Chapter 8 Internal staffing and career management issues

1. Chapter 8 Internal staffing and career management issues

2. Chapter outcomes • Understand the reasons for the design of a proper internal staffing programme • Identify the factors that influence internal staffing decisions • Name the advantages of internal staffing • Identify the various types of internal staffing strategies • Discuss the guidelines for the selection of the best type of internal staffing strategy • Describe the elements necessary for a successful career management function • Examine the problems that typically confront employees when seeking to advance their careers • Define a plateaued employee

3. Definition of internal staffing

4. Reasons underlying the design of a proper internal staffing programme • Employee dissatisfaction • Increasing concerns with job security • Changing employee attitudes and concerns • Employment equity issues • Labour union presence

5. Factors influencing staffing decisions

6. Advantages of internal staffing • Maintain closer control over the skills/competencies & work habits acquired by their existing employees • Gradually prepare employees to fill complicated or critical positions without overburdening their capacity to learn • Employers do not have to spend time orienting the new incumbents to the business environment or to standardise operating procedures • Have more detailed information about the abilities, aptitudes and work habits of internal employees • Employee satisfaction and commitment • Fulfil hiring goals and timetables specified in employment equity actions • Employees placed in the best interests of both the organisation and the individual. • Can contribute to the organisation's bottom line

7. Requirements for effective internal staffing • Pay close attention to identifying the current employee skill levels and development needs • Employees must be flexible to be able to move easily within the organisation and thus be better utilised • Multiskilling - broadening of employee's skills/competencies beyond the bounds of their current jobs, must be available • Ensure that internal equity exists in matters such as compensation, promotion and access to training • HRIS should exist • Involvement of top-level managers & line managers

8. Types of internal staffing strategies • Categories:

9. Guidelines for the selection of the most effective internal staffing strategy

10. Various approaches to internal staffing • 2 objectives: • Moves:

11. Various approaches to internal staffing (continued) • Moves: (continued)

12. Rightsizing model for the 21st century

13. Career management • Career - • Career management - • Individual career planning - • Organisational career planning -

14. Benefits to the organisation

15. Changing face of career management • Traditional path of career progression upwards has gone • Increased competition, cost competitiveness and information technology have all resulted in the de-manning and de-layering of organisational structures • Organisations have removed the rungs of the career ladder and instead are concentrating on the optimal use of their human resources

16. Changing face of career management • Differences between levels in organisations with flatter structures are far greater, there is a qualitative leap rather than a quantitative step involved • Moves sideways rather than upwards are more frequent • The concept of a series of positions to an ultimate top position has been replaced by the individual’s acquisition of competencies which enable him/her to manage change at the next level of responsibility

17. Balancing individual and organisational needs Strategic / Operational Career management Personal / Professional Individual’s needs

18. Successful career management • Organisational career planning • Individual career planning • Integrating plans • Implementing plans • Evaluation of career plans

19. Other issues • Plateaued employee • Dual-career couples

20. Summary • The movement of employees from one post to another within an organisation is known as internal staffing. These movements are usually necessitated by growth factors, which may be either positive or negative in nature, or by employee losses from a variety of causes. • The movement of employees can be broadly classified into four categories: up, down, across and out of the organisation. • In order to be effective, the manager should regularly review policies and programmes regarding internal staffing. Thus, in addition to possessing mechanisms for identifying where vacancies are likely to occur, and for the development of employees to fill them, all organisations should have established practical ways of handling all promotions, transfers, demotions and retrenchments, as well as retirements. • There should be a tried and satisfactory method of identifying the most suitable candidates, deciding among a variety of candidates, easing transitions across jobs and monitoring all these activities from an organisational and individual perspective.

21. Summary • There are different types of strategy that can be used to assist with internal staffing decisions; these are a pure selection strategy, a vocational guidance strategy and a compromise strategy. • Career management involves integration of organisational staffing needs with the career goals and aspirations of individuals. To be effective, career management should be formal and planned, should receive support from top management and should be recognised as a process that involves coordination of a number of separate yet interrelated HR tools and techniques. • Once organisational HR staffing needs and personal career goals have been defined and integrated, a number of personnel practices can start a career in motion. These include job posting, PA and T & D activities. • Dual-career couples should be prepared to deal with problems that include potential conflicts over career paths and the division of family responsibilities. Assistance from organisations may include dual-career audits, special recruiting techniques and special policies for dual-career couples.