Login
Register
Geo Locations
Why Transparency Matters
Let’s start with the “why”. If you’ve ever sat under a manager or HR person and asked, “What’s next for me?” and gotten a vague shrug, you know the frustration. Employees crave clarity. A transparent career framework combined with a strong HR development plan gives them that.
According to Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), when people believe their employer supports their growth, engagement goes up and turnover drops.
In short: transparency builds trust.
When you commit to a transparent career framework and an HR development plan, you’re acknowledging: “Yes, we see you. Yes, we have a path for you. And yes, we’ll help you walk it.”
Step 1: Define Your Career Framework
Start with the bones. You need a structure that everyone can see and understand.
Here are the key pieces:
• Map out job families (e.g., Engineering, Sales, HR) and roles within them
• For each role: list responsibilities, required skills and behaviours, typical experience level.
• Identify career paths: vertical (promotion) and lateral (moves across functions or specialisation).
• Create transparent criteria: what does “moving up” mean? What behaviours or results are needed?
Why this is so powerful: When people know what “next” means, they don’t guess. They can plan. That’s where the HR development plan comes in.
Step 2: Tie the HR Development Plan to the Framework
Now that you have the framework, you need to link it to individual development. This is where the HR development plan becomes the execution mechanism.
Think of the HR development plan as the personal roadmap for each employee, aligned with the broad career framework.
Here’s how to make that link:
• For each role level (in the framework), specify what competencies or skills are needed
• For each employee: assess where they are now, decide where they want to go (within the framework), and draft the HR development plan: the steps they’ll take, the skills they’ll build, the timeline.
• Ensure the HR development plan clearly shows how development leads to the next role or track (within the framework)
• Give employees access to the framework and their plan; make it transparent
When your HR development plan lives within the big transparent framework, employees feel empowered instead of left guessing.
Step 3: Communicate Clearly
You can have the best framework and HR development plan in the world, but if people don’t know about it, it’s invisible.
Here are some communication tips:
• Share the framework widely (intranet, handbooks, workshops). Make sure people know where to find it.
• Walk through the HR development plan process with employees and managers. Make it conversational: “Let’s map where you are, where you want to be, how we’ll get you there.”
• Train managers so they can coach their teams through their HR development plan
• Make transparency part of the culture: show how decisions are made, what criteria apply, what opportunities exist.
When people understand the “how” and “why” of the framework and the plan, buy-in goes up dramatically.
Step 4: Build Flexibility and Futureproofing
One size doesn’t fit all. Your framework should be robust yet adaptable. Your HR development plan should also anticipate change.
Modern career frameworks recognise that work changes fast and people often change direction.
So, in building both:
• Allow for lateral movement and specialisation; not just “up the ladder”
• Make sure the HR development plan includes ongoing skill-development, not just “get promoted by X date”
• Build mechanisms to revisit and update both framework and plan: what skills are emerging? What roles are changing?
• Use metrics to track how the framework and HR development plan are functioning: uptake, promotion rates, satisfaction, etc.
This ensures the system stays relevant and employees see it as meaningful.
Step 5: Make It a Living Ecosystem
Don’t set it and forget it. For a transparent career framework and HR development plan to work, they must be embedded in your HR practices and culture.
Here’s how:
• Link performance reviews, promotions, learning and development initiatives to both the framework and the plan
• Ensure managers and employees regularly review the HR development plan: quarterly check-ins, update goals, celebrate wins, adjust as needed.
• Provide resources: mentoring, training, job rotations, stretch assignments. Align them to the framework so the HR development plan has tangible supports.
• Collect feedback: ask employees what they like/don’t like about the framework and plan. Use feedback to iterate.
• Share success stories: people who followed their HR development plan, moved to next role, or changed direction. That builds culture.
When you treat both the framework and the HR development plan as tools for ongoing growth, not just annual check boxes, you build momentum.
Step 6: Sample Structure of an HR Development Plan
Here’s a simple template for the HR development plan (within your overall framework) that you can adapt.
• Employee name/role
• Current level in framework
• Target level or track
• Skills/competencies to develop
• Timeline
• Actions (courses, projects, mentoring, side-assignments)
• Support needed (manager, mentor, budget, etc)
• Check-points (dates for review)
Link each action in the HR development plan back to the role definition in the framework so the employee sees: “This skill leads to that role.” That clarity is what matters most.
Final Thoughts
A fully transparent career framework paired with robust HR development plans is one of the best investments you can make in your people. It signals respect. It builds trust. It aligns individual aspirations with organisational goals.
Here’s your takeaway:
• Build the framework
• Link everyone via an HR development plan
• Communicate openly
• Make both flexible and future ready
• Treat them as living, growing tools, not static documents
When you do that, you’ll see the change: people stay longer, commit more, feel seen, and your organisation benefits from that too.
Also read: Steps to Successfully Transition into a Career in HR
