It may appear counterintuitive for employers to invest in employees that may not remain at an organization long term. In today's economy, however, employees are increasingly mobile, and recent college graduates are likely to have multiple careers over the course of their lifetime. Rather than ignore this reality, employers should establish a strategic approach to employee mobility.
RIPEC, for instance, has established a work program that includes independent contractors and interns, as well as full-time staff. These employees are brought on knowing they might leave and, as an organization, we support their efforts to move on to other opportunities. Over the last eight years, RIPEC has placed approximately 25 talented and committed individuals in the Rhode Island workforce within the public, notprofit, and private sectors.
The program is intended to nurture individuals as they find their strengths and interests, while also lowering costs and providing our organization high-quality, talented help. We seek to develop a discipline within each person that helps whatever organization they work for examine issues in potentially new ways. This approach allows us to utilize the smartest, new talent and provides us with a steady stream of fresh ideas, helping to ensure that we constantly challenge and think critically about our conventional wisdom.
The current generation of workers is increasingly mobile, and it has been our experience that young people today often regard their early work experience as a way to develop skills and figure out their strengths and interests. I encourage employers to embrace these realities, and use them to their benefit. •