Does “right person, wrong role” sound familiar? It turns out the situation is fairly common.
New research from Right Management, Manpower Group’s global career and talent expert, finds that one in five people is in the wrong role—jobs they are not motivated by, engaged with or productive in.
The research is based on interviews with more than 4,600 people across 20 countries.
Finding Solutions
Right Management research also shows:
- Career advancement and job security is the No. 1 reason 38 percent of employees stay.
- Opportunities to progress is the No. 1 reason 39 percent of employees are engaged.
- Thirty-three (33) percent of employees are not engaged in their jobs or their organization.
Companies need to invest in career mobility and help employees develop their skills to gain valuable experience in ways that suit them (online, in-person, and on the job) to boost engagement and productivity, Right Management notes.
“Making sure you have the right people in the right roles is a proven way to boost engagement, productivity, and the bottom line,” said Mara Swan, executive vice president, Global Strategy and Talent, ManpowerGroup and global brand lead for Right Management. “Wrong for the role doesn’t have to mean wrong for the organization. The best companies to work for are implementing high-tech, high-touch, personalized career development strategies. Online training and assessments that come with always-on capability and real-time career-coaching is how they’re retaining and rewarding their brightest and best and filling their talent pipelines for today and tomorrow.”
Practical Steps
Right Management recommends seven practical steps for organizations to introduce an effective career development strategy that will attract, engage, and retain the brightest and best:
- Educate. Coach leaders to provide career management guidance aligned to business goals.
- Attract. Use employer branding and workforce development to attract top talent.
- Retain. Have high-touch career conversations and use high-tech tools to enable development, create a learning culture, and encourage career mobility.
- Engage. Keep employees engaged and productive by providing ongoing career coaching and opportunities to upskill.
- Redeploy talent. Offer easy access to open internal positions and opportunities for career mobility within your organization.
- Plan for future talent needs. Plan ahead and leverage tools to stay up to date with new HR, talent, and technology solutions as they emerge.
- Develop a sustainable leadership program. Identify high potential talent and prepare them to take on leadership roles.