Indeed, today’s employees are demanding more from their work in terms of fulfilment and personal satisfaction. They use words such as “empowerment” and “self-development” in expressing demands. Therefore, it is vital that all employers design an environment for work, which nurtures progress and advancement. And this can be reached by the implementation of a Career Development Program at the workplace that will augment higher levels of job satisfaction, lower employee turnover and reduce employee complaints.
Organizations plays key roles in supporting employee’s career development. Organizational support for career development (OSCD) also known as organizational career management or organizational sponsorship refers to the programs and assistance provided by organizations to support and enhance their employees’ career success. This OSCD comprises of formal strategies (including career planning, training and assessment) and informal support such as providing mentoring, coaching and networking opportunities to enhance employee’s advancement. Organizational career support management is a risk management process hence examining the relative contribution that OSCD provides to employee job satisfaction can assist organizations in determining whether investment in supporting employee career development will derive adequate benefits and enable organizations better implement career development strategies to achieve the desired organizational outcome.
A goal-specific environmental support such as OSCD provides social and material support for one’s personal goals is likely to be a significant predictor of job satisfaction. Conversely, the absence of such supports is likely to impede the goal and reduce satisfaction. Additionally, supervisory career support places a key role in affecting employees’ career development. Employee’s careers are likely to be enriched by supportive relationships with their supervisors and this may take the form of career enhancing functions such as providing challenging assignments, visibility and sponsorship, as well as psychosocial functions such as counselling, acceptance, and friendship. This suggests that the level of discussion an employee has with his or her supervisor on personal development has some positive relationship one’s job satisfaction. Therefore, there is a strong correlation between management support and job satisfaction of employees. Moreover, this suggests that supervisory career support will have a positive effect on job satisfaction of employees. For employees, the aims of career building is to give them the guidance, support and the encouragement they need to fulfil their potential and achieve a successful career with their organization. In summary, career management calls for an approach that explicitly takes into account both organizational needs and employee interests.