Employee development is a two-way street. Employees have to want to grow and develop, to learn new skills, and to hone existing skills. And employers need to provide the structure, guidance, and transparency to show employees the path forward.
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Career Sleepwalking
Unfortunately, many companies are sorely lacking in keeping up their end of the bargain. According to Blair Decembrele in an article for LinkedIn, “nearly half (47%) of all professionals ages 35-44 say they aren’t sure what their career path should look like, even after spending more than a decade in the workforce.”
She uses the term “career sleepwalking” to describe employees who are caught in a crossroads in their careers and feel like they are simply going through the motions without getting anywhere.
While Decembrele’s article discusses employees who are uncertain about their careers in general—i.e., should they stay at their current job? Go back to school? Look to relocate to a new company?—the message for employers should be clear.
Help Employees Find, and Navigate, Their Career Paths
For your existing employees, do what you can to show them their career path now so they don’t start to look at external options. Companies may be losing valuable employees if they can’t show them where they fit into the organization.
It’s crucial for managers to be engaged early and often in discussing opportunities for growth and advancement with their employees. They should know what their employees’ career objectives are, as well as be able to provide opportunities for advancement when appropriate—i.e., given satisfactory employee performance, etc.
Failing to support employees with career advancement represents not only a risk for companies that don’t do so but also an opportunity for companies that do well with employee development.
For these progressive companies, it may allow them to use their reputation in this area to attract top talent from companies that don’t meet employee needs and expectations.
Which end of the spectrum does your company fall on?