It is the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure and transitions in order to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future.
Team Member Owned
Manager Facilitated
GitLab Supported
70-20-10 Rule for Development
Additional Questions to Think About
During our Career Development workshops at Contribute, May 2019 we took team members through tips to creating a clear growth (aka development) plan. Below are the resources from that session:
There are various internal opportunities to expand a team member's exposure to multiple parts of the organization. These include:
Career development is a key factor in team member engagement and role satisfaction. As part of the FY'20 GitLab annual engagement survey results it was clear that team members want to have meaningful conversations with their managers on an annual basis or even more frequently. Starting in FY'22 we will be tracking career development conversations via BambooHR.
This process is just an acknowledgement by the team member that they have had career conversations. Aligned with the Performance/Potential matrix cadence, formal career conversations will ideally happen twice per year:
The bi-annual cadence is not required, but recommended. Some team members may prefer annual career conversations, other team members may prefer more informal check-ins quarterly. This is a personal decision that should be made between team member and manager. The minimal recommended cadence for career development conversations is annnually, the most frequency recommended cadence is quarterly.
Please note that while managers can facilitate career development conversations with team members and help guide growth plans by using our internal resources, managers cannot complete the acknowledgement process for team members. The team member is responsible for the acknowledgement in BambooHR.
Starting FY'22 (exact date is TBD) team members will receive a notice via BambooHR to acknowledge that a career conversation has occurred. By signing the acknowledgement you are confirming that you have indeed had a career development conversation during the specified time period (Q2 or Q4 respectively).
We have started this process at GitLab by defining Junior, Senior and Staff advancement levels. Career Mapping helps GitLab team-members to understand and develop the skills they need to achieve their goals, giving them clear criteria. Mapping helps managers and leaders internally develop the skills and knowledge they need to achieve future business goals. The key to this is to identify the key skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to master each level. Another essential tool is a career development plan, here are some examples:
Managers should discuss career development at least once a month at the 1:1 and then support their team members with creating a plan to help them achieve their career goals. If you would to know more about this please checkout the career mapping course video
As is highlighted in our Leadership section, GitLab team members should not feel pressure to climb the proverbial ladder. We recognize that not everyone wants to advance or move to a new level, and that is supported. Developing one's skills and promotion at the company are not mutually exclusive.
It is perfectly acceptable to seek out learning and development opportunities — to sharpen one's understanding of a coding language to better understand a function, etc. — yet not strive for promotion beyond your current role. Some team members are happier and more productive without managing a team, for example.
As detailed in GitLab's Definition of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging , we recognize that unique characteristics and experiences form how we as individuals approach challenges and solve problems. They also shape how we view success in our individual careers and lives. Not everyone views promotion as a measure of success, and team members will not be thought less of or penalized for holding this view.
As part of GitLab's Transparency value, team members are encouraged to be open and honest with their manager. You are encouraged to learn and develop your skills without pressure to in turn seek promotion. If you feel you are not being supported in this way, please visit the Need Help? portion of the People Group Handbook.
Effective FY21, each member of the E-Group will have a performance conversation with their direct manager, the CEO, at the beginning of the new fiscal year. These conversations will assess alignment to each of our credit values, performance and personal development.
The E-Group will follow a similar process to our GitLab team member process with the additional requirement of a self review.
Performance Factors
Compensation Reviews
When conducting compensation reviews for the E-Group, GitLab will review two items:
