Does this mean, then, that the president of a company should strive to hold every employee for his full career-hire a man from college and finally retire him at 60 or 65? By no means. In this mobile age, not only is it becoming less likely in most cases that a company can do this; it's also probable that it should not do so.
There is much to be gained from a fresh look at a situation and from an avoidance of inbreeding. The gain is both to the man and to the institution. So it is probable that a man should be encouraged to seek a change of pace or position or firm at certain points in his career. If such moves are temporary, the organization must find a way to give the employee some options concerning" his accruing benefits so that neither the firm nor the man is penalized economically.
Following are some suggested career shifts that might well be encouraged:
Back To School
This is especially important for specialists in areas of rapidly changing technology. A complete break with the firm, a relinquishing of one's job and devotion of full time to study is likely to be more rewarding than night school, part-time courses and the like. Most specialists need to get away and rethink their field and their commitment to it. They need enough time to be thoroughly refreshed mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Government or Other Nonprofit Position
An exchange program might well be worked out to give some employees in the nonprofit sector of the economy an appreciation of the value of the profit motive, while permitting those in business and industry to understand the problems of government, hospitals and other nonprofit institutions. Each area has its advantages, each its frustrations. Much learning and improvement to both participants might result from such an exchange.
Teaching
For managers going stale on their jobs, a stint at teaching in a high school, junior college, vocational school, or college might be a real godsend toward bridging the generation gap, updating personal know-how, and becoming a better manager. Again, doing it full time for two to three years is more likely to pay dividends than teaching an evening course.
External Consulting
The opportunity to sell one's services to other companies as well as to one's own employer may be especially desirable for specialists. It kills in-breeding and gives the individual an awareness of his personal value and the value of his specialized knowledge. It can help build favorable relationships with other companies, especially firms which can't afford specialization in depth and may not, in fact, need it for very long periods of time.
Contract Employees
For employees who leave to seek other opportunities but who possess valuable know-how, there exists the opportunity to bring them back into the firm for specific short assignments on a contract basis. It may well be that this practice will increase in the future as career specialists choose their home ground and then offer their services to a number of employers rather than just one. The employee is then truly his own career manager and the firm buys his services on an as-needed basis.
Reevaluate Five- to Ten-Year Men
The employee need not be the sole initiator of career changes. If any employee has been on his job for longer than five to ten years, he might well be earmarked for a serious discussion about possible changes in responsibilities at a suitable time. Expensive? Probably not as expensive as letting him get stale so that creative work drops off dramatically, not only in his personal efforts but in those of others over whom he exerts considerable influence.
Outlined above are key aspects of management's role in facilitating careers. Next it is important to consider how, within this framework, the employee can be involved in the system to a far greater extent in the future than he has been in the past so that he can fulfill his personal career-managing responsibilities.
