Workers with a range of skills are more agile and creative, says one senior HR leader
Many young people expect development opportunities at a faster and more frequent rate than ever before – however, that doesn’t mean employers should feel under pressure to promote staff when it’s not appropriate.
Here, one senior HR figure explains how encouraging millennials to pursue a portfolio career could help keep them engaged and satisfy their sense of ambition, even when there may not be any opportunities for traditional upwards trajectory.
“I often say to millennials today; ‘Don’t worry about your job title, worry about your job content,” says Roz Urbhan, chief people officer at the Livestock Improvement Corporation.
“It doesn’t have to be about focussing on the next career step – it’s about what they can explore and what they can learn in their current role so they’re ready and able to jump when another opportunity comes up,” she tells HRD. “In the meantime, they’re not bored and they’re still being stretched.”
One way LIC provides these opportunities is by pairing up and coming employees with more experienced team members – both in similar departments and in those they’re not familiar with.
“It means they’ve got exposure to different people, they’ve got exposure to different perspectives and they can build up a portfolio of knowledge and skills that are transferrable across the organisation,” says Urbahn.
Not only is the initiative building the skills of younger staff members, it’s also helping LIC retain valuable intellectual property as millennials are often paired with more experienced staff who may soon be transitioning out of the organisation.
“We connect people with different mentors across our business so we’re not losing the IP from people who may be heading into retirement or going into more part-time opportunities as they age,” she says.
“Instead, we actually use that as an opportunity to go; ‘How do we keep the IP and how do keep the millennials as well?’ So we try to make it more of a win-win rather than losing it all.”
More information about the event – which also features senior HR figures from Cigna, Auckland Council and Air New Zealand – can be found online.
