Your Career at Nestlé

Your Career at Nestlé A practical guide for Employees to navigate their Career

February 2012 | Global

| Your Career at Nestlé | A Practical Guide for Employees to Navigate their Career

Introduction 1

Partners in Career Development 3

Career Development at Nestlé 4

Core Factors 4

Accelerators 7

Opportunities 9

General Career Advice 11

Final Thoughts 12

Table of Contents


Nestlé knows that it is our people that truly set us apart and drive our success year after year. In order for us to develop innovative products and execute against aggressive performance targets, we must have a diverse workforce,that can thrive in a high-performance culture, and can continuously develop talents and skills. So ultimately, for Nestlé to grow, our people must be able to grow. We are committed to supporting you in your career growth and development.

With our organisational structure, there are some key advantages for employees. For example, with fewer layers of authority and broader spans of control, more responsibilities are delegated throughout all levels of the organisation. For a career in Nestlé, this means that lateral professional developments, to broaden or deepen your existing job responsibilities, will more frequently complement- or substitute vertical (hierar-chical) career moves.

Vertical career moves will take more preparation and training than lateral ones, since with less layers, these vertical moves involve larger “jumps.” and therefore these will happen less often. A vertical move involves a greater level of:

• Impact on the business

• Span of responsibility over people and leadership

• Complexity of task and communication needs

• Knowledge Requirement

• Risk Profile

Introduction

1


The “career compass” below will help you to understand the possible choices to develop and grow.

Nestlé recognises that career development needs are changing in the work place with employees desiring a certain level of flexibility regarding working conditions (time and place), sabbaticals, voluntary work, parenting leave, education etc. You can find more information on this in our recently launched Flexibility Guideline.

This document is intended to support you in your long-term career journey. It will help you to :

• Better understand Nestlé’s philosophy, tools and processes for career development.

• Understand the changing nature of career development within Nestlé, and what you need to focus on in order to be successful in your career.

• Understand Nestlé’s role, your manager’s role, and your personal role in your career development.

We hope you find this practical guideline useful, and we wish you the very best for your future career with Nestlé !

Leadership and businessknowledge

Functional or category expertise

Increasing the level of seniortiy at which you operate e.g. undertaking aleadership role. Generally vertical progression through the organisation.

Expanding or widening current skills, knowledge and experience, in a related field e.g. a cross-category or cross-functional move. Can be horizontal or verticalprogression through the organisation.

Building on current skills, knowledge andexperience in focussed area e.g. a categoryor customer. Often considered to be subject matter experts. Can be horizontal or verticalprogression through the organisation.

DeepenBro

adenS

tep

Up

2


At Nestlé, you are expected to manage your own career development and take the ultimate responsibil-ity for your career path. However, your manager and the organisation also have key roles to fulfil in order to support you. Here is how we look at this partnership :

Your Tasks• Consistently meet or exceed performance object-

ives and increase your knowledge and skills continuously in line with Nestlé business strategy relevant to your role.

• Demonstrate the behaviours in the Nestlé Leadership Framework.

• Regularly seek feedback from managers, peers and direct reports about how you can improve.

• Understanding your personal strengths, as well as development needs in your current role and relative to future career plans.

• Identify your career aspirations, clearly express them in the Progress and Development Guide (PDG), and communicate them to your line manager.

• Build specific, high quality development plans in the PDG and take ownership of their completion.

• Demonstrate willingness to engage in continuous development and remain open and flexible to opportunities as they arise.

• Proactively initiate the PDG process if not done so by the manager.

• Build your network, find a mentor to guide you if needed.

• Highlight Dual Career constraints, if they play a role in determining mobility and next steps.

Line Manager’s Tasks• Initiate the PDG process

• Discuss potential future roles and opportunities and how these might best fit your employees’ aspirations and potential. This is also part of talent evaluation process.

• Provide specific and actionable development and performance feedback.

• Create effective individual development plans with direct reports and provide support in follow up of development plans.

• Assess developmental progress, provide regular coaching, encourage a “development dialogue” with employees.

• Provide training and experiences that develop employees.

• Be familiar with career opportunities within and beyond the employee’s function.

• Encourage the employee to pursue activities such as mentoring and 360 feedback to gain additional perspectives.

HR’s Tasks • Give clear direction and guidelines on the career

and development process to employees and line managers.

• Provide information, tools (TPMS, PDG) and resources to enable employees to successfully manage their own career and enable managers to support them in their development.

• Consult and coach line managers and employees in aspects of career development and provide practical support for building high quality develop-ment plans.

• Partner with managers and employees to ensure that the PDG and talent management process is fully implemented in areas they support and drive the quality of the PDG.

Nestlé’s Responsibilities • Provide relevant and accessible training to build

key skill sets.

• Build a supportive, inclusive and challenging performance culture.

• Ensure that people managers have the skills and the motivation to inspire and assist employees in their career development.

• Recruit, develop and retain the best talent.

Partners in Career DevelopmentYour career as a Nestlé employee is a shared partnership, between you, your Manager and your HR Business Partner.

3


Nestle has developed a visual to clarify the different parameters which will influence your long-term career growth

Core Factors are non-negotiable, the things that you must have in order to grow and progress in your career here at Nestlé.

Career Development at Nestlé

Core Factors

Sustainable Performance on WHAT and HOW Your performance is the number one determinant of your opportunities at Nestlé. A strong and con-sistent track record over several years (recorded in your annual performance evaluation process, (PE) of proven business results on WHAT & HOW are essential for an individual to be considered for future job opportunities.

The words “strong” and “consistent” are key in this regard. It is important that the results of your work make a significant impact. It is important to demon-strate consistently high performance. This means that an individual should remain in an assignment long enough to prove that his / her contributions have created results that can be sustained.

Our focus on performance does not mean achieving results at any cost. We value people who achieve re-sults in the Nestlé way ; that support our Corporate Business Principles, Nestlé Management and Leader-ship Principles and our Code of Conduct. All employ-ees are expected to achieve their results in a fair and ethical manner that reflects positively on themselves, their function, and the overall organisation.

HOW you achieve your objectives is of equal impor-tance as to WHAT you achieve. All Nestlé employees are expected to demonstrate the behaviours outlined in the Nestlé Leadership Framework *. This is the basis of the annual Performance Evaluation process and for your personal development discussions (PDG *). Seek to leverage the PDG discussion not only to gain feedback on how you are perceived, but also to take the opportunity to provide your Line Manager with feedback on how you believe they are developing you, and to explain what explicit support you need.

IDEAS FOR ACTION • Focus on reaching your objectives – what and

how !

• Constantly seek feedback from colleagues, peers and your supervisor to develop yourself.

* If you want to know more about the Nestlé Leadership

Framework and PDG, please refer to our Corporate HR

intranet page

4

Knowledge / SkillFunctional knowledge / skillsIn order to progress within any function, you need to have command of the specific skills that are necessary for that function. If you are in Finance, you need to have a strong command of all of the Nestlé financial methods. If you are in Marketing, you need to understand all of the ways that we build brands and generate demand for our products by understanding our consumer better than anyone else. To help you understand the functional knowledge and skills need-ed for various roles, all functions provide functional competency models or Job Success Profiles which are available for each function on the corporate intranet site. It is up to you, with the help of your manager, to understand the key functional knowledge and skills that are needed, and then to develop and master these skills by pursuing key experiences, learning from colleagues, and formal training programs.

Business knowledgeSimilarly, in order to support and drive our overall business, all employees should have a clear under-standing of our key business drivers, including all aspects of our value chain. This includes how we generate demand for our products, how we create, manufacture and distribute our products, and how we sell them to our customers. It also means having a solid understanding of our key sources of competitive advantage and the external marketplace in which we compete. To be effective in any function, you must first understand how your role fits in and supports our overall business strategy. Take the opportunity to discuss this with your manager.

Knowledge of Self through FeedbackSeeking and providing feedback is a key enabler to your development process. Knowing from others, how other people experience working with you, will help you not only strengthen yourself, but also contribute to strengthening relationships of mutual trust. Your Line Manager is in a position to provide you feedback, and you should expressly seek it, formally through your PDG, and informally too.

IDEAS FOR ACTION• Be aware of your strength and development needs.

• Consistently work on improving your functional and business knowledge and skills.

| Your Career at Nestlé | A Practical Guide for Employees to Navigate their Career 5


Leadership Skills As you progress in the organisation, your leadership skills become increasingly important. What differ- entiates those who progress to the top of their particular function is their ability to effectively achieve consistent results through other people. Professionals without direct reports can hone some aspects of their leadership skills by a combination of formal training, coaching and mentoring. However, there is no substitute for learning by doing. You should take every opportunity to assume leadership roles in special projects and task forces, particularly those that are cross-functional in nature. Leading these types of teams calls for some of the same skills that are required of full-time people leaders ; setting a clear vision, mapping out clear goals and roles, setting clear standards and measurements, providing feedback, motivating and aligning team members, monitoring progress, and evaluating results.

Similarly, those who are already full-time people managers must consistently show that they can effectively attract, retain and develop the very best talent and create a positive and inclusive team environment. Managers should ask for feedback informally from staff from time to time and it is recommended to complete a 360 feedback * every three years. In addition the Nestlé and I survey is normally run every two years and provides an opportunity to comment on many aspects of your work environment.

Critical Experiences As previously mentioned, in a flat and flexible organisa-tional structure we need to re-think what an effective career development looks like. It may include differ-ent types of experience e.g. international, working in another function or business category. Or it might be about new managerial and leadership skills acquired through special projects, short-term assignments, and cross-functional task forces. These also provide a way to build your visibility and expand your network throughout the function and the organisation.

That specific role may not become vacant in the near future, it may cease to exist, or the requirements may change in the future. Therefore, the broader your experiences, the more options you will ultimately have in the organisation. Of course previous critical experi-ence, which you gathered with other employers, will also be valued. It is important that Managers are aware of the experience you have gained.

IDEAS FOR ACTION• Take every opportunity to assume leadership roles

in projects, cross functional task forces or as a people manager. Gain a broad spectrum of experi-ence and show your potential.

• Make sure your data in SAP is up to date. Accurate employee data in the areas : work history, career aspirations, mobility and dual career.

* If you want to know more about 360 Feedback please ask

your HR Business Partner

6


While the Core Factors are non-negotiable for advancing your career at Nestlé, the Accelerators are the factors that will significantly influence the speed and pace of your overall career.

MobilityYour mobility -your willingness to relocate, will prob-ably have the biggest single influence on the number of opportunities that are open to you. While it is possible that the opportunity may present itself in your current location, it might be possible that the best fit job will be elsewhere. Your ability and willing-ness to relocate will provide you with much greater access to current and future opportunities, as well as greater exposure throughout the organisation. The mobility options open to you are :

• Relocation within the same country.

• International relocation : this could be as a short-term assignment (mission assignments up to 12 months), or long-term expatriation (home based expatriation, 3-5 years) with a pre-agreed return plan.

• Move to an international location as a local hire, with no return plan.

Nestlé supports international experience as part of your long term development plan. If your Line Manager and the local Top Management will sponsor an international assignment, then a return plan needs to be in place. Please refer to our Corporate HR intranet pages to find out more about our guideline on international expatriation. Nestlé realises that relocation can be a significant challenge for many people. To support you, Nestlé has a Dual Career policy to support moves of both partners ; this can also be found on the corporate intranet.

If you are interested in pursuing an international element in your career, there are steps you can take to equip yourself with more information to make decisions on your mobility, flexibility, and what is possible within the organisation. Talk to your Line Manager or HR Business Partner to discuss your international aspirations. Declare these aspirations in your PDG discussion / form. Keep your SAP data updated. The saved information in our systems does not constitute an agreement that you will have an international career, but it allows various stakeholders in the organisation to understand where your interests lie. Several Nestlé Markets maintain vacancy information on their intranet sites, alternatively you can view www.nestle.com / careers. Ask your HR Business Partner about the different paths of international exposure, such as expatriation, missions, and moving locally.

Be transparent and talk to your line manager about your aspirations, your timing as well as geography in and out of scope.

IDEAS FOR ACTION• Know what you really want ! Assess your ability

and willingness to relocate.

• Address the topic in your PDG discussion with your manager and update your data in SAP.

Cross-Functional / Category Flexibility Because we are a large, diverse company that oper-ates within a complex, rapidly changing environment, we have to maintain a high level of flexibility to capi-talise on key opportunities as they arise. Sometimes these opportunities arise at unexpected times or in unexpected ways.

Similarly this means career opportunities will come at unexpected times or require you to move to unex-pected places and this is why flexibilty is considered a key career accelerator. This flexibility can take many different forms. It includes :

1. flexibility within your function or business category, in the types of jobs you are willing to try. Sometimes a job that you would not have originally considered may be exactly what you need to prepare you for a future role.

2. flexibility outside your function or business category. For example from marketing to sales, or from confectionery to beverage. This can be gained in many ways, from projects and assign-ments to full-time positions. Gaining this kind of experience can be especially useful early in your career, when you have the greatest number of future options. Having experience in more than one function gives you a broader perspective on the business, and helps you make more effective decisions in whatever role you are in. It is important to understand however, that taking a full-time position in another function is a con-siderable challenge and you will be competing for these roles with those already in the function. Later on in your career these changes become increasingly difficult as you and Nestlé have invested into your career in your Function or Category and Nestlé wants to capitalise on this investment.

Accelerators

7


3. flexibility in your timing ; realising that not every opportunity presents “at the best time”. Some-times it takes longer than expected for the right opportunities to come along. Other times, they arise when you least expected it. We understand that at varying stages of your career, you may have different needs to work flex-ibly for example : continuing education, voluntary work, parenting leave etc. This is part of manag-ing non-linear careers, and all requests will be taken seriously and considered in the context of business needs and your development.

IDEAS FOR ACTION• Be clear and transparent about how flexible you

are and what you are expecting in return.

Network, Relationships, ExposureKnowing people and being known by others is a key accelerator for your career. Having a well-established network within your function, across functions, and across businesses helps you to :

• gain a broader perspective on current challenges and opportunities in the company.

• access other talented people with unique experi-ences, skills and insights that you can learn from.

• raise your visibility in the organisation. When a question is asked about who might be a good member for a task force, or who would be a good person for a given project, the higher your visibility, the greater your odds. Are you known by people who can influence your career ? Much of this will happen naturally as part of your normal work, but you can actively manage this yourself.

One way to extend your network is to get yourself a mentor. Your mentor could be :

• your functional manager, a role model for you in terms of his / her career development.

• your HR Business Partner, or Management Development colleague in HR.

• a senior manager who will advise and chal-lenge you, and share his / her expertise and skills with you, as well as the unwritten rules of the company.

Mentoring can take place informally, or it can be formal, through participation in a programme estab-lished and managed by Nestlé globally, or locally. Speak to your HR Business to see if your Market has such a program, and how you could enrol. If your market does not have a formal Mentorship Program, do not hesitate to reach out to people who you feel could mentor you.

Nestlé values people who can develop strong work-ing relationships, the more relationships you have effectively established in the organisation ; the more successful you are likely to be.

IDEAS FOR ACTION• Establish a network which will help you to develop.

• Be transparent, ask for support, align expectations, and build a genuine relationship with intent to develop yourself, not just obtain sponsorship for your next career move.

8

While the Core Factors and Accelerators are things that you can directly influence and control, job opportunities are more dependent on circumstances and activity throughout the organisation. How-ever, how you view opportunities and how you prepare for them is key to your career development.

Opportunities - New Roles and Assignments & Open Positions

We are proud to say that Nestlé is a relatively low-turnover organisation. The fact that so many people choose to stay with Nestlé for the long term, says a great deal about this company and our commitment to our employees.

Our people-oriented culture, our solid record of long-term performance, and the outstanding reputation of our brands and organisation make the Nestlé experi-ence truly something special. It is a combination that is hard to find anywhere else.

The real advantage of this for our organisation is that we have a knowledgeable, skilled workforce who is dedicated to our long-term success. At the same time, it also means that the nature of job opportunities may look different here than in other organi-sations with higher levels of voluntary turnover. Because of this, there is one key piece of advice that you need to understand in relation to job open-ings — be prepared. This means ensuring that you have the knowledge, skills and performance results needed to effectively qualify for the job as well as all of the career accelerators.

Most vacancies in your local Market (NiM level) are posted on the intranet. Note that on occasion, a position may not be posted because of the highly specialised skill set that is required to perform it, or in order to accommodate a formal functional develop-ment. If you are interested in a job posting, consult your HR Business Partner to discuss the next steps. Prepare for the interview with the same level of intensity that you would for an external job opening with a different company. Ask for a Job Success Profile to understand the position and what is involved. Be ready to clearly explain how you would add value to the department and help solve any challenges that it is facing.

Nestlé will do its part as well. Whenever possible we will give preference to internal employees. We believe that this is part of our obligation to assist you in achieving your long-term career goals. Nestlé has established some key processes to accomplish this, such as Talent Assessment and Succession Planning.

Besides local job openings, if you are interested in a posted job outside your current Market, your HR Business Partner will support by evaluating your qualification for the job, guide you through the process and connect you to the market which posted the position. Please be aware that this does not necessarily mean that the rules of international expatriation will be applied to your case. In general, local conditions and terms are applicable.

| Your Career at Nestlé | A Practical Guide for Employees to Navigate their Career 9


Talent Assessment and Succession Planning Nestlé uses the Succession Planning process to plan career development and to fill middle and senior-level jobs. In essence, the succession plan details all of the key jobs in Nestlé with a listing of forecasted poten-tial successors for those posi-tions. Information is maintained on potential succes-sors’ current level of readiness and development, in-cluding whether the person is ready now, in the near future, or later on.

Input for these succession plans is drawn from a variety of sources, including the Employees’ Profile (career history) and Talent Assessments, their Performance Evaluation results, and other Progress and Development Guide data. It is important for

you to receive feedback after the different calibra-tion processes, so that you can plan your development together with your line man-ager accordingly. To define high quality development plans it is crucial to apply the 70 / 20 / 10 model. The

concept states that only a blend of different learning approaches in concert will provide powerful develop-ment .

The Talent Management Cycle at Nestlé

Experience

HIGHER LOWERDevelopment impact

Relationship Education

70% 20% 10%

10

3. Feedback to employee

MB

S +

Peo

ple

Pla

n

1. PDG discussion and update

2. Talent Assessment, Succession Planning and Calibration

4. Implement development actions

Experience

HIGHER LOWERDevelopment impact

Relationship Education

70% 20% 10%


General Career AdviceKnow yourself and do what is right for youIf you are already sure about your aspirations, talk to your line manager about this in your PDG. Together you can assess possibilities and define an action plan to achieve the set goal. You will have the responsibility to work on the defined actions to close the identified gaps. Focus on defining development opportunities to support the critical experience.

If you are not sure, explore together with your man-ager, or HR Business Partner, possible paths for your individual development. Or start already today and work through your personal career development workbook on our Corporate HR intranet page. After that you will be better prepared for your PDG discus-sion with your manager.

You should avoid taking any role simply because it is the “right thing to do.” For example, people often take a people manager role thinking that it is the next logical move, only to find that they do not really like the duties involved with the role. As a result, the organisation loses an outstanding contributor and gains an unsatisfied or ineffective manager in return. To be satisfied and effective, you need to take a close look at what you really want out of your career and what your strengths are and think about the roles and assignments that will fulfill these. Be honest to yourself !

Focus on development, not titleThe reality of a flat, flexible organisation is that there are fewer levels for hierarchical movement, but more opportunities for lateral development. The question that you really need to ask yourself in each role

is, “Am I growing and developing ?” Taking this mindset will open your eyes to a broader range of opportunities in the organisation, and help you see the development potential that exists in each role.

Think long-termA career is a marathon, not a sprint. Try not to put undue pressure on yourself by setting unrealistic expectations or timetables. Opportunities tend to present themselves on irregular schedules which may or may not follow your own timetable. By having a longer-term perspective, you can be more selective, taking the kinds of roles that will provide you with the best possible development and long-term opportunities.

Start earlyAs a practical matter, as we have said it is often much easier to move in and out of roles early in your career. Exploring different roles as early as possible will give you the most options later on ; e.g. cross functional projects, mission assignments.

Take advantage of unique learning opportunitiesCertain types of opportunities can provide extremely valuable experience that is hard to replicate anywhere else. Examples of these include start-ups (new brands, products, businesses, work units, locations, facilities, companies, etc.), shut-downs, business turn-arounds, etc. These opportunities tend to present themselves on an irregular basis, so you have to be willing and prepared to take them on as they arise, even if the timing is not ideal.

11


A career is like a long journey. It does not always follow the route you set out, sometimes there are deviations along the way and you do not arrive as quickly as you had hoped. However you are able to enjoy the ride and have unplanned positive experiences along the way. Taking this view of your career enables you to keep things in perspective.

Final Thoughts

There will be times when you are moving along as you planned, and other times when your progress is slower than you planned. There are times when you take side roads to experience something new and different or you decide to change your original destination.

Taking this view of your career enables you to keep things in perspective. Ultimately you have to be the driver and choose the road that is right for you. However, Nestlé wants to provide you with all the assistance that we can along the way.

We hope that this document has helped you more clearly understand how to build your career here at Nestlé. If you have additional questions, please talk to your manager or Human Resources.

Create your own opportunities.If you see an opportunity in the organisation for a specific role or project that will increase sales, save money, or otherwise make us more efficient or effec-tive, take the initiative to discuss it with your manager. As with any business opportunity, you will want to clearly research and document the specific savings or opportunity, and how this role or project will serve to achieve it.

Make sure you embrace the Talent & Performance Management processes and tools (PE / PDG) and have regular discussions with your manager about your performance and development. Maintain your personal data (e.g. career history, PDG / PE history, training, mobility) up to date in Globe.

Be open.Successful employees tell us that they view each potential opportunity in the organisation as an adven-ture for themselves (and their family). For example, the location, setting, or responsibilities of a particular opportunity may not be what you had originally considered, but if you approach it with an open mind and view it as a unique opportunity to see and experi-ence new and different things, you will begin to see it in a very different light. Those who have been the most successful in advancing their careers have taken this approach to each opportunity along the way. Finally, keep open - minded, personal development occurs not only through job moves !

12

We are glad you are here and wish you all the best in your career at Nestlé !

© Copyright 2012, Nestlé Corporate Human Resources

Talent & Organisation Development

Date post:	23-Jan-2022
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	2 times
Download:	0 times

Your Career at Nestlé

Documents