Task 3 (c)Today the psychological contract is evolving and because of the changing nature it is likely to impact the HR professional’s own personal development needs. The psychological contract defined by Sims (1994) as “specific expectations held by the both the employee and the employer to give and receive in the course of their working relationship,” is likely to impact the HR professional’s personal development due to its changing nature. Poulsen (2006) refer to the new psychological contract as “the employee can no longer rely on the organisation to provide standard careers but instead each employee is responsible for their own market value, personal development and career advancement.” Personal development is an ongoing/continuous process which allow for individuals to access their skills and qualities and to set achievable goals in order to maximise their potential.

It is important for the HR professional to engage in continuous professional development (CPD) as defined in ABE handbook (2017) as “the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities, with a view to progressing their career.” The HR professional can engage in self-development to benefit/improve career prospects and at the same time demonstrate to your employer the ability to define your worth in growing and progressing. There must be an interest by the HR professional to aspire towards setting goals based on personal values and beliefs which can take the form of being career based, personal or academic to achieve career success, career defined as “the sequence of positions that an individual undertakes throughout the life cycle” Hall (1978).

The HR professional need to develop a strategy for growth and personal accomplishment which can lead to self-actualisation as can be identified in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the ultimate satisfaction level for humans is self-actualisation. Some of the benefits which can be derived through personal development include; self-reliance, self-awareness, learning and improve performance, improve reflective thinking skills and improved work life balance.The changing environment of business means that employers no longer promise; job security, promotion based on time served, how long the company will be in business etc. The HR professional should develop a keen interest in knowledge expansion to assist in making decisions for the future and a well established personal development plan gradually monitoring progress.