Chapter 12 Special Challenges in Career Management McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2010 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Introduction  Supportive work-life culture Acknowledges and respects family and life responsibilities and obligations Encourages managers and employees to work together to meet personal and work needs 12-2 Socialization and Orientation  Organizational socialization – the process by which new employees are transformed into effective members of the company; has three phases: Anticipatory socialization - employees develop expectations about the company, job, working conditions, and interpersonal relationships 12-3 Socialization and Orientation (cont.) Encounter phase - employee begins a new job; they experience shock and surprise and need to become familiar with job tasks, company practices, procedures, etc Settling-in phase - employees begin to feel comfortable with their job demands and social relationships 12-4 Table 12.1 - What Employees Should Learn and Develop Through Socialization 12-5 Table 12.2 - Content of Orientation Programs 12-6 Table 12.3 - Characteristics of Effective Orientation Programs 12-7 Career Paths, Developing DualCareer Paths and Career Portfolios  Career path - a sequence of job positions involving similar types of work and skills that employees move through in the company; it involves analyzing: work and information flows important development experiences qualifications and tasks performed across jobs similarities and differences in working environments historical movement patterns of employees in and out of jobs 12-8 Career Paths, Developing Dual-Career Paths and Career Portfolios (cont.)  Dual-career path system - enables employees to remain in a technical career path or move into a management career path Its characteristics are: Salary, status, and incentives for technical employees compare favorably with those of managers Individual contributors’ base salary may be lower than that of managers, but they are given opportunities to increase their total compensation through bonuses 12-9 Career Paths, Developing Dual-Career Paths and Career Portfolios (cont.) The individual contributor career path is not used to satisfy poor performers who have no managerial potential The career path is for employees with outstanding technical skills Individual contributors are given the opportunity to choose their career path 12-10 Balancing Work and Life (cont.)  Role of training in balancing work and nonwork: Trainers and managers may be responsible for developing policies and procedures Trainers may be responsible for developing training programs to teach managers their role in administering and overseeing the use of work-life policies 12-20 Balancing Work and Life (cont.)  Types of work-life conflict Time-based conflict - occurs when the demands of work and nonwork interfere with each other Strain-based conflict - results from the stress of work and nonwork roles Behavior-based conflict - occurs when employees’ behavior in work roles is not appropriate for their behavior in nonwork roles 12-21 Company Policies to Accommodate Work and Nonwork  Identifying work and life needs and communicating information about work and non-work policies and job demands Companies have to understand employees’ needs, solicit their input, and make work-life benefits accessible to everyone Providing information regarding the nature of jobs helps employees choose career opportunities that match the importance they place on work 12-22 Company Policies to Accommodate Work and Nonwork (cont.)  Flexibility in work arrangements and work schedules Reduce pressure on employees to work long hours Telecommuting - a work arrangement that provides flexibility in both location and hours Job sharing - two employees divide the hours, responsibilities, and benefits of a full-time job 12-23 Table 12.6 - Alternative Work Schedules and Work Arrangements 12-24 Company Policies to Accommodate Work and Nonwork (cont.)  Redesigning jobs  Managerial support for work-life policies  Dependent care support: child and elder care and adoption support 12-25 Table 12.7 - Recommendations for the Development of Dependent Care Assistance Programs 12-26 Coping With Job Loss  From a career management standpoint, companies and managers have two major responsibilities: Helping employees who will lose their jobs Ensuring that the “survivors” remain productive and committed to the organization 12-27 Coping With Job Loss (cont.)  Outplacement services should include: Advance warning and an explanation for the layoff Psychological, financial, and career counseling Assessment of skills and interests Job campaign services Job banks Electronic delivery of job openings, selfdirected career management guides, and values and interest inventories 12-28 Table 12.8 - Guidelines for Termination Meetings With Employees 12-29 Table 12.8 - Guidelines for Termination Meetings With Employees 12-30 Dealing With Older Workers  Companies can take the following actions: Provide flexibility in scheduling, which allows older employees to take care of sick spouses, go back to school, travel, etc Ensure that older employees receive the training they need to avoid obsolescence and to be prepared to use new technology Provide resources and referral help that addresses long-term health care and elder care 12-31 Dealing With Older Workers (cont.) Provide assessment and counseling, which are necessary to help older employees recycle to new jobs or careers Consider moving valuable older employees who are suffering skill deterioration to other jobs Ensure that employees not hold inappropriate stereotypes about older employees 12-32 Dealing With Older Workers (cont.)  Preretirement socialization - helping employees prepare to exit from work It addresses the following topics: Psychological aspects of retirement Housing, transportation, living costs, and proximity to medical care Health during retirement Financial and estate planning Health care plans The collection of benefits from company pension plans and Social Security 12-33 Dealing With Older Workers (cont.)  Early retirement programs - offer employees financial benefits to leave the company To avoid costly litigation, companies need to ensure that: The program is part of the employee benefit plan The company can justify age-related distinctions for eligibility for early retirement Employees are allowed to voluntarily choose early retirement 12-34 ... phase - employees begin to feel comfortable with their job demands and social relationships 12- 4 Table 12. 1 - What Employees Should Learn and Develop Through Socialization 12- 5 Table 12. 2 - Content... guides, and values and interest inventories 12- 28 Table 12. 8 - Guidelines for Termination Meetings With Employees 12- 29 Table 12. 8 - Guidelines for Termination Meetings With Employees 12- 30 Dealing... Identifying work and life needs and communicating information about work and non-work policies and job demands Companies have to understand employees’ needs, solicit their input, and make work-life