Staff Development & Career Guidance
Grow your people through learning, mobility, and honest career conversations.
Learning objectives
- 1.Conduct meaningful development discussions beyond appraisal season
- 2.Identify learning resources available to Commission staff
- 3.Balance unit needs with individual career aspirations
The manager as career coach
Staff expect managers to help them navigate EPSO competitions, internal mobility, training catalogues, and project opportunities. You cannot guarantee promotion, but you can provide stretch assignments, visibility, honest feedback, and time for learning.
- EU Learn and DG-specific training programmes
- Job shadowing and cross-unit assignments
- Conference and seminar participation (budget permitting)
- Mentoring relationships inside and outside the DG
Stretch vs. overload
Development assignments should challenge without breaking. Watch for 'high potential' staff systematically loaded with unrewarded extra work. Development must be visible in appraisal and recognised in workload planning.
Managing underperformance early
Do not reserve feedback for annual appraisal. Address performance gaps when they appear with specific examples, clear expectations, support offers, and documented follow-up. HR can advise on formal steps if improvement does not occur — but early informal intervention prevents formal misery for everyone.
Keep factual records of performance conversations (dates, agreed actions). Not for punishment — for clarity and fairness if formal steps become necessary.
Key takeaways
- ★Development is ongoing, not an annual checkbox
- ★Protect high performers from becoming the default overload sink
- ★Address underperformance early with clarity and support