Career focus not always the way - Recruitment - employment decisions based on lifestyle over career advancement - Brief Article

Business Asia, June, 2002 by Cliff Stoneman

Why is it that we seem to value staff and executives more highly if they climb or seek to climb the corporate ladder compared to those that don't?

What is wrong with the people who are currently enjoying what they do and want to stay in the role long- term?

These are important questions that businesses are grappling with globally as a large proportion of people look to make employment decisions based on lifestyle over career advancement.

In previous articles I have covered the need for companies to be attractive to high calibre career executives, as they are not just competing for market share but also for high quality people.

It is and will continue to be critical for companies to attract the best available executives, but the best available people are not necessarily career driven. I would argue that a large percentage of people are quite content to remain in the one position for a long period of time, which can be of great benefit to those companies who recognise and reward these people.

A common mistake that has been happening for years and still occurs today is the promotion of top performers into roles that don't suit them, for example promoting you top sales person into a sales management position. Does the person want a more senior role? Will the person accept the role for monetary reasons? Or is the position accepted because they feel they have to?

A badly handled promotion can result in the company losing out in a big way. If a company promotes its best sales person to a sales management position and the process fails, the company will be faced with the loss of both the best sales person and a manager.

Retention

As I visit companies throughout the region I am constantly reminded of the need to retain quality employees and how much people who stay in the one position are valued. There are always enough people pushing to take on greater opportunities and we reward them for their ambition, but what about those who are just as ambitious but their ambition is to do the job they love long-term and to the best of their ability.

A balance of career minded go getters and solid, professional people who have more important things than work as their first and second priorities is critical to a business and always has been. Staff turnover costs your company money making simple communication, even stating the obvious critical.

* Cliff Stoneman is the MD of eoc Consulting Asia Pacific.