Section Fourcover the essential information, convey appropriate
appreciation for the employee’s contributions, and treat the
employee with respect and as humanely as possible, but the
session should not be a debate and should be fairly short,
usually about 15 minutes.^87
SPECIAL IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
Several developments in the area of employment practices and
policies provide special implementation challenges. Career
paths for technical professionals pose one problem. Dual-career
couples provide another important challenge to strategies
requiring a mobile labor force.
Career Paths for Technical Professionals
Technical professionals, such as engineers or information
technology specialists, often face limited opportunity for career
advancement unless they leave their specialties for
management positions. Professionals who make such choices
and serve in management positions for some time find that it is
difficult to return to their previous field because their technical
knowledge has become obsolete. Companies have attempted to
remedy this problem by establishing a dual-career path system
that allows advancement on a separate technical ladder as the
employee acquires more expertise and experience. Technical