Career Development Strategies for Laboratory Professionals

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Career Development Strategies for Laboratory
Professionals

• Lyn Faas

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Overview

• Why is career development important?
• What are some strategies that other laboratories
  have used?
  
• What are some important things to pay attention
  to and pitfalls to avoid?

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Why is this important?

• OR
• Why should we spend time and money on employee
  development?
  

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Why is Career Development Important?

• Increasing competition for qualified workers
• Organizational success

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Demographic Trends

• By 2006, 151 million jobs in U.S. and only 141
  million people to fill them
  
• Number of positions requiring a college degree
  has increased from 22 to 33 in last 5 years

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70 Million Baby Boomers Will Soon Be Retiring

• By year 2030, the number of people over age 65
  will double from 34.7 million to 69.4 million.
  
• During this decade and the next, the largest
  generation in American history, which now
  constitutes 60 of the prime-age workforce, will
  be eligible to retire.

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Baby Boomer Retirements Invoke Laws Of Supply
Demand
Source Information Technology Assn. Of America
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The Challenge

• How to be an employer of choice that can ATTRACT
  and RETAIN workers in an increasingly competitive
  environment

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Employee Development is Critical for
Organizational Success

• Baldrige National Quality Award core values
  include
  
• Organizational and personal learning
• Valuing employees and partners

Source Baldrige National Quality Program
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Personal Learning Results

• More satisfied and versatile employees who stay
  with your organization
  
• Organizational cross-functional learning
• Building knowledge assets of your organization
• Improved environment for innovation

Source Baldrige National Quality Program
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Valuing Employees

• Commitment to employee satisfaction, development,
  well-being
  
• Requires
• Flexibility tailoring practices to diverse
  workplace and home life need
  
• Demonstrated leadership commitment to employee
  success
  
• Recognition beyond regular compensation system
• Development and progression within the
  organization

Source Baldrige National Quality Program
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What are some strategies that other laboratories
have used?
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Training and Development Plan

• Include a training and development plan as part
  of the annual performance review process for
  every employee
  
• Be sure to check in with employees periodically
  during the year dont make it a once a year
  discussion
  
• Make sure the plan targets specific training and
  development

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Training and Development Plan (cont.)

• Include both technical skills and soft skills in
  the plan
  
• Include a review of completed training in annual
  performance review

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Budget Training by Hours

• Consider budgeting same number of training hours
  per employee per year
  
• For example, use a guideline of 40 hours of
  training per employee per year
  
• Over time ensure that more costly training is
  rotated among employees

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Develop a Training Matrix

• Prepare a grid of employees versus organizational
  tasks/skills
  
• Have employees rate their skill level with the
  tasks
  
• Use the results to balance employee training
  plans with organizational needs

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Job Progression

• Develop competency guidelines for each level
• Include both what and how skills
• Develop a process for employees to advance based
  on competency (without waiting for a vacancy to
  occur)
  
• Involve employees in the development process

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Job Progression (cont.)

• Include a career path for scientists who want to
  stay at the bench
  
• Highest level for scientist at same grade as
  supervisor
  
• Employees take responsibility for own
  professional development
  
• Employees initiate a progression request when
  they believe criteria have been met
  

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Internal Training Options

• Seminars and brown bags
• Have staff and/or clients give a project
  presentation
  
• Hold roundtables on analytical techniques or
  recently solved problems
  
• Invite external speakers
• Internal training program to address
  organizational goals such as continuous
  improvement or customer service

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Internal Training Options (cont.)

• Cross-training/job shadowing
• Annual commitment of 10 of time in new skill
  area
  
• Rotational assignments
• Career coaching

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Internal Training Options (cont.)

• Mentoring
• Foster a culture that encourages and rewards
  mentoring
  
• Include mentoring in organizational values and
  performance expectations
  

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External Training

• Conferences
• Include non-analytical conferences in soft skill
  areas or in technology areas practiced by
  clients
  
• Short Courses
• Vendor seminars and training
• Participation in professional organizations - ALMA

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Educational Advancement

• Tuition reimbursement program
• On-site classes
• Credentials certifications
• On-line classes

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Supervisor Training

• Required courses for new supervisors
• Courses to foster correct and consistent
  application of company policy
  
• Training in leadership skills
• Required number of courses per year for existing
  supervisors
  
• Offer to employees with interest in supervision
  career path

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Leadership Training

• Organizational-level training available to all
  employees through an application process
  
• Management programs at local universities
• Quarterly Leading from Where You Are open
  sessions
  
• New next generation leaders interact with
  senior leaders

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Non Work-Related Training

• Consider a broader approach to training topics
• Dont limit training to specific job skills
• Learning employees are actively engaged
  employees
  
• Starbucks example

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What are some important things to pay attention
to and pitfalls to avoid?
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The Challenge

• Implementing development plans requires
  continuous attention
  
• CEOs in Malcolm Baldrige Foundation survey
  believed deploying strategy is 3 times more
  difficult than developing strategy

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One Size Does Not Fit All

• Take time to understand each employees career
  goals
  
• Do they want to progress to management?
• Do they want to stay at the bench?
• Do they aspire to something else, such as LIMS
  work or a career outside the laboratory?

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One Size Does Not Fit All (cont.)

• Different levels of enthusiasm for training
• Encourage staff who are reluctant to pursue
  training
  
• Coach staff who are over-achievers

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Walk the Talk

• Carve out time for training
• Ensure budget is available
• Take a genuine interest
• Coach employees on their development plan and
  check in with them during the year
  
• Ultimately require employees to take
  responsibility for their training and development

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Build a Culture of Learning

• Include organizational and individual learning in
  the values statement
  
• Include learning and mentoring expectations in
  competency guidelines and performance review
  criteria
  

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Questions?