Career Development
The Manager's Role
Twelve Tips to Support Career Development
As a manager, you can help UW employees take advantage of career development
opportunities both on and off campus. Here are a dozen ways you can
encourage and support your staff and colleagues:
- Schedule regular discussions with staff members about their career
goals and how to achieve them. Regular conversations are a simple
and convenient way not only to encourage career development, but
to show your interest in the people you manage.
- Support employees' interest in other career paths by encouraging mentoring
relationships outside of your department.
- Ask employees to act as mentors to others on staff. This can increase
the mentors' feelings of value and worth, encourage teamwork and
build community within your office.
- Evaluate employee performance annually. Provide both positive feedback
and suggestions for improvement.
- Recognize that job descriptions change based on the talents people
bring to their jobs and projects.
- Update and adjust job descriptions as responsibilities change and
new opportunities arise.
- Reward good work by monitoring employee progress and reclassifying
positions to reflect changes in levels of responsibility.
- Focus on developing the person, not just improving job performance.
- Start an employee development program that allows all interested
employees to establish goals for professional development.
- Guide the plan of action by checking in regularly on the progress
of employee goals.
- Allot time and money for classes, training and workshops.
- Ensure opportunities for applications of new learning appropriate
to the employee's position.
