Mars

A talent development toolkit to help shape careers

Learning & Development

Internal mobility

How we created a bespoke career pathway platform for Mars

learning & development Internal mobility

Context

In 2021 Mars were reaching a pivotal point in their growth and wanted their colleagues to understand their own development possibilities within the Mars Universe. The aim was to give clarity on future career options, to stave off potential attrition and keep colleagues excited about developing their careers whilst staying in the company they love.

This wasn’t about automating career planning or simply directing colleagues to an online resource. This was about supporting line managers to lead more purposeful career conversations, and helping colleagues to feel more empowered to take ownership of their development.

Our research showed that when planning their career moves, colleagues wanted to learn from the experience of leaders and other colleagues, and get tips on what they would have done differently. They needed a place to house career maps, resources, stories of how others built a career at Mars and the learnings and experiences you get out of each role.

The solution

An internal careers portal and careers planning toolkit

We developed a central hub of valuable information which mapped out the available career opportunities within Mars and gave colleagues resources to help them plan their future career path. It provided a forum to ask challenging questions, get a birds eye view of their own experience, and hear career tips through podcasts and videos. And the toolkit provided essential resources to help them prepare for personal development conversations with their managers.

The 4 key elements

Experiences

Rather than talk about careers as a series of roles people take, we wanted careers described as a series of experiences achieved through different roles.

Opportunities

A grid format showed a birds eye view of the business structure, the job families within the business, how these work together, and the experiences and competencies colleagues would develop within each.

Ownership

The tool kit was to help colleagues and line managers prepare for career development conversations so we created a number of resources to help them – self-reflection points, questions to ask, other materials to explore, and more.

Testimonials

To inspire and bring to life the varied careers to be had within Mars, we included tips and stories from senior leaders and managers across Mars throughout the toolkit.

The results

Lower attrition and increased internal recruitment

Since launch, the site has seen full engagement and positive feedback across all colleague groups. They have seen a reduction in staff turnover and an increased number of employees moving into different roles across the business.