The multi-stage journey - are employers ready?

As life expectancies extend and people see their careers lasting longer, there is a growing desire among workers for a new type of career journey. How can organisations adapt to a workforce that will require different things throughout their working life?

In the book The 100-Year Life, London Business School Professor of Management Practice Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics, argue that traditional ideas of a linear career are dying out. They are being replaced by an appetite for variety – whether that means holding down more than one role at a time, or changing our career identities more frequently.

They argue that people will work for different reasons than they have done historically, and may take ‘mini retirements’ or go in different directions at multiple points, rather than following the ‘three-stage life’ of education, career and retirement that emerged in the twentieth century. In response, companies will take less of a ‘parent’ role in terms of directing employees in what to do, and a more nurturing role in supporting staff to curate a portfolio of working life.

“People will choose what they want to do and when they want to do it,” the book states. “People will take risks and experiment, and employers will need to be more individual in their approach.”

Preparing for the multi-stage career

“It’s a bit like when Doctor Who regenerates,” laughs Naeema Pasha, Head of Careers at Henley Business School. “If we stay with the same skills or organisation for too long and the market changes, we fall behind.”

She believes that as having multiple careers during our lifetime becomes more common, “regenerating” our work selves depending on our life circumstances and goals will become the norm. With increasing life expectancies and technological disruption changing many traditional jobs, she argues that this adaptability will be essential to thrive in a changing world.

For employers, this multi-stage career approach throws up both challenges and opportunities. Most understand that the days of the ‘job for life’ are long gone, but must now adapt their recruitment and training processes for a new generation of employees who are placing different priorities on their working lives.

This is true for educators, too. Bournemouth University, for example, has changed its employability initiatives to better support graduates for this non-linear future. “We’re trying to build adaptability and resilience and help them to understand how the way we work is changing,” explains Finn Morgan, Projects and Business Support Manager. This includes rebranding careers fairs so employers pitch to students, Dragon’s Den style, rather than having stalls, and supporting employers to manage students’ expectations around how career trajectories have changed.

Polina Rasskazova, Head of Recruitment for Citi Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has also observed this trend. “Students and recent graduates claim that the chance to have multiple career opportunities is one of the key factors that influence their decision to join an organisation,” she says. “We also observe a trend where role requirements are changing, so we need people with new skills who are able to learn fast and get cross-functional experience and digital skills.” Once employees join Citi, they also have the chance to join a number of employee networks that support innovation and entrepreneurship.

Redefining flexible working

This evolution in how we view careers has arguably played a part in the growing popularity of ‘side hustles’, where people explore outside business interests alongside their day job. Some are pushed into this by financial necessity; others simply want to follow their passions alongside their usual job.

Kelly Knight, HR Director at advertising and creative agency AMV BBDO, already takes a flexible approach when employees want to explore other career avenues or personal ambitions. “I guess around a quarter of our staff have side businesses, others play sport competitively for their country, and some leave the business to do something completely different,” she explains.

“Our feeling is that if we give people the flexibility, they can better juggle their life with their work and we can hold on to them for longer.”

Emma Jones, founder of entrepreneur support network Enterprise Nation and author of Working 5 to 9: How to Start a Successful Business in Your Spare Time, argues that traditional workplace structures do little to support these changes to how we view careers.

“Most contracts state that you must give full-time commitment to your job, with no allowance given to side businesses. One thing companies can do is build flexibility into contracts. Companies such as web hosting firm GoDaddy have already done this. Employees want to do something that gives them fulfilment alongside their jobs and if employers do not respond to this, they risk losing the talent they’ve already got.

“Support for small businesses is often only offered during ‘normal’ business hours when many will be exploring these interests in evenings and weekends,” she says. “The employee should still be doing what they’re paid for, but once their outputs are delivered, then organisations can be flexible about them taking time to fulfil their side passions. Where employers allow this through flexible working, staff pay back that trust with loyalty.”

Maintaining a level of control

However, businesses do need to safeguard their interests while allowing employees the flexibility to pursue parallel careers, recommends Dr Charmi Patel from Henley Business School, which found that 49 per cent of businesses do not have a policy on side working. “A formal policy on side hustling within employment contracts will become essential,” she says. “If staff are working flexible hours, from home or virtually, the control might not be there on whether they are conducting their own business on company time and using company property, resources and data to do so.” Employers also need to be mindful of whether one person’s activities are having a detrimental effect on the rest of their team.

Saying goodbye to traditional working

There’s no denying that businesses will need to shape their workforces differently as expectations change and external market forces place new demands on staff. ‘Traditional’ employment concepts such as maternity leave and end-of-career retirement are gradually being supplemented by new arrangements such as returnships for those who have stepped off the career ladder to raise a family, apprenticeships targeted at older workers, or remote working options for employees who need to care for elderly parents. Consulting firm PwC, for example, has recently launched a scheme called the ‘Flexible Talent Network’ where new recruits can work the hours they want – whether that means shorter weekly working hours or working for a few months a year.

Global PR company Golin introduced a similar scheme called ‘Lifetime’ two years ago, whereby employees can work flexible hours, from anywhere, and enjoy unlimited holidays. It was also one of the first in its industry to offer returnships to senior marketing professionals who wanted to return to work after taking time out from their careers.

Deputy Managing Director Emily Luscombe says: “If businesses don’t adapt in line with changing working lives, they can’t future-proof their organisations. An adaptive approach is also critical for building a diverse team of all ages and social backgrounds; you need to be flexible because you’re not hiring people with the same life goals and perspectives.” Almost eight out of ten employees feel more engaged with Golin as a result, so there’s a benefit in terms of retaining staff when many companies struggle to attract talent.

Ultimately, multi-stage careers will become the norm rather than the exception, and businesses, government and educators will need to get up to speed to support this brave new world. “We need to take a more ‘whole career’ view,” Pasha concludes. “We will want different things as our lives change, and rather than thinking of it as having multiple careers, it will be how we take ownership of one career that happens to have lots of skills, stages and attributes.”