How to Build a Career Development Framework for Your Remote Team

Introduction

Nearly 60% of employees have yet to gain training, but most want to develop skills and become excellent professionals. A career development framework can help employees reach their peak. It's an effective way to get the best out of its employees.

Many companies are beginning to implement this framework for their workers, and yours should be. This article explains what a career development framework is, why you need it, and how to implement it.

Why does your organization need a career development framework?

Here’s why your company needs a career development framework:

Attract the best talents

There’s stiff competition among companies for the best talents. Nowadays, a competitive salary may not be enough to sway some of the industry’s finest professionals. Having a career development scheme can help you attract talent.

These days, employees want job security and an organization that can help them progress professionally. Growth potential is one of the major factors candidates look at when considering job offers.

Reduce employee turnover

While attracting the best talents in the industry, you want to retain your trusted employees. With this framework, you can reduce turnover rates. The professional development framework shows your commitment to your employees’ success and career growth. Retention rates are up to 34% for companies that offer this framework. The average person would continue in an environment where the employer invests in their professional aspirations.

Create a comprehensive salary structure

This scheme offers companies the opportunity to review their salary structure. Upon commencing a professional development framework, employers can clearly define each role in the organization and the skill or qualification the position requires. They can also determine salaries for each role with this data.

What is career development?

Career development involves an individual's steps to advance their career regardless of where they currently work. This may include attending workshops, joining classes, earning more degrees, or gradually working to the top. Planning is crucial to successful career development. Individuals must set realistic goals, determine an execution plan according to their strengths, and have the discipline to follow them.

What is a career development framework?

A career development framework details how an employee can attain the highest levels. It lists each achievable level and the required skills, qualifications, and experience. It enables employees to know what to do and reach heights.

Steps to create your career development framework

By now, you already know the importance of having a professional development framework. The next step is learning how to create it. Explore these steps for developing a career path framework:

Identify your goals

The first step to creating a sustainable framework is identifying your goals and reasons for creating one. Make sure you’re implementing a new framework for the right reasons. Although a career development framework may be an industry trend, ensure your company needs it before planning one.

Assess the organization's current state, staff strength and skill level, productivity trends, and other crucial factors. When you discover issues you need to address, meet with executives to see if a new framework solves the problem. You may begin plans for the framework if it offers a solution.

Learn from other frameworks

While planning the ideal framework for your organizational needs, study existing ones. Research some of the most effective frameworks other companies in your industry have used or are currently applying. Compare frameworks, draw inspiration from them, and gather the necessary information.

Use the information to plan a framework that takes into account experience, qualification, and skill levels. After highlighting the various considerations, tailor the framework to each department. You may ask departmental heads for assistance.

Document your expectations

Although promising, implementing a new framework can be challenging, and results may take longer than you expected to materialize. Thus, make realistic expectations and document them. Usually, employers want to see results almost immediately. Set a realistic timeframe, including the ideal commencement date and deadline. This helps you monitor the scheme and adjust when results are not forthcoming.

Set aside a budget

Virtually every new development involves spending. Count the cost before going through with the plan. Consider how many facilitators you would need and how much you would pay them. If this framework is fully computer-based, you may need to budget for new devices and software programs. Set aside a budget and see if you can fund the framework.

Choose a platform

Technology drives modern career development frameworks. You’d have to choose the ideal technology to achieve this goal. Consider your budget, number of employees, compatibility with your existing system, and cloud-based for extra security.

Communicate the new development

After setting up this new framework, you want to create awareness and interest in it. Communicate the new development through various channels, including email, video conference calls, and the in-house collaboration platform. You can use this medium to explain why the new framework is necessary.

Make employees understand the long-term benefits it offers their careers. You may demonstrate how to use the framework to make it easy to comprehend. Changes can be scary for some people due to the uncertainty they bring, so bear in mind that it might take some time before you get everyone on board.

Best practices for creating a successful career development framework

Learning how to implement a career development framework differs from knowing simpler ways to create them. To use this framework best, you need to know some of the industry’s best practices. These are tips that can make you quickly and easily build a successful framework:

• Update the framework. Considering the effort, funding, and risks you took to implement this framework, you would want it to continue for as long as the company exists. To ensure continuous success, regularly update the framework. Learn more about how you can improve the existing scheme. You may create a timetable for reviewing the quarterly or yearly framework. Treat this framework like a machine you need to oil to keep functioning at its best.
• You may have to keep reassuring your employees if you intend to keep the framework alive. Seize every opportunity to restate the importance of the framework and how it benefits them. Keep reminding them in your newsletters, emails, and meetings of the importance of participation.
• Make it central to your employee management scheme. You probably have an employee management scheme for handling staff-related affairs. Make this framework an integral part of it. Try weaving it into every aspect of the company to keep it alive. Ensure that your HR department makes special plans for it when reviewing yearly programs, negotiating salaries, or promoting staff. ‍
• Highlight the wins. Convincing employees to trust the process can take time and effort. You need to highlight the triumphs and share success stories. Subtly announce it whenever an employee gains a promotion, an award, or special recognition, thanks to their participation in the framework. You may highlight it in newsletters, company social media handles, or magazines.

Common mistakes to avoid when creating your career development framework

Only some organizations successfully pull off a career development framework. It’s usually due to inevitable errors on their part. To guard your company against disappointments, here are the mistakes you must avoid:

Not involving employees before finalizing a framework

It’s standard practice in sales to involve the target consumer when making plans to create a product or service for them. The same goes for this framework. Failure to involve your employees' feedback may be disastrous. To avoid this mistake, you may hold meetings with the heads of every department to discuss the new development. Have them meet with their team and return with constructive criticism.

Overthinking the framework

It’s understandable to want to establish the most effective framework for your team. However, when you overthink the process, you make it more complex than it ought to be. It may rob the participants of the excitement of working towards becoming staple professionals.

Career development equals promotion

Although employees may get a promotion thanks to this framework, it shouldn’t be the focus. This may cause some to relax and stop participating after securing a promotion. You should also consider that some employees would prefer to try out other career paths. Thus, the program may fail if it centers on promoting employees while it can simultaneously offer the needed skills for those seeking a promotion and a different career path.

Empower your workforce with Skuad

You can grow your international workforce and create an impactful career development framework with a global employment and payroll platform like Skuad. Establishing a career development framework can be difficult, especially for foreign companies, not for us. At Skuad, we can help you set up your global team in over 160 countries without registering a legal entity. Book a demo today if you want to know how we can help you sustain a winning professional development framework for your employees.