How to Help an Employee with a Career Change

There is going to come a time in your HR career when you’re faced with an employee that’s looking for a change. It might be because they’re in a position that doesn’t suit them or a lifestyle or relationship change is forcing them to look in a new direction. 

It doesn’t matter how talented or intelligent an employee might be if they’re in a role that doesn’t provide the right opportunities for them to use their personal skills and attributes they’re never going to meet their full potential. Not only that, they’re not going to be an attribute for the company. When that person was taken on it might have been for the right reasons, but requirements can change rapidly, and it’s possible a role can become the wrong fit. 

If a person is looking for a change of direction because of some other factor in their life, you can help them facilitate that change. Providing support, advice, and the right kind of information is going to help them move forward, even if it means they end up looking elsewhere for a job.

Here are some ways you can help an employee who needs a career change.

Help Them Find the Right Position

If a person isn’t suited to the role they’ve been employed for doesn’t mean they don’t have a place. It’s a good idea to talk to them about their role and ask about their expectations. Encourage them to ask questions and find out their aspirations for the future. This means you’re engaging with your employee and ensuring they’re content with the work they’re doing. Employee engagement is also a vital factor in their productivity. When you’re talking to them about their current role, you should also ascertain whether there are any other skills or talents they’re not able to make use of at present. This might help you find another role in your company that suits them better. It’s always going to be better if you can retain your employee rather than forcing them to look elsewhere. 

Facilitate Redeployment

If you can find the unfulfilled employee another role in your company, it works in everyone’s favor. Moving from one role to another can be a daunting prospect for the employee, but this doesn’t have to be the case if you’re able to offer support. Helping them prepare and providing training helps them transition more easily into a new role. It’s also going to help them look for work in another area of organization if that becomes a necessity.

You may find that you can’t help your employee by finding another role within your organization, in which case you should be able to help them make a career change. As an HR professional, you’re well equipped to offer advice, information and help them decide on the right direction. While they’re still a member of the workforce, you can help them stay focused and be a valued member of the team, at least while they’re deciding on the direction they’re going to take. They might want to start their own transport business, for example. You’ll be able to offer practical advice and help them with their research. They might be looking for semi trucks for sale, in which case you can direct them to the Charter Trucks website.

Open Lines of Communication

If you want your organization to benefit from talent mobility, there needs to be an open dialogue between managers and their team members. It’s important for staff morale and business success. You might find that senior management are uncertain about allowing employees to have a say in the direction of their career path, thinking that it only encourages employees to leave. This is simply not the case because open and honest dialogue instills a greater sense of loyalty. It also helps employees find challenges and career development paths within an organization.

It is often the case that employees find it easier to leave their current organization when they’re looking to gain new experiences and build their portfolio of skills. It is possible to change this behavior by encouraging and facilitating internal transfers. For employees to value growth and learning it’s vital that ways are found for them to learn within the organization. Providing opportunities for employees to try different roles is beneficial for the individual and the organization.

Career Coaching

An increasing number of employers are choosing to include a career coach as part of the HR team. Counseling employees on their career choices helps key employees reach higher career aspirations, enabling them to fulfill their potential. An in-house career coach can increase employee productivity and the effectiveness of supervisory staff. It can also help with the retention of valued employees. A career coach is someone who is educated, trained and experienced in helping employees tackle career problems and achieve their highest career aspirations. A typical day might include assessments, performance improvement, career transition, pathing the way and helping the workforce with work/life balance situations.

There are a number of other ways the HR department can help employees with their careers. It can help employees map out their career paths towards their ultimate goal. It’s possible to help employees identify areas of weakness and strength. Surprisingly enough, the HR department can also help employees with their resumes. While this might not seem a sensible thing to do because you don’t want your employees to leave, there are occasions when a resume is called for, other than a job application. An employee might be looking for an internal promotion or to be accepted on an education course. For an employee facing the prospect of being laid off because of downsizing it’s also possible to help them find new employment.

Supporting employees throughout their career is an important role for the HR department. Treating employees well means you get to build a positive relationship with them and even if they decide to leave they’re more likely to say good things about your organization. Treat them well enough, and they may come back at a later date, bringing with them new skills, experience and knowledge.