Feature Article


Overcoming the Employee Shortage: 6 Tips to Successfully Promote from Within


By Julie Markee, Key Process Innovations T


he low unemployment rate has increased


competition among employers for skilled workers.


The best way to compete is to provide employees with opportunities for advancement, a chance to develop their skills, and a culture where people want to come to work.


I wrote an article titled, “5 Keys to Attracting and Retaining Employees” for INCAST Magazine (available at keyprocessinnvations.com).


In this


article, I’m sharing the benefits and pitfalls of promoting from within your organization. I’ve seen this work well and I’ve seen it result in employees leaving the organization. A few years ago, I was the Interim Director of Manufacturing for a mid- sized manufacturing company.


The


previous person in this role managed employees through fear and emotion, so workers were hesitant to step forward and take on more responsibility.


I began to address the issues within the plant, it was clear that we needed more supervisors and leads who could help direct the teams. I remember walking through the plant looking specifically for someone who wanted to do something more than piece work. One young man caught my eye, and after talking with him, I learned he was eager for an opportunity to grow with the organization.


I promoted him to a lead and put


him in charge of the same team he had been working in. This young man had a desire to make things happen, but what I quickly realized was that he didn’t have the skill set to get things done with finesse. After he had an altercation with a difficult employee, I realized that I hadn’t given him the training or coaching to allow him to be successful in his new position. So, I took a step back, moved him to another team and started working with him on leadership


18 ❘ July 2019 ® As Last year,


basics: communication style, ways to work with difficult employees and how to manage his time and workload. Over time, he grew into his role and has now moved into a supervisory position with the current management team. I witnessed a similar situation with a different outcome while working with another company during a period of rapid growth.


I began assessing employees, looking for those who had the ability to move up in the organization. It didn’t take long to identify a key employee that might leave if he wasn’t provided an opportunity for advancement. I made the recommendation to promote him with the caveat that he would need support in order to ensure his success, including coaching, goals and training. He was promoted but, unfortunately, wasn’t given the necessary support. After less than three months, he left the organization.


exit interview revealed that he didn’t feel


supported by team.


In another interim engagement, I inherited a management team that needed to be augmented. Based on the business climate, the only option was to promote from within. This time, I was determined to do everything I could to ensure success.


After identifying the


key employees who were ready to move up, we developed an organizational structure built around their strengths. These employees had the emotional maturity


to handle the supervisory


position but needed some training to bolster their skills. We also laid the foundation to ensure their continued success by setting goals for their first 90 days, scheduling weekly meetings with their manager to address any areas of weakness, and providing HR training on how to navigate the new role, including how to give feedback to employees,


The feedback from his the management


how to have difficult conversations and how to make the transition from “buddy to boss.”


Shortly after I arrived,


Once everyone was in alignment, we announced the reorganization and promotions to the plant. Immediately, you could feel the energy level increase within the plant. Within 30 days, productivity had increased by more than 10%. The new supervisors worked well


together, and other employees noticed opportunities for advancement, which opened their eyes to what was possible within the organization. Based on these experiences, I’d like to share the following tips on how to successfully promote from within an organization:


1 2


3 4 5


Be committed to success — for both the employee and the company. Expect bumps along with way but keep the focus on the goal of creating new leaders within the organization.


Lay out a plan for development. No one is born a good manager or supervisor, and everyone has areas that need to be developed. This plan should be developed with the employee.


Work the plan. Don’t develop the plan and let it fall by the wayside.


If it needs to be


modified along the way, modify it together.


Schedule regular meetings to touch base and discuss how things are going.


Keep track of what worked and what didn’t with the plan so you can improve as new employees are promoted.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32