Four steps HR can take to help businesses and employees embrace the new "squiggly" careers era

Author: Laurie Macpherson

Careers are "squigglier" than ever. Where traditional professional development tended to be linear, individuals now often trace more zigzag-shaped paths as they acquire new skills to adapt to rapidly changing workplace needs. Career mentor and expert Laurie Macpherson sets out four ways in which HR can support employees to upskill, grow their network and track their achievements - so allowing organisations to retain talented members of their workforce rather than losing them to opportunities elsewhere.

The phrase "squiggly career" was coined by Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, the powerhouses behind the books The Squiggly Career and You Coach You and the brilliant Squiggly Careers podcast. They talk passionately about the number of careers we are likely to have nowadays and how so many of the skills we have at the moment will become obsolete in the future. Research from Forbes suggests that nearly half (49%) of the skills that exist in the workforce today won't be relevant in two years' time. So it's clear that both employers and employees need to keep evolving and changing.

We know that employees are looking for development more than ever and will leave companies if this doesn't happen, so allowing them to shadow other roles, offering mentoring from different parts of the business and providing opportunities to work with people in other teams on projects has benefits for both staff and employers.

It's time for both employers and employees to think differently 

To ensure they have the requisite skills as opportunities, audiences and technologies change, employers need to think about how they can allow staff to retrain and move between roles while remaining with a single organisation long term. As such, it might be helpful to encourage employees to think less along the lines of "I am an X" and more along the lines of "I have skills in X and Y" as they consider their career development.

If employees understand that their career is less likely to involve climbing and more likely to involve trying new things, upskilling and investigating options, it is probable that they will find the process fun and interesting, rather than terrifying and unsettling. This requires a change of mindset from thinking only about linear career progression to thinking about possibilities and things to explore.

What employees need to do  

To navigate all of this uncertainty and to demonstrate their readiness for new opportunities, employees need two things:

• evidence of their achievements to date; and
• a solid network to learn from.

Keeping a record of achievements will allow people thinking about changing career or role to talk about the results that they've had before, to demonstrate how they can use these skills in their new or existing organisation to a similar effect. It can increase their confidence as they focus on positives and encourage them to examine not only their impact on a project, but also the skills they've learned while carrying it out. People are often so busy doing the work that they don't stop to think about what was involved, but taking time every month to look back and reflect is really useful in giving people a clear picture of what they've learned.

Having a solid network will allow role and profession changers to connect to people in their new area before they make any big moves, allowing them real-time intel and insights into what's happening in the sector and what the issues and opportunities are. It will also allow them to feel supported in times of flux, as they get to have an understanding of others' career journeys and twists and turns.

Four things HR can do to help 

At the same time there are a number of things HR in conjunction with line managers can do to promote and support squiggly career thinking.

1. Have regular conversations with employees about what they've been working on. Ask employees what they have achieved and what they learned through doing this, as well as giving them an opportunity to reflect on what could have gone better and what they might do differently in future.

2. Actively look out for ways for employees to gain new skills and add to their expertise. Suggest new challenges that would allow the employee to learn and grow. This might take the form of proposing they become a champion for an area of the organisation, sit on a subcommittee or organise a "lunch and learn" about their chosen topic, for example. It might also involve the employee being upskilled or trained in certain areas, and this could be achieved in a number of ways. Employers could bring in external trainers and consultants or pay for a course, accreditation or qualification online, ensuring that the employee has time and the right tools and support to do this. Employees also have a part to play in identifying what they might need and possibly scoping out ways to get it. They should have an awareness of costs, return on investment and the time required so that training is practical and beneficial to both the employer and employee.

3. Support individuals to work towards secondments or promotions by looking at the job descriptions for possible roles. Identify any skills and experience gaps and put a plan in place with the employee to address these. To meet all the criteria required for promotions or secondments, employees could attend or lead meetings, shadow colleagues, learn new processes or spend time with other teams and managers to gain an understanding of different systems and functions. Employers could suggest individuals for training or upskilling and ask them to get involved in writing or speaking opportunities, which would raise their profile in the business.

4. Invite individuals to attend trade shows, events and conferences to represent your organisation. This will grow their network as well as bring in new opportunities for the organisation. Employers can also support individuals to take part in company-wide networking, charity and awareness-raising events. In addition, encourage them to network locally, regionally and nationally outside the organisation at established networking events, either for a particular audience or sector to raise awareness of their own work and that of the company. They could also usefully spend time on LinkedIn, joining in with industry conversations to grow their and your organisation's network virtually.