The statements below are designed as an initial assessment of how your organization, division, and/or department is doing at responding to the employee search for personal growth and career development. The assessment is meant to guide your thinking, not to provide a definitive quantitative appraisal of your progress. For each question below, use the scale provided to answer how true the statement is of your work environment. 1 = not true 2 = Somewhat true 3 = True ___ Managers in our company sit down with employees and discuss their personal and career development and the organization’s plans for their growth at least every six months. ___ Employees are often given the opportunity to be part of task groups and assignments outside their core job responsibilities. ___ Our Company has a career development program that helps people become more aware of and responsible for their own career growth and development. ___ Employees in our company have learning plans that identify what skills they want to learn and they have input into those plans. ___ The training programs in our company and the trainers who lead them focus on the application of the learning to a personal as well as to professional life. ___ Transferring to a new project, assignment, or division in our company is an open process with few barriers. ___ During their first year, new employees are often pleased by the opportunities for growth and/or interesting work. ___ The annual performance review is not the only opportunity to discuss development needs. ___ Our organization supports sabbaticals when employees need to take a period of time off to achieve a career goals. ___ Total Are Your Employees’ Career Development built upon a solid foundation? Score: < 12 Take a full week’s management retreat for brainstorming policies that address these concerns. 13-17 You’re beginning to look responsive 18-22 You are above average in meeting today’s workers” needs, but there is still room for improvement. >22 You are an inspiring example, and probably have the best workers and a strong bottom line to show for it.