INTRODUCTION

The term career planning is frequently used in relation young boys and girls studying at the college level. College students are expected to consider their qualities (physical and mental), psychological make-up, likes and dislikes, inclinations, etc. and decide what they want to be in their life. In other words, they should decide what they want to achieve in their life and adjust their education and other activities accordingly. This means they have to plan their career. In such career planning, parents, family members and college teachers offer helping hand and guide young boys and girls in selecting the most suitable career. Lot of literature, psychological tests etc. are also available on career planning. Even lectures, workshops and TV programmes are arranged for guiding students on career selection (particularly after the declaration of HSC results). Career planning enables them to use their abilities/qualities fully and make their life happy, prosperous and rich in quality. The term career planning and development is used extensively in relation to business organizations. It is argued that if the organizations want to get the best out of their employees, they must plan the career development programmes in their organization effectively. Such programmes offer benefits to employees and also to the organizations. This type of career planning can be described as organizational career planning. "Focus on career, not merely the job" is the mantra for successful employers and employees. There was time when employment with a reputed firm actually meant life long employment. People ascended the hierarchy with age. The terms like career planning and career development in fact meant timely promotions. Career progression, largely was a function of experience in a job. The idea of employees changing companies to carve out a career was almost unheard of. Employees reciprocated the life long employment offer of companies with total commitment for the company. An opening with a good company was considered a life time achievement; thereafter it was simply a matter of time, performance and politically positioning oneself to be at the right place at right time to go up the ladder. There was hardly anything for individuals to think beyond the job they were doing as career very nearly meant the job.

MEANING OF CAREER (WHAT IS CAREER?)

A career is a sequence of positions/jobs held by a person during the course of his working life. According to Edwin B. Flippo a career is a sequence of separate but related work activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a persons life. Career of an employee represents various jobs performed by him during the course of his working life. This is described as career path. In the case of an ordinary worker, the career path includes the following job positions: Unskilled worker Semi-skilled worker Skilled worker Highly skilled worker Assistant foreman Foreman. Employees (of all categories) want to grow in their careers as this provides more salary, higher status and opportunity to use knowledge, education and skills effectively. An individual with potentials joins a firm not for job but for career development. An organization has to provide better opportunities to its employees in their career development and also use their efficient services for the benefit of the organization.

MEANING OF CAREER PLANNING (WHAT IS CAREER PLANNING?)

Career planning is one important aspect of human resource planning and development. Every individual who joins an organization desires to make a good career for himself within the organization. He joins the organization with a desire to have a bright career in terms of status, compensation payment and future promotions. From the point of view of an organization, career planning and development have become crucial in management process. An organization has to provide facilities/opportunities for the career development of individual employees. If the organizations want to get the best out of their employees, they must plan regularly the career development programmes in their organizations. In brief, career planning refers to the formal programmes that organizations implement to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the human resources available. Career planning and development is the responsibility of the HR department of the organization. As already noted, every person joining an organization has a desire to make career as per his potentiality, ability, skills and so on.

NEED/PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES OF CAREER PLANNING

1) To map out careers of employees as per their ability and willingness and to train and develop them for higher positions. 2) To attract and retain the right type of persons in the organization. 3) To utilize available managerial talent within the organization fully. 4) To achieve higher productivity and organizational development. 5) To provide guidance and assistance to employees to develop their potentials to the highest level. 6) To improve employee morale and motivation by providing training and opportunities for promotion.

ADVANTAGES OF CAREER PLANNING

A properly designed system of career planning can provide the following benefits:

1. Career planning helps an employee to know the career opportunities available in an organization. 2. Career planning encourages him to avail of the training and development facilities in the organization so as to improve his ability to handle new and higher assignments. 3. Career planning involves a survey of employee abilities and attitudes. It becomes possible, therefore to group together people talking on a similar wavelength and place them under supervisors who are responsive to that wavelength. 4. Career planning anticipates the future vacancies that may arise due to retirement, resignation, death, etc. at managerial level. Therefore, it provides a fairly reliable guide for manpower forecasting. 5. Career planning facilitates expansion and growth of the enterprise. The employees required to fill job vacancies in future can be identified and developed in time.

DISADVANTAGES/LIMITATIONS OF CAREER PLANNING

The main problems in career planning are as follows: 1. Career planning can become a reality when opportunities for vertical ability are available. Therefore, it is not suitable for a very small organization. 2. In a developing country like India, environmental factors such as government policy, public sector development, growth of backward areas, etc. influence business and industry. Therefore, career plans for a period exceeding a decade may not be effective. 3. Career planning is not an effective technique for a large number of employees who work on the shop floor, particularly for illiterate and unskilled workers. 4. In family business houses in India, members of the family expect to progress faster in their career than their professional colleagues. This upset the career planning process.

HOW TO INTRODUCE CAREER PLANNING PROGRAMME? (PROCESS OF CAREER PLANNING)

It is not easy to introduce career development programme at the level of an organization. Moreover, such career development planning is a continuous activity. What is happening in most of the organizations is that this concept is given only lip service and theoretical importance. If the organization wants to get the best out of their employees, it must plan the career developments programmes continuously and effectively in its organization. DETAILS OF THE STEP IN CAREER PLANNING 1) ANALYSIS OF PERSONEL SITUATION This is the first step which needs to be completed before the introduction of career planning programme. This relates to a time from which career planning is to be introduced. Here, the base line will be prepared to help the planners to make projections for the planning period and to help in the evaluation of plans. In order to analyze the present career situation, the following information will be required: Total number of employees their age distribution, qualifications, positions, specializations, etc. Structure broad as well as detailed and the qualifications required for each grade. Personnel need of the organization. (Category wise) Span of control available within the organization. Field staff at head office with necessary details, and Facilitates available for training and development within and outside the organization. The information collected on these aspects serves as the base for the preparation of career development plan for the future period.

2) PROJECTION OF PERSONNEL SITUATION

In this second step, an attempt is being made to find out the situation likely to develop after the completion of career development plan. This can be done on the basis of assumption which can predict what is likely to happen at the close of the career development plan. 3) IDENTIFYING OF CAREER NEEDS

In this third step of career development plan, efforts are made to find out precisely the career development needs of the future period. It is possible to identify the scope and limitations of career development needs on the basis of the data collected (through personnel inventory of the organization, employee potentials, and appraisal of employees). 4) SELECTION OF PRIORITIES

It is rather difficult to meet all the needs of the employees and the organization for career development immediately i.e. through one career developments plan. Naturally, there is a need to select the pressing and urgent problems of employees and organization. In addition, other factors such as technical, financial and administrative must be taken into consideration while finalizing the priorities. 5) DEVELOPMENT OF CAREER PLAN

This is the most important step in the whole process of career developing plan. Such plan must describe the following in concrete form/forms: a. What is to be attained/achieved? b. The extent to which it is to be attained, c. The employees involved, d. The department in which the proposed plan will operate; e. The length of time required the achieving the goals.

In order to execute the career development plan, the organization should:

a) Introduce systematic policies and programmes of staff training and career development for all categories of employees so as to enable them to: Improve their level of skill and knowledge; Gain wider experiences; and Assume higher responsibilities. b) Establish and effectively implement a system of study leave; c) d) as: Providing within the organization; Giving priorities in the filling of vacancies in the following order for: 1. 2. 3. promotion within the organization; Transfer within the organization; Outside recruitment. Removing artificial barriers to promotion; Establishing a register of employees for promotion Develop the experience of the employees by encouraging Take positive steps to encourage career development, such their rotation from one region to another;

on merit-cum-seniority basis; 6) WRITE-UP OF FORMULATED PLAN After deciding the priorities of career development plan, the next major step is to prepare a write up (brief report) of the career plan. This writ-up should contain all necessary details such as schedule (time sequence of plan), procedures and other details so that the evaluation of the plan will be easy and meaningful.

7) MONITORING

PLANNING

i.e.

MONITORING

OF

CAREER

DEVELOPMENT PLAN 7

Monitoring of the plan is essential for its effective execution. Expected results/benefits will be available only when the plan is implemented properly. Planned (expected) targets and targets actually achieved can be compared through suitable monitoring of the plan. The gap between the two (i.e. short falls) can be located quickly. In addition, suitable remedial measures can be taken to rectify the shortfalls. 8) IMPLEMENTATION (OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN) Implementation/execution of the plan is an integral aspect of planning process itself. For effective implementation, co-operation and co-ordination at all levels is necessary. The implementation needs proper monitoring so as to avoid possible shortfalls. 9) REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF CAREER PLANS A plan needs periodical review. Such evaluation avoids mistakes, deficiencies, etc during the implementation stage. It is built-in device to measure the effectiveness of the plan. Actual benefits available will be known only through such review and evaluation. Such evaluation should be done by experts. It should be conducted systematically and also impartially. 10) FUTURE NEEDS This is the last step/stage of the current career development plan and the first step/stage of the next plan. Here, on the basis of the achievements of the current plan, the career needs of the future period (of employees and also of the organization) are estimated. The new priorities are decided and the details of the new career development plan are prepared. Planning is a continuous process/activity. This rule is applicable to career development plans of an organization.

CAREER STAGES/CAREER LIFE CYCLE

Education is thought of in terms of employment. People go for school and college education and prepare for their occupation. Very few people stick to the same job throughout their life. Most of them switch job either within the organization or in some other organization. Chances are they change jobs, depending on available opportunity, several times before retirement. Where opportunity is restricted they continue with the same job. They go through the following stages: 1) EXPLORATION Almost all candidates who start working after college education start around mid-twenties. Many a time they are not sure about future prospects but take up a job in anticipation of rising higher up in the career graph later. From the point of view of organization, this stage is of no relevance because it happens prior to the employment. Some candidates who come from better economic background can wait and select a career of their choice under expert guidance from parents and well-wishers. 2) ESTABLISHMENT This career stage begins with the candidate getting the first job getting hold of the right job is not an easy task. Candidates are likely to commit mistakes and learn from their mistakes. Slowly and gradually they become responsible towards the job. Ambitious candidates will keep looking for more lucrative and challenging jobs elsewhere. This may either result in migration to another job or he will remain with the same job because of lack of opportunity. 3) MID-CAREER STAGE This career stage represents fastest and gainful leap for competent employees who are commonly called climbers. There is continuous improvement in performance. On the other hand, employees who are unhappy and frustrated with the job, there is marked deterioration in their performance. In other to show their utility to the organization, employees must remain productive at this stage. Climbers must go on improving their own performance. Authority, responsibility, rewards and incentives are highest at this stage. Employees tend to settle down inn their jobs and job hopping is not common. 9

4) LATE CAREER This career stage is pleasant for the senior employees who like to survive on the past glory. There is no desire to improve performance and improve past records. Such employees enjoy playing the role of elder statesperson. They are expected to train younger employees and earn respect from them. 5) DECLINE STAGE This career stage represents the completion of ones career usually culminating into retirement. After decades of hard work, such employees have to retire. Employees who were climbers and achievers will find it hard to compromise with the reality. Others may think of life after retirement.

CAREER STAGES V/S LIFE STAGE

The concept of career stages is fundamental to understand and manage career development. It is necessary to comprehend life stages as well. Employees go through

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career stages as they go through life stages but the interaction between career stages and life stages needs careful outlining e.g., an employee nearing retirement must prepare plans how to spend retirement days, In order to maintain healthy such employees must continue to pursue any hobby. Many studies are available that suggest that employees who completely withdraw to their residence and do not keep themselves busy are afflicted by diseases and suffer a lot towards the end of their life. As the joint family is fast breaking up elder statespersons must do careful financial planning so that they do not remain financially dependent on others. On the other hand, career stages and life stage need more careful and thoughtful analysis when employees are at exploration stage. It is an irony that at these stage employees does not plan for the future and live for today. Careful planning at this stage will ensure fruitful and tension-free life at later part of life. Being young some employees feel they will remain like this throughout their life. This is short sightedness. What you sow now, will reap the dividends at the later part of life. This is also the stage where employees may be motivated towards migration of job or take transferable job with higher gains and better prospects. Everything said and done it is not simple to strike a balance between career stage and life stage.

HOW TO HANDLE PERSONNEL AT EACH STAGE

It is already noted that career planning is beneficial to employees as well as to the organization in raising productivity and in meeting future manpower needs of an 11

organization. Basically, career planning is an individuals responsibility. At the same time, the organization/ management has to take keen interest and leading role in career planning and development of its employees. The following points below suggest the manner in which organization can help an employee in his career development:

1) IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES NEED AND ASPIRATION

The organization has to analyze the aspirations of different categories of employees. It is necessary to identify the career goals, aspiration and career anchors of employees. Some employees may not be clear about their career goals and aspirations. Information of this type is useful in guiding employees as regards their career. Career counseling of employees is possible. Training can be provided to employees who have the potential and willingness to share more responsibility. Even interest and desire can be created among employees who are not interested in career planning. In this way, organization can identify needs and aspirations of employees and help them in their career planning.

2) ANALYSIS OF CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPLYING

INFORMATION TO EMPLOYEES The organization / management can analyze the career opportunities in the future period can also be estimated. This information can be used while guiding employees as regard their career planning. Employees will be able to select suitable are for their career development because of the details available on career opportunities.

3) CAREER COUNSELLING
Career counselling is one major method by which organization can help an employee in his career paths and the direction in which they ought to be heading. This is described as career counselling.

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4) MOTIVATION OF EMPLOYEES
An organization can create environment favorable to career planning. It has to take active interest in the development and well being of its employees. They should be motivated to take special interest in their career planning. The likely benefits should bring to their notice.

5) INTERNAL PUBLICITY TO CAREER INFORMATION

Many employees lack information about career choices. An organization can help an employee in his career by giving wide publicity to career opportunities available within the organization. Even career opportunities can be published in a booklet form by organization. Such booklet can provide necessary information to employee who can plan their own career movement and progression.

6) MAKING CAREER PLANNING A CONTINUOUS ACTIVITY

Career planning and development should be carried out as a continuous activity of an organization. This is necessary to take care of changing needs of both employees and the organization.

7) PROVIDING SERVICES OF EXPERTS

Organizations can provide Services of Experts for career counseling of its employees. Such experts can guide employees in their career planning more effectively. Experts can remove unrealistic expectations and set realistic career goals for the employees. Thus, providing the services of experts in one method by which an organization can help in their career development.

8) CAREER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

Organizations can conduct career development workshops for interested employees. Such workshops help for resolving misperceptions. Workshops provide information and guidance to participate and motivate them for their career

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development. Organizations can help its employees in their career development by arranging such workshops regularly.

9) CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Continuous education and development are essential for career planning and development. The organization should provide training facilities to interested and deserving employees and help them in their career development. Training creates desire to learn and develop for higher positions in the organization. 10) PERIODIC JOB CHANGES The organization can introduce the job rotation techniques in the departments. This helps employees to acquire the organizational knowledge and knowledge of different jobs and departments. The employees also get confidence of working effectively under any environment. A Job change offer diverse experiences to employees and prepares them for the future career. The organization can introduce the periodic job rotation technique and prepare the employee for their future careers. 11) LEAVE OF ABSENCE Organization can give long period leave to its promising employee. Such leave allows the employee to learn and develop new qualities and skills under different environments. The employee gives good returns to the organization after his return from long leave. Thus, giving long leave to an employee is one way by which an organization can help employee in his career development.

CONCEPT/INTRODUCTION TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Career development consists of the personal actions one undertakes to achieve a career plan. The terms career development and employee development need to be differentiated at this stage. Career development looks at the long-term career

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effectiveness of employees where as employee development focuses of effectiveness of an employee in the immediate future. The actions for career development may be initiated by the individual himself or by the organization. INDIVIDUAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT Career progress and development is largely the outcome of actions on the part of an individual. Some of the important steps that could help an individual cross the hurdles on the way up may include: 1. PERFORMANCE Career progress rests largely on performance. If the performance is sub-standard, even modest career goals cant be achieved. 2. EXPOSURE Career development comes through exposure, which implies becoming known by those who decide promotions, transfers and other career opportunities. You must undertake actions that would attract the attention of those who matter most in an organization. 3. NETWORKING Networking implies professional and personal contacts that would help inn striking good deals outside (e.g., lucrative job offers, business deals, etc.). For years men have used private clubs, professional associations, and old - boy networks to gain exposure and achieve their career ambitions.

4. LEVERAGING Resigning to further ones career with another employer is known as leveraging. When the opportunity is irresistible, the only option left is to resign from the current

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position and take up the new job (opportunity in terms of better pay, new title, a new learning experience, etc.). However, jumping the jobs frequently (job-hopping) may not be a good career strategy in the long-run. 5. LOYALTY TO CAREER Professionals and recent college graduates generally jump jobs frequently when they start their career. They do not think that career-long dedication to the same organization may not help them further their career ambitions. To overcome this problem, companies such as Infosys, NIIT, WIPRO (all information technology companies where the turnover ratios are generally high) have come out with lucrative, innovative compensation packages in addition to employee stock option plans for those who remain with the company for a specified period. 6. MENTORS AND SPONSORS A mentor is, generally speaking, an older person in a managerial role offering informal career advice to a junior employee. Mentors take junior employees under their protg and offer advice and guidance on how to survive and get ahead in the organization. They act as role models. A sponsor, on the other hand, is someone in the organization who can create career development opportunities.

ORGANISATIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT

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The assistance from managers and HR department is equally important in achieving individual career goals and meeting organizational needs. A variety of tools and activities are employees for this purpose. a) SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOLS Here the employees go through a process in which they think through their life roles, interests, skills and work attitudes and preferences. They identify career goals, develop suitable action plans and point out obstacle that come in the way. Two self-assessment tools are quite commonly used in the organizations. The first one is called the career-planning workshop. After individuals complete their self-assessment, they share their findings with others in career workshops. These workshops throw light on how to prepare and follow through individual career strategies. The second tool, called as a career workbook, consists of a form of career guide in the question-answer format outlining steps for realizing career goals. Individuals use this company specific, tailor-made guide to learn about their career chances. This guide, generally throws light on organizations structure, career paths, qualifications for jobs and career ladders. b) INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING Employee counselling is a process whereby employees are guided in overcoming performance problems. It is usually done through face-to-face meetings between the employee and the counselor or coach. Here discussions of employees interests goals, current job activities and performance and career objectives take place. Counselling is generally offered by the HR department. Sometimes outside experts are also be called in. if supervisors act as coaches they should be given clearly defined roles and training. This is, however, a costly and time-consuming process.

c) EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

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These consist of skill assessment and training efforts that organizations use to groom their employees for future vacancies. Seminars, workshops, job rotations and mentoring programmes are used to develop a broad base of skills as a part of such developmental activities. d) CAREER PROGRAMMES FOR SPECIAL GROUPS In recent years, there is growing evidence regarding dual career families developing tensions and frictions owing to their inability to reconcile the differences between the family roles and work demands. When we talk of dual career couples (a situation where both husband and wife have distinct careers outside the home) certain puzzling questions arise naturally: whose career is important; who takes care of children; what if the wife gets a tempting promotion in another location; who buys groceries and cleans the house if both are busy, etc. realizing these problems, organizations are providing a place and a procedure for discussing such role conflicts and coping strategies. They are coming out with schemes such as part-time work, long parental leave, child care centers, flexible working hours and promotions and transfers in tune with the demands of dual career conflicts.

ESSENTIAL TO MAKE CAREER PLANNING SUCCESSFUL

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Career planning and development is one useful activity under human resource planning and development and is useful to employees and management. The following are the essentials to make career planning successful by the management are: 1) SUPPORT FROM TOP MANAGEMENT Support and cooperation of the top management is essential for the formulation and execution of career planning of employees. Top management has to create enthusiasm among executives and encourage them to take interest and initiative in this useful activity. 2) LARGE SIZE OF THE ORGANISTION Large size of the organization is one essential requirement of successful career planning. Moreover, career planning is feasible in large organizations. 3) PROPER SELECTION OF EMPLOYEE Selection of right type of employees is essential for the success of career planning programmes. The employee selected should be fit for the job. In addition, he needs to have enough potential and genuine desire to develop himself and grow in his career. 4) FAIR PROMOTION POLICY Fair promotion policy is essential for successful career planning. Employees will take interest in career planning only when they are sure that promotions will be given on merits and without any partiality and favouritism. 5) PUBLICITY TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES Adequate internal publicity to career plan is essential for the success of career planning. Such publicity will create awareness about career development among the employees as well as career paths available to them for selection. In addition they will get information about career development facilities and procedural formalities

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to be completed. Here, HR department can play a positive role. In the absence of wide publicity, the response from employees will be poor. 6) CONTINUITY IN THE PROCESS Career planning and development should be carried out on regular and continuing basis. This will provide manpower as per the need of an organization from time to time. Career planning and development can be adjusted as per the need of the organization and also of employees. Continuity is one essential requirement of successful career planning.

CAREER COUNSELLING

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Career counselling, one important socio-economic need of the younger generation of every country including India. School, colleges, social organizations have to provide such counselling facilities for suitable career development of the younger generation. Even newspaper and magazines under take career planning and counselling activity. At the business level, business organizations have to provide career guidance and career counselling to their employees. Such career counselling has wider social significance. Career planning needs advising and guiding employees in their possible career paths and the direction in which they ought to be heading is known as career counselling. Career counselling is possible by senior executives through periodic discussions with their subordinates. It helps to understand their strengths and weaknesses. It is a type of internal guidance and motivation of employees. THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. To provide guidelines in order to enable an employee to understand himself more clearly and develop his own thinking and outlook in specific direction. 2. To enable employees to achieve and enjoy greater personal satisfaction and pleasure. 3. To enable employees to understand the forces and dynamics operating in the system. 4. To enable individuals to study the immediate and personal world in which they live.

EMPLOYEE RETENTION TECHNIQUES

Employee retention strategy involves taking actions for retaining employee over a long period. Research studies indicate that both high and low achievers have higher quite rates than average performers. Quilting by high performers is a matter of serious

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concern for the organization. Here, the organization has to introduce strategy to retain high performers. This is known as selective retention strategy. This means retaining those who are needed and letting to go those who are not needed. An organization can take a number of measures to retain its employees under retention strategy. Such measures can also be described as employee retention techniques. Important Techniques under employee retention are as follows: 1. PROVISION OF RETENTION BONOUS Retention bonus is a kind of ad hoc payment to best performers to retain them in the organization. Such retention bonus is offered to mid level along with top executives. This technique is used when any charge like merger and acquisition or organizational restructuring takes place and employees tends to leave the organization because of the possible effect of such change. Here, retention bonus payment acts as an incentive attraction to employees. 2. PACKAGE OF INCENTIVES FOR LONG-TERM STAY The organization designs a suitable long term package for employees which will discourage employees from leaving the organization for some short benefit. The employee leaves the organization mainly because he feels that his market value is more than what his organization is giving at present. For avoiding this situation, a package of measures should be introduced. 3. MATCHING JOBS AND EMPLOYEES One important reason of labour turnover is mismatch between employees and their jobs. This problem develops because of wrong placement, faulty career path decided for an employee, transfer to the department or work disliked by employee, promotion to a position not liked by an employee. Retention of such unsatisfied and disturbed employees is possible by introducing suitable strategy under which proper matching of an employee and his job will be achieved. In many companies employees are given choice to switch from one line function to staff function and vice-versa. As a result, turnover due to mismatch is minimized.

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4. PROVISION OF INTANGIBLE BENEFITS TO EMPLOYEES Organizations offer intangible benefits for the retention of employees. Such benefits include overseas training opportunity, holiday trips for employees and their families, dinner meetings in five star hotels, meetings in posh hotels with employees and their families, etc. 5. ENCOURAGING EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Employee relationship management (ERM) acts as one employee retention strategy. This facilitates purposeful communication between employer and employees and avoids labour turnover. Research studies show that changing job is painful to an employee as it affects his life as well as family's stability, childrens education, social network and employment. 6. PERSUASION OF EMPLOYEE Organizations can use persuasion as one method for the retention of key employees. If key employees can be brought in the organization from outside through persuasion, they can also be retained through effective persuasion .Here, the persuasive skills of the chief executive or HR personnel play an important role. He can offer certain incentives and convince the person that it is in his interest to continue in the same organization rather than joining some other organization. 7. STAY INTERVIEWS Companies conduct stay interviews in order to retain their workforce by making them feel appreciated and motivated. It is all about their work, the environment, the practices and the people that appeal to them and motivate them to stay on. Stay interviews are also held to understand the issues employees may be facing. Such interviews defect early warning signals as regards expectations of employees. Stay interviews are conducted periodically by the immediate supervisor. This enables management to take suitable remedial measures in time and retain the employee for long. 8. Some measure/techniques can be used for the retention of key personnel including top executives, middle level managers and at lower levels. Some measures are noted

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below: Introduction of scientific recruitment and selection so as to avoid the tragedy of misfits. Provide scientific training facilities and career development opportunities to employee. Provide job security and job satisfaction. Provide attractive pay scales and incentives. Cordial relations with employees. Provide machinery for redressal of grievance, employee consultation and workers participation.

SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession planning is a process of assessing and auditing the available talent in the organization in order to answer the following questions:

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1. Are there enough potential successors available- a supply of people who can take key roles in longer terms? 2. Are they good enough? 3. Do they have right skills and attributes for the future? Succession planning is based on the information supplied by talent audits, supply and demand forecast and performance and potential reviews. In large organizations, appropriate succession planning processes exist and are useful to the organizations in different ways. Succession planning is an ongoing process of ensuring that qualified and capable person are available to assume key managerial post / positions as and when these fall vacant due to sudden deaths, premature firing, resignations and normal retirement. The purpose of succession planning is to ensure a smooth transition and operating efficiency. Succession planning is desirable because many studies reveal that executives hired from outside are more expensive and unreliable than those chosen through succession planning. Career planning, manpower planning and succession planning are complementary and interdependent. All the three are essential foe effective utilization of organizations human resource development (HRD). Career planning and succession planning are similar but not synonymous. A succession plan involves identification of vacancies that are likely to occur in the higher level and locating the probable successors. Succession planning motivates employees and facilitates continuity of the organization.

ADVANTAGES OF SUCCESSION PLANNING

1. succession planning provides opportunities to existing employees for progress in their career and self development

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2. It avoids frustration and high turnover among the existing employees which is possible if outsiders are taken to higher positions. 3. Succession planning acts as a motivating factor as it encourages existing manager to work efficiently, to learn more and make themselves eligible for higher level posts / positions. 4. Succession planning ensures success, stability and growth of an organization. 5. It facilitates continuity of the organization.

DISADVANTAGES OF SUCCESSION PLANNING

1. Executives hired form outside are more expensive than those selected through succession planning. 2. Executives from outside are not reliable and dependable as compared to executives from within. 3. Complete dependence on internal talent may cause stagnation in the organization.

PRESENT POSITION OF SUCCESSION PLANNING

Succession planning as an organizational practice is comparatively new technique. It was in practice in the olden princely states in India under which an heir used to be

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nominated and efforts were made to groom him to take the place of the king in due course. The same concept of succession is now applied in business organization with suitable adjustments. There are three basic elements in succession planning. These are: 1. Deciding the position for which successors are needed. 2. Identifying most suitable successors. 3. Grooming of successor so as to make him competent to occupy new position with confidence in due course. In many professionally managed organizations, every key executive is usually asked to identify three or four best juniors who could replace him in his job, if need arises. This suggests that succession planning is normally required for higher level executives. In recent years, the focus of succession planning has shifted from identifying successor for post towards providing for the development of successor by creating talent pools. This is because many organizations find it difficult to predict succession requirement due to changing environment in which the organization have to operate. Secondly, it is difficult to make reliable assessments of potential or promotability.

CONCLUSION
Employee loyalty to the company is higher when the job fulfills intrinsic needs and personal goals of the employees. By assisting an individual in planning his career and providing opportunities for career development, an organization can ensure higher loyalty and productivity from employees.

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Effective HRM encompasses career planning, career development and succession planning. An organization without career planning and career development initiatives is likely to encounter the highest rate of attrition, causing much harm to their plans and programmes.

BIBLIOGRAPHY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT -N.G. KALE & M. AHMED http://hr.concordia.ca

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