Individual Development Plan at F.D. Hamilton Inc.

Tanner is a consultant for the JLB Group, a human resource consulting company. Tanner recently started working with F.D. Hamilton Inc., a company that specializes in the mass production of cookies and frosting for grocery stores. In the past five years, F.D. Hamilton Inc. has seen its turnover rate among production workers skyrocket. F.D. Hamilton Inc. hired the JLB Group to implement a new individual developmental program that will hopefully decrease the turnover rate and thereby improve the financial performance of F.D. Hamilton.

Course: MGMT 4343 Performance Mgmt

Tanner’s initial assessment of the current developmental plan was quite alarming. Here are some of the main findings from his assessment:

Because turnover among production workers is so high, mid-level managers have not thought it practical to develop and follow up with job developmental plans for production workers.

All upper-level and mid-level managers maintain job developmental plans with their yearly performance evaluations. Results of these developmental plans are reported as part of their next annual performance evaluations.

Job development activities, which include attending conferences, temporary assignments, and on-the-job training, are only available for upper-level management.

A survey of all mid-level managers reported that little emphasis is placed on job developmental plans within the organization and that little information is given regarding available job developmental activities. In fact, only 15 percent reported that they engaged in a developmental activity in the past year.

Given Tanner’s assessment of the current use of individual developmental plans, what suggestions for change would you give to F.D. Hamilton Inc. to ensure that individual developmental plans are successfully implemented and that turnover is reduced?