Alternative career paths
One approach to alternative career pathing
involves ``incorporating the skills employees
already have with what their hearts want to
do''. It can involve changing career and
lifestyles for more meaningful and fulfilling
work arrangements (Rhodes, 1995). Creating
alternative career paths often involves
incorporating other career development
interventions, such as flexitime or job
enrichment. Workers seeking an alternative
career path may find themselves downshifting
or moving sideways (Hudson, 1997).
Alternative career paths should not be
confused with dual career paths, which is
described later.
For example, Janet finds herself plateaued
in her current career and experiencing ``burnout''.
By creating an alternative career path,
Janet transfers current skills into a new career,
one that in the past was considered only a
dream. Janet, along with her employer, may
also decide that job enrichment or flextime
may be an option, so that the company does
not lose a valued employee, and Janet does
not lose any accrued benefits. Another
instance of creating an alternative career path
would be a situation where recent graduates
have followed their dream in their studies, but
are having difficulty finding a job in their
specific field. For example, Sandi received a
doctorate in environmental science and public
policy, and is using her talents and skills at the
Smithsonian Institution's Division of Birds to
prevent aviation mishaps (Jidoun, 1999).
Assessment center activities
Assessment centers are most often used to
identify workers' career potential, or for use in
job placement activities, and may be used
with either current or prospective employees.
Assessment centers are most often used in
conjunction with filling professional or
managerial positions, although they may be
used with other positions as well.
Generally speaking, assessment centers do
not constitute an office or physical space in an
organization. In most instances, a participant
in an assessment center is simply asked to
Table I Career development interventions
Intervention Description For use with employee group
Alternative career paths Examining skills and experience to transfer to a new career Passed over workers, burned out workers, career changers,
mid-life employees, plateaued workers
Assessment centers Activities or exercises used to identify employee potential Any, but specifically high potential employees, new workers,
mid-life employees, possibly plateaued workers
Career coaching Helping people prepare to switch careers, or helping them
get ahead in their current career
Any, but specifically high potential employees, new workers,
burned out workers, plateaued workers
Career pathing Outlining an individual career plan Any, but specifically high potential employees
Cross-training Teaching workers several skills so that they may be
assigned a variety of tasks or positions
Any, but specifically new workers, high potential employees,
semi-skilled workers, technical workers
Dual career tracks A career path that allows for success and rewards without
necessarily being an ``upward'', or managerial, movement
Technical workers, creative workers, plateaued workers
Flexitime Allowing employees to vary work schedules to better fit
in with personal lives
Pre-retirees, re-entering workers, dual career couples,
mid-life employees
Job enlargement Increasing the number of tasks a worker performs Any, but specifically high potential employees, technical
workers, semi-skilled workers
Job enrichment Increasing the amount of responsibility and control a
worker has over his or her position
Any, but specifically high potential employees, burned out
workers, technical workers, plateaued workers
Job rotation Moving employees from job to job within an organization New workers, high potential employees, transferred workers
Job sharing Two employees share one full-time job, including hours,
salary and benefits
Re-entering workers, dual career couples, mid-life
employees, pre-retirees
Phased retirement Gradual tapering of work schedules and responsibilities
until full retirement is reached
Pre-retirees
Sabbaticals An extended period of leave Burned out workers, mid-life employees, pre-retirees
Temporary assignments Special projects or special assignments Student workers (interns), pre-retirees, high potential
employees, temporary workers, intrapreneurs, possibly
career changers
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complete several exercises aimed at
measuring higher-level management,
problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Several types of exercises may be used,
including in-basket tests, leaderless discussion
groups, and role-play situations.
For example, Carla is being considered for
a promotion in the accounting department of
her company. The promotion would include
supervising six members of the accounting
staff. To partially assess Carla's ability as a
manager, she and three other candidates for
the position take part in an assessment center.
The assessment includes an in-basket exercise
on analyzing cash flow, and several role-plays
designed to evaluate their effectiveness on
giving feedback, praising, and disciplining
employees.
Career coaching/counseling
Career coaching frequently involves helping
individuals prepare for a career change or
helping employees advance in their existing
jobs (Nelson, 1999). By focusing on training
and developing the skills of their workers,
firms can often build employee loyalty (Belk,
1999). While the career-coaching role in
organizations most often falls to the
immediate supervisor, career coaching and
counseling has also become a career in itself.
From the employee's view, career coaching
consists of evaluating interests, values, work
styles, and skills. From the organization's
view, it consists of matching employee talents
with organizational needs, recruiting and
retaining talent in the company, identifying
training and development needs, and assisting
employees in specifying and locating new
employment opportunities within the
organization (Hogan, 1998).
For example, suppose you are a department
manager, and Joe comes to you inquiring
about other opportunities in the company.
You know Joe to be a very conscientious and
intelligent worker, and want to make certain
he does not look for opportunities elsewhere.
Over the next few weeks, you discuss with Joe
his interests, education and skills, and how
they relate to various positions in your
department and others within the company.
You identify a job area in a different
department which Joe feels better fits his
interests and lifestyle, and together you make
a plan for some training Joe can pursue while
waiting for a position to come open. While
you are reluctant to lose Joe, you know that
you have helped him become a more satisfied
employee, as well as retaining him as a valued
worker for your organization.
Career pathing
Career pathing, also called career tracking, is
a process of outlining an individual career
plan, usually within an organization. Career
pathing is most often used as a part of
management training and development,
although individuals may develop their own
career track, either alone, or in conjunction
with a career coach.
Employees follow pre-determined steps
along the career path to develop expertise in
managing different types of organizational
situations (Solomon, 1995) and to reach their
career goal. Periodic checks evaluate progress,
as well as determining what further training or
experience is needed to move to the next step.
Career pathing often uses several other career
development interventions as part of the
process. These include cross-training, job
rotation, job enrichment or enlargement, and
temporary assignments.
For example, Jim accepted a position as a
manager trainee at a well-established printing
company immediately after graduation. The
printing company was planning to open a new
division, and was also at a point where several
senior level managers would be retiring within
the next five years. As part of the career
pathing program, Jim was to be rotated
between various departments in the company's
six national locations, spending two months
at each location. During this period, Jim
would be involved in the hands-on work of
the company, as well as being involved in
managerial tasks and decision making. At the
end of the first year, if progress was made as
planned, Jim would become one of the area
managers of the new division. As other people
in the corporation moved into vacated
positions, the plan was for Jim to move up
also.
Cross-training
Cross-trained workers are taught skills
outside their current job assignment so they
can be called upon to perform a variety of
tasks as the need arises. Many workers and
supervisors find themselves cross-training
each other, just to make the day-to-day work
life manageable. As a career development
intervention, however, companies put into
place a formal program of cross-training.
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Cross-training helps organizations to
balance workloads so everyone is busy, and
allows the company to respond quickly to
employee absences. It also allows employees
and departments within an organization to
gain a better understanding of the ``big
picture'', and to improve communications
and relations. Employees who are crosstrained
are more valuable to the company,
and more marketable in the work world
overall (Terrel, 1997).
To illustrate this intervention, consider the
accounting department where Carla was
recently promoted to manager. The
department handles a large volume of work,
and each of the six employees in the
department is assigned to a different function.
These functions are: daily data entry of
payable invoices; daily customer billing;
posting customer payments; posting vendor
payments and printing checks; and two
people who perform reviews and internal
audits of the various journals and ledgers in
the department. Carla implements a
cross-training plan within the department.
Because slow or non-performance in the first
four functions could create serious backlogs
and cash flow problems if not kept up, Carla
begins cross-training across these functions,
and later includes the reviewing and auditing
functions.
Dual career tracks
Dual career tracks should not be confused
with alternative career paths. Creating dual
career paths involves preparing employees to
succeed and be rewarded without necessarily
being on a management or vertical
organization career path. In other words,
``up'' is not considered the only way
employees can grow and advance within the
company (Schlossberg, 1997). The
establishment of dual or multiple career
tracks has proven to be an effective way to
retain and motivate valued employees
(Joinson, 1997).
Management can be an attractive career
alternative for many employees, but it is not
for everyone. This may be particularly true for
many technical or creative workers. The
number of people managed often
distinguishes managerial levels, but under the
dual career track plan, individuals apply their
expertise (like managers) to tasks of greater
complexity and impact within their specialty
field. For example, they may make
recommendations in a wide range of business
areas, participate in high level decisions, and
act as mentors to other employees (Tucker
and Moravec, 1996). The interest in dual or
multiple career tracks is likely to grow as more
organizations do away with formal
management titles and establish team
structures (Capland, 1997).
For example, take a look at Kevin, who has
been working as an architect with the same
large firm for the past eight years. There are
few ``upward'' possibilities, unless you are in
one of the administrative areas, such as
accounting, or unless you become a partner.
When Kevin began work, he was primarily an
assistant applying finishing technical
specifications to projects (e.g. checking
blueprints). Gradually, he was able to let
more of his creative talent show, and was
assigned as member of design teams and
became responsible for increasingly larger
phases of various projects. Over the last two
years, Kevin has been project director on two
different accounts, which involves initial
design concept, more contact with the client
and builder, and more control over the
various phases of projects. Along with this
additional responsibility comes more
recognition and respect in the firm, as well as
more money.
Flexitime
Flextime is one of the most popular and most
widely known career development
interventions. Flexitime gives employees the
opportunity to balance their work and
personal lives by restructuring the typical
workday to accommodate individual
employee schedules (Arellano, 1999).
Arellano also reports (1999) that employers
who offer flexitime often report decreased use
of paid leave, decreased tardiness and
increased productivity. Other benefits for the
employer include a low-cost method of
providing personal time off and extending
service hours without overtime pay (Brown,
1998). This career development intervention
is popular with employees who have extended
families or young children, who may be facing
``burn-out'', and those seeking further
education or pursuing second careers.
Flexitime allows employees to set their own
schedules, within limitations set by
management. For example, workers may
adjust their starting and ending times, but are
required to be at the office during
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management specified core or peak hours.
Working four ten-hour days is an example of a
compressed workweek form of flexitime.
Flexitime may also be combined with other
interventions, such as job sharing, job
rotation, and phased retirement.
For example, Suzanne recently returned to
school to complete her Master's degree. She
had full support and encouragement from her
employer, who agreed on the flexitime
schedule Suzanne proposed. Because the
location of the school required an hour
commute, Suzanne needed to leave work at
3.00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday to
attend a 4.00 p.m. class. To complete the
40-hour week, she arranged to start work one
hour early on Tuesday and Thursday and to
work one hour later on Monday and
Wednesday.
Job enlargement
Job enlargement is defined as increasing the
number of tasks a worker performs, with all of
the tasks at the same level of responsibility,
and is also sometimes referred to as
``horizontal job loading'' (Parker, 1998). Be
careful not to confuse job enlargement with
job enrichment, which follows.
One such instance involves Lucy, a data
entry person in the accounts payable
department, who learns quickly and
completes the majority of her tasks early. She
often seemed bored, and even mentioned to
her supervisor that she wished she had a little
more variety in the job. After reviewing her
work, to be sure it was accurate as well as fast,
her supervisor assigned Lucy to help with the
customer billing, a function that had much
more volume and seemed to always be
behind. The intervention helped Lucy gain
more skills and make better use of her time.
The department benefited also when the
customer billing was sent out in a timely
manner, reducing overtime and improving
cash flow.
Job enlargement and job enrichment can
both be used with plateaued workers or
workers who are experiencing burnout, and
with especially high achievers. These two
interventions may be used in conjunction with
each other, or with other career development
interventions such as job rotation and
temporary assignments. Both interventions
provide the employee with increased skills,
making him or her more valuable to the
company, or more marketable in the job
search.
Job enrichment
Job enrichment involves increasing a worker's
responsibility and control over his or her
work, and is also called ``vertical job loading''
(Parker, 1998). Job enrichment allows you to
expand your responsibilities or change your
role to develop new competencies without
leaving your current position or the
organization altogether (Managing Office
Technology, 1996).
Job enrichment is also used as an effective
motivational technique:
According to this perspective, if a job provides a
sense of responsibility, a sense of significance
and information concerning performance, the
employees will be internally motivated to high
levels of performance. The key to creating this
situation is to enrich jobs so they provide five
core characteristics: task variety, task
significance, task identity, autonomy and
feedback (Whittington, 1998).
Again consider Janet, our plateaued employee
who is exploring alternative career paths. To
try to retain Janet and her expertise, her
manager begins by allowing her to monitor
certain duties the department is assigned, and
asks her to participate in a focus group
developed to advise management on
improved communications between
departments. Later, Janet is asked to become
an advisor, or short-term mentor, to new
employees in the department. Janet seems to
be more satisfied now, and is proud of her
``senior'' status.
Job rotation
Job rotation is the systematic movement of
employees from job to job within an
organization, as a way to achieve many
different human resources objectives ± for
simply staffing jobs, for orienting new
employees, for preventing job boredom, and,
finally, for training employees and enhancing
their career development (Cheraskin and
Campion, 1996). Job rotation is often used by
employers who place employees on a certain
career path or track, usually for a
management position, where they are
expected to perform a variety of duties, and
have a variety of skills and competencies.
Job rotation is often confused with crosstraining.
While both interventions perform
essentially the same service of providing
employees with a varied set of skills, job
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rotation goes beyond this. Besides being used
as a means of management training, job
rotation can also be used as a form of job
enrichment, by adding increased
responsibilities, increasing challenge, and
reducing boredom or burnout.
For example, when Jim, the new printing
division manager, was completing the job
rotation part of his training, he realized how
much more interesting this made coming to
work each day. Even though he may be
assigned a duty that he did not like at the
moment, he knew that next week he would be
rotating to a different task. Jim also realized
that this rotation could be used as a valuable
training and staff coverage tool. One of his
first big projects was setting up a regular job
rotation system within each department at the
new division. For example, in the pre-press
area, staff members rotated weekly between
the functions of design and layout, creating
negatives, creating masters, and plate making.
Boredom and absenteeism decreased, and
jobs were covered when there was an absence.
Job sharing
With job sharing, a full-time job is split
between two employees. The two employees
share the duties and responsibilities, as well as
the salary and benefits of the job. These two
employees must also work closely together,
and with management, to co-ordinate hours,
duties, and communication among
themselves and other departments in the
organization. Most often, job sharing is used
by parents or adults caring for their parents,
and affords employees a better balance
between their work and personal lives.
Employees pursuing further education or a
second career may also use job sharing.
Job sharing offers advantages over part-time
work in that employees are able to maintain
their professional status as well as some of
their job benefits. One example of the
advantage over flexitime situations is that with
flexitime, parents may still require extended
day care hours (Brown, 1998). Benefits to the
employer include having ``two heads instead
of one'', retaining valued and experienced
employees, and down time due to vacation or
sickness is reduced, because the job share
partners cover for each other.
For example, Tina and Kim have both
recently returned from maternity leave. This
is Tina's second child, and Kim's third. Both
Tina and Kim are upper level administrative
assistants, and both have been considering
working only part time to allow them more
time to spend with their growing families.
However, both are concerned that being part
time would only lessen the respect they have
earned for their positions, as well as having
work pile up during the times they are off.
Their supervisor is especially concerned with
this last aspect as well. As a solution, with the
approval of their manager, the two develop a
job-sharing arrangement. Kim will work
Mondays, Tuesdays, and five hours on
Wednesdays. Tina will work five hours on
Wednesday and all day on Thursdays and
Fridays. They spend the overlapping hour on
Wednesday communicating status of projects
and duties. They will each receive half the pay
and half the benefits of the position, and both
retain their title as senior administrative
assistant. The company views them as one
staff member.
Phased retirement
Organizations typically devote far more
energy to recruiting and retraining than to
phasing out workers (Schlossberg, 1997).
Phased retirement is one intervention that
workers and employers can use at the latter
end of the career cycle. During phased
retirement, workers gradually taper their work
schedules until they reach full retirement.
Other career development interventions such
as flextime and job sharing are typically
incorporated into phased retirement
arrangements. Retirees may work part time
and serve as mentors or trainers to their
successors. Benefits to employees include a
greater sense of control over the transition
from work to retirement, lowering the risk of
economic insecurity, and more social support
(Worklife Report, 1997). The employer
benefits by retaining valued talent and
minimizing labor shortages (Duff, 1999).
For example, consider Bob, who at age 64
is beginning to look forward to retirement.
However, he also is concerned with ``letting
go'', and afraid he might be bored when he
retires. And, after 17 years as part of the
senior management team, Bob will leave a
huge void in the company operations. Bob's
company has a phased retirement plan, and
works with him to set up his new schedule.
Bob will be involved in selecting his successor,
and will work as coach and mentor full-time
for a while. After three months, he will scale
back to three days per week, then eventually
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to two days, and so on until he does not come
into the office at all. For another six months,
Bob agrees to be available as a consultant and
advisor on an as needed basis. The entire
phased retirement plan takes place over a twoyear
period.
Sabbaticals
A sabbatical is an extended leave from work.
It can be paid or unpaid, and may or may not
include a guarantee of position upon return,
depending upon the sponsoring
organization. Sabbaticals allow people time
for revitalization, and give the remaining
employees an opportunity for new challenges
and growth (Semas, 1997). Sabbaticals are
often viewed as a benefit, rather than a career
development intervention. Employees and
employers both need to realize the
opportunities for both personal and career
growth and development. They are often
used as a retaining tool for valued employees,
and as a way to relieve job burnout, and can
even be used as a ``trial period'' for preretirees.
Sabbaticals also promote teamwork because
employees must back each other up during
times of extended absences. As for customers,
comfort levels rise. They know that more than
one person can help them. Professionals also
realize humility in the recognition that the
work world will and can function without
them, which in itself can lift many an
imagined burden (Howell, 1999).
For example, Sam's company allows an
employee a 12-week paid sabbatical after each
ten years of employment. The first and last
two weeks may be spent as the employee
wishes. During the middle eight weeks of the
sabbatical, the employee is required to
volunteer at least 20 hours per week with an
approved charity organization.
Temporary assignments
Temporary assignments are also known as
project work. Working at temporary
assignments or on special projects can help
employees avoid burnout and can keep
plateaued or high achieving employees
motivated, giving them the chance to learn
more and enhance their skills and experience.
Many times, temporary assignments (i.e.
project work) can be used by pre-retirees as a
part of their phased retirement plans.
Project assignments are different from job
rotation in that the temporary/project
assignment usually involves a single goal or
target, or special set of circumstances. The
work project usually revolves around one
certain aspect of the business, and has a finite
term, or a definable beginning and end. The
current trend, at least in private industry, is to
move toward project teams as the preferred
management operating structure (Kanouse,
1999).
Returning again to Janet, the plateaued
employee, her manager has another solution
for increasing Janet's job satisfaction. Janet
knows this department inside and out, and
has expertise and knowledge in other areas of
the company as well. Because of her
enthusiastic participation on the company's
communication focus group, her manager
recommends her for a position on the
temporary task force created to implement the
focus group suggestions. Janet feels not only
valued, but also that she is making a
significant contribution to her career and the
future of the company.
Summary
As organizations continue on into the new
century, more companies are realizing the
advantages of retaining highly trained and
experienced employees. Many have already
realized that the cost of recruiting and training
a new employee can far outweigh the costs of
some career development interventions. That
alone could be reason to implement a
comprehensive career development program.
Overall employee satisfaction, dedication, and
loyalty to the company are added benefits. As
a final note, employees should remember that
they can lobby for some of these
interventions, and if their organization is
unwilling, some interventions, such as
exploring alternative career paths, career
pathing and possibly a sabbatical, can be
pursued by the employee on his or her own
initiative.
Case studies
Case 1. When woodworkers won't
The Needmore Woodworking Shop is located
in the scenic mountains of Needmore, WV. It
employs local woodcrafters to produce finelycrafted
art objects. The designs are unique
and their products are selling well at craft
shows across the country. The new Internet
site has also boosted business, which is now
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the best it has ever been in Needmore's tenyear
history.
Needmore is in Hardy County, West
Virginia, an impoverished area of the country
with a median family income of $20,745 and
a population of just over 10,000. While most
people tend to live in Hardy County because
they are born there, a few people have
immigrated to Hardy County from the
Washington DC area, drawn by the
spectacular beauty and simple lifestyle of the
area. Less than 20 per cent of people over the
age of 25 have any education beyond high
school, with 45 per cent not having a high
school diploma. The skilled labor pool is
limited. Most of the woodworking shop's staff
was trained on the job to perform the
necessary job functions.
A position at Needmore Woodworking is
considered an extremely good job in the area.
Salaries, benefits, and working conditions
compare favorably with those at other local
businesses. As an added plus, the commute is
manageable, a short distance on US Highway
55, which is passable in all but the worst
weather conditions. An unusual aspect of the
business is that the shop's owner, Wright
Masters, holds a more enlightened
management view than most area employers.
He believes in knowing his employees and
their needs and goals, providing continuous
training on new equipment and designs, and
recognizing the strengths and
accomplishments of his staff.
Despite his nurturing qualities, Wright
often finds himself frustrated by the staff's
lack of dedication to the business. It seems
that, among the Needmore Woodworking
staff, it's ``always something''. Either Billy, the
cut man, has to take his wife (who doesn't
drive) to the clinic to see about her back
problems or Bobby, the sander, has to spend
three days rebuilding the transmission on his
pickup and cannot get to work. Even Betty,
the bookkeeper, is frequently out because her
grandma needs help on her ``bad'' days. While
it is true that one of the reasons people love
the area is its relaxed culture, there are
deadlines to be met. When a shipment of
jewelry boxes needs to be in Maryland by the
next weekend for the annual Sugarloaf Craft
Festival, no money is made if it arrives after
the show.
On the job, Wright's staff is a hard-working,
conscientious group. He has selected them
because they are among the most reliable
workers in the area. It is well-known that to
keep your job at Needmore Woodworking,
the weekend party has to stop in time to get a
good night's sleep Sunday night. From the
limited workforce in the area, Wright has
managed to assemble the best possible staff.
Yet, he cannot seem to impress upon them
the need to be at work when big deadlines
approach. Most staff members average only
four days a week on the job.
Discussion questions
(1) Which CD intervention could Wright use to
motivate his existing staff so that they will be more
dedicated to showing up for work, and how?
Flexitime would be an excellent solution to
Wright's problems. This could take the form
of varied start and end work times or
compressed workweeks. This would allow
employees time to take care of personal
business, while Wright still has staff available
to meet the deadlines.
(2) Is Wright expecting too much from his staff?
Why, or why not?
No, he is not expecting too much from his
staff. All employees should be made aware of
the importance of reliability when hired. They
should also be made to realize that missed
deadlines eventually lead to missed
paychecks.
(3) Should Wright look for other staff, perhaps
importing them from the Washington DC area?
Why, or why not?
No. If he imports staff, he runs the risk of
driving up his labor cost, and alienating the
community he has worked so hard to become
a part of. At the very least, bringing in staff
from outside the area should be a last resort.
(4) What other CD interventions could be used to
reorganize or redesign the jobs to improve the
reliability of the staff?
Cross-training and job sharing would also be
good solutions. Cross-training would allow
the work to be done in case of an absence, and
job sharing would allow all positions to be
covered, while employing more of the
available work force, a positive image builder.
(5) Is this problem unique to remote,
impoverished areas, or is it more widespread?
Unfortunately, it is more widespread and not
unique to remote and rural areas. Employers
can reduce the negative impact of these
problems by being more flexible in their
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scheduling, and allowing the use of modern
CD interventions.
Case 2. How do we keep going from here?
Industrial Forms & Labels, Inc. (IFL) is a
small, independently-owned distributor of
custom produced business forms, labels, and
related products such as barcoding supplies
and ribbons. The owner and president, Dave
Olivetti, began the business in 1971 with his
wife, after spending eight years as a sales
person with a regional, direct selling printer of
similar items. IFL is now WNC's oldest and
largest independent distributor of business
forms, labels and related products.
Independent distributors in this industry
serve as middlemen and liaisons between endusers
of products and the manufacturers of
those items. Unlike the large, nationally
owned direct-selling companies, the
independent distributor has a choice of which
company manufactures the products they sell.
Service to the customer soon became the
major selling point of IFL.
As Dave Olivetti developed his relationship
and influence with contacts and resources on
the manufacturing end, his reputation for a
high level of service to customers naturally
grew. It soon became known that IFL could
get an order priced, produced and delivered
in less time than those larger national
companies took to just prepare the job quote.
As the company grew, as well as Dave's
family, Anita Jolsen was hired as an officeadministrative
assistant in 1981. Her duties
included not only administrative tasks, such
as customer billing, but also internal customer
service. She soon became more of an inside
salesperson, and these customer contacts
often left the administrative duties behind. A
new staff member was hired, Constance
Woodbury, who continued the dual job
descriptions of administrative assistant and
customer service, while Anita became the
company's first full-time outside sales
representative, other than the owner.
As the company continued to grow, several
outside salespeople and inside customer
service people were hired. The majority of the
current staff has been hired since 1993, and
now includes four inside sales support
persons, an administrative assistant, and a
warehouse/shipping and receiving person. All
but one of the inside sales support persons
have backgrounds in this industry, either from
the manufacturing or distributor side, in both
sales and customer service.
The role of general operations management
fell to Constance. This role included support
staff supervision, software system
administration and training, managing
customer promotions and events, occasionally
assisting the owner's wife with various
bookkeeping duties, as well as implementing
the human resource functions in the growing
company.
Until three years ago, the company did not
have much success with the full-time sales
representatives hired. Most were impatient
with the amount of time required to develop
long-standing accounts in the industry, and
expected quick sales and commissions. The
latest salesperson was hired in 1996. Matthew
Guttridge was a ``right-sized'', high-level
purchasing manager from one of IFL's largest
customers. Matthew brought 25 years of
business expertise and contacts to IFL, and
was not just interested in making a fast dollar.
Because of the rapid growth of the company,
but lack of full-time salespeople, the
maintenance of many ``house'' accounts fell to
the only other long-term employee available ±
Constance Woodbury. Needless to say,
Constance now has a job that has been ``overenlarged''.
Dave Olivetti realizes what is about to
happen, so an additional inside sales support
person is hired. This person also has
considerable experience in the industry from a
customer service position at a manufacturing
plant. A full time bookkeeper that also has
experience in HR functions is also hired.
These two employees take away much of the
overload from Constance. She is now left with
the more manageable duties of maintaining
``house'' accounts, customer promotions,
including the company newsletter, and
computer network maintenance and training.
The problem now remains in the sales
department. Anita and Matthew have brought
many new and large accounts to the company,
making the need for the additional people
mentioned earlier not only necessary, but
possible. However, both Anita and Matthew
are over 60 years old. Both are looking
towards retirement in the next five years. Both
salespeople currently find it very hard to ``let
go'' of some of the responsibility involving
``their babies''. Dave, at age 55, has already
begun a semi-retirement, remaining as
support and advisor only, and focusing on
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James J. Kirk, Bridget Downey, Steve Duckett and Connie Woody
Journal of Workplace Learning
Volume 12 . Number 5 . 2000 . 205±216
financial management of the company. He
has no children who are of age or interested in
taking on any part of the business. Constance
has made it known to Dave that she is not
interested in a full-time sales position, and in
fact is pursuing further education in another
field.
Discussion questions
(1) What career development/career management
intervention would be most helpful to this
company?
Phased retirement would allow the retiring
sales people to gradually turn over accounts,
train new or existing personnel on the
particulars of those accounts, and also
allow customers the comfort of a gradual
change.
(2) What is the best way to implement phased
retirement in this situation? Should the
implementation be different for Anita than for
Matthew?
It should be determined first who will be
taking the place of the salespeople, whether
they come from existing inside sales support
personnel, or from outside hiring. Given the
company's history with sales personnel, and
the experience of existing customer service
personnel, the new people will most likely
come from inside. An agreed upon time-line
between Dave Olivetti and each salesperson
should be set. Once implemented, the
phased retirement should cover no less than
one year. It should begin with smaller
accounts, and gradually grow into the larger
accounts.
Anita and Matthew may decide on different
time-lines, and this will be the main factor,
along with the size and number of accounts
each person has to deal with, in determining
the difference between each phased
retirement plan.
(3) What are some of the steps that need to be
taken to ensure that the phased retirement plan is
successful?
In advance, all parties involved should be
included in any planning sessions. This
would include Anita or Matthew, Dave
Olivetti, and the successor. All compensation
plans must be agreed to up front. Any
questions regarding the addition of new
customer service people should be addressed
if the successors come from inside the
company.
(4) Why do you think Anita and Matthew are
finding it hard to let go of some of their duties and
responsibilities?
This is not just a money question. These are
accounts that each person has spent years
developing, and they have even forged some
personal friendships along with the
professional ones. There will naturally be
some emotional ties. This, plus the normal
transition from full-time work to retirement,
is never an easy one, and requires much
support on the part of co-workers.
(5) What is the best way to make Anita and
Matthew feel more comfortable with this process?
. If they want to retire, this is a much better
way than simply cutting ties with only a
month's notice.
. Even if their successors are not chosen
from the current customer service people,
these people will likely still be there to
support the accounts. They are as familiar
with the technical details and ``nuts and
bolts'' of the accounts as the salespeople,
and will be the customers' tie to the
retiring salesperson and the company.
. They will be involved in turning over
``their babies'', and can watch and
supervise and mentor the new
relationship.
. Anita and Matthew need to be assured
that their contribution to the company
will not be forgotten.
. No one says the personal relationships
have to end, just because the professional
one does.
(6) What about Dave? After coming to terms
with the sales department dilemma, where should
his next focus be?
Dave's next focus should be on another form
of succession planning. He needs to come to
terms with what is going to happen in ten to
15 years when he is ready to completely retire.
A few of his options are: one of his children
may have a change of interest and decide to
join the family business; he can search
elsewhere in the family for a successor; he can
look at the option of selling the company; or
he can plan on making some of the employees
partners and have a management team in
place and ready to go when he retires.
Case 3. Opportunity in scarce resources
Tom Harris is an agriculture agent with the
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Service in Adams County. He has been with
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James J. Kirk, Bridget Downey, Steve Duckett and Connie Woody
Journal of Workplace Learning
Volume 12 . Number 5 . 2000 . 205±216
the organization for three years and his areas
of responsibility include livestock, row crops,
pesticides, and community resource
development (CRD). He is a hard worker and
really loves the agricultural side of his job, but
he is not as enthusiastic about the community
resource development aspect of the job.
Tom is excellent in designing and working
with agriculture programs, but he has to be
prodded by his supervisor to do the
community resource development work. This
work involves meetings, seminars, and
working with volunteers to help solve local
community problems, and requires a great
deal of diplomacy and networking. Tom feels
that this part of his job involves too much
baby-sitting of the volunteers, and that the
groups he works with seldom accomplish
more than talking about problems and
planting a few shrubs to beautify the
community. Tom does not see how this work
has any benefit for the community, and he
only does the absolutely essential work in this
part of his job. One of Tom's favorite lines is
``this would be a great job if only I could get
rid of the CRD responsibility''.
Jennifer is the Adams County extension
director, which makes her Tom's immediate
supervisor. She came to her current position
from the community development area of
extension. Jennifer is very pleased with Tom's
work in general, but she is beginning to be
concerned with his lack of enthusiasm for
community development work. Some of the
volunteers she worked with in the past have
mentioned to her that they have a hard time
tracking Tom down when they need help, and
his indifference to the program is beginning to
cause discontent among that clientele.
Jennifer has spoken with Tom on several
occasions about the importance of
community development work, but her
comments seem to fall on deaf ears. Jennifer
does not want to lose Tom as an employee,
since the agriculture clients really like his
work, but she cannot allow the current
situation to continue. She has thought of
taking back the CRD work herself, since it
helps build rapport with community leaders,
which she needs as a director, but the county
commissioners are not willing to fund Tom's
position as a solely agricultural job.
Eric Nelson is a county extension director
in Cobb County, which borders Adams
County. He is currently having difficulty in
accomplishing the agriculture work in his
county. Owing to the small size and
population of Cobb County, the county
commissioners are reluctant to fund a fulltime
agriculture position there. Eric is the
only person on his staff with agriculture
training, and he is constantly pressed for time,
since he must do the agriculture programming
in addition to the administrative tasks for his
county. The amount of work to be
accomplished is too great for one position,
but the commissioners do not feel that there is
enough agriculture industry in the county to
fund another full-time position, and Eric
cannot get approval to hire a part-time agent.
This situation is causing public relations
problems for Eric, since the local farmers do
not feel that they are getting enough response
to their needs, while Eric is also constantly
behind in completing the administrative work
accomplished because he is attempting to
keep his farm clientele happy. Eric wonders if
the state's new program of hiring cross-county
agents could help him. He is planning to bring
up his problem at the next western district
county directors' meeting.
Discussion questions
(1) Which CD intervention will successfully
resolve this case and why?
A form of job enlargement could work in this
case. Jennifer and Eric could share Tom's
position for the agriculture work, and Jennifer
could split the CRD responsibility between
the other agents, or Jennifer could take it on
herself, which she has shown interest in.
(2) Is there another CD intervention, or any type
intervention, that can solve the issues in this case?
Mentoring or coaching might also be useful in
this situation. If Tom could be given a model
to follow, he might realize the value of his
CRD responsibilities.
(3) Should Tom be fired in this situation?
No, such a drastic step is not warranted. Tom
should be utilized in the area of agriculture for
both counties, which will solve two problem
situations, and make a more satisfied
employee.
(4) What role should networking play in this
case?
Jennifer and Eric should utilize networking in
their director's meetings to explore a common
solution to both their problems. Talking with
each other and their peers in the bi-monthly
director's meetings could help them come to a
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James J. Kirk, Bridget Downey, Steve Duckett and Connie Woody
Journal of Workplace Learning
Volume 12 . Number 5 . 2000 . 205±216
viable solution, or gain new insight into their
problems from other directors that may
previously have encountered the same type of
situation.
(5) Will upper management involvement be
needed to solve this case? If yes, what should that
involvement be?
Yes, upper management will need to be
involved. Their role will be supporting the
innovative solutions that Jennifer and Eric
may come up with. They may also be needed
to help present the case to the county
commissioners, who usually want to deal with
top people in an organization, and whose
approval is needed for the budgeting process.
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Journal of Workplace Learning
Volume 12 . Number 5 . 2000 . 205±216
