individual responsibilities include; maintain and promoting achievement and focus on team goals and objectives rather than personal goals. Goals are identified according to each group and each team members performance and goal completion will reflect the teams overall completion of goals, either on time or behind schedule, as well as the quality of the finished work.
Team members are expected to contribute actively, equally, communicate effectively, follow through with commitments, and contribute to productive and positive team culture or environment. Incentive and Benefit Packages Incentives and benefits are essential in obtaining new talent, and motivating employees. The following are various benefits that could be offered by Kudler to manage and develop new and current employees: * Heath benefits: Health benefits will be offered to an employee after its probation period.
The employer will be accountable in paying 27% of their medical benefits elected, while the other 75%, the employer will pay for. * Tuition reimbursement: All the employees who want to strengthen their skills will get tuition reimbursement but for this they have to demonstrate continuous attainment of goals and improvement. * Short term disability: Employees can choose to pay for short term disability. This is founded on employee’s current salary. * Pension Plans: Every employee will also be able to get pension plans after 90 days of employment. Vacation/Sick time: The set vacation and sick time will be allowed to all the employees. Additionally incentives can also be based on the length, duration, or quality of an employee. Drucker (2008) stated, “Incentives that could be offered to the new and current employees can be either overtime, flex time, paid incentives or a paid day off. All these incentives depend upon the level of employment of an employee. ” Strategies for Managing Employees’ Career Development Numerous strategies can be adopted by Kudler’s management such as, offering the best work environment, developing employee careers, and coaching or entoring. It is Kudler’s responsibility if an employee wants to growth, and facilitate in the undertaking of the correct path essential to attain growth. Kudler needs to motivate employees in every possible way, and every team must entail of employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Compensation Plan The compensation plan should be established based on employee’s education, skills, previous experience, and seniority with Kudler Fine Foods. In regard to salary, no discrimination should be designed according to the laws made by the government of a country.
Montana & Charnov. (2000) stated, “Each employee should be paid what he deserves actually, and in every six months or some particular time period the performance of employees need to be evaluated on the bases of his or her skills and their job duties so that he could be paid according to that. ” Such evaluation allows employees to grow, and still retain motivation and desire to exceed. References Chris, A. (2010). Methods for evaluating employee and team performance. Retrieved August 16, 2010, from http://www. ehow. om/list_5961987_methods-evaluating-employee-team- performance. html Drucker, P. F. (2008). Management: Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices. Transaction Publishers. Harrison, C. (1989) Career development in the workplace. Retrieved August 16, 2010, from http://www. ericdigests. org/pre-9212/career. htm Griffin, R. W. & Ebert, R. J. (2002). Business (6th Ed. ). Prentice Hall. Mathis, R. L. & Jackson, J. H. (2006). Human Resource Management (11th Ed. ). Thomson Montana, P. J. & Charnov, B. H. (2000). Management (3rd Ed. ). Barron’s Educational Series
