Are your business leaders engaging employees in career pathing?
Too often, employees assume that they have to leave a job and go elsewhere to progress in their careers or shift into a new type of role, never even realizing the potential for internal mobility that exists within their current company.
After all, no one wants to do the same job forever and feel stuck.
If you’re consistently hearing variations of “I’m leaving to advance”, “I’m leaving to try something new” or “I don’t think I have a future here” in exit interviews, you need to course correct.
Enjoying tangible opportunities for growth and progression without leaving an organization is an incredibly important part of the employee experience. But to become an employer of choice who holds on to employees for the long term, you have to let your people know about these opportunities and help them visualize their future at your company! This is where career pathing comes in.
In this blog, we’ll discuss:
What is employee career pathing?
Career pathing is the process of planning an employee’s growth and progression within a company based on their interests and professional goals. Employees consider where they are now and the position they’d ultimately like to attain – along with the experience, knowledge and skills they’ll need to acquire and the various roles they need to occupy first.
What effective career pathing includes
Career pathing occurs between managers and employees, with managers seeking to understand employees’ priorities and helping them understand their options and a realistic timeline. Although it can be part of a formal annual review, it’s a good idea to revisit this conversation regularly throughout the year to ensure employees are staying on track and adjust the plan if needed.
It often involves:
- Creating unique, personalized development plans.
- Establishing standards for readiness to move on to the next phase of the plan.
- Assessing skills and competencies as employees progress through their plan.
- Providing access to mentorships and coaching.
- Enabling employees to shadow the people who occupy their desired roles.
- Cross training employees.
- Offering regular feedback on performance.
How is career pathing different from employee development and succession planning?
Career pathing: Maps how employees can move specifically within your organization – either upward or laterally across departments and teams – to get the experience, knowledge and skills needed to achieve their personal career goals.
Employee development: Enhances the knowledge and skills that employees need to keep contributing meaningfully to their organization in their role, support business strategy and goals, close skills gaps, operate successfully.
Succession planning: Identifies the right people to step into leadership roles when the opportunity arises and ensuring that, in the meantime, they develop the skills needed for these roles. It’s all about populating the leadership bench with high-potential employees who demonstrate a capacity for management.
To sum up the big differences: Think of career pathing as one part of employee development and succession planning. Indeed, it can support both. But where employee development and succession planning are about developing an employee in alignment the company’s current and future needs, career pathing is often more about what the employee needs personally.
Why does career pathing matter?
It comes down to boosting employee engagement and retention.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that median tenure for employees in the private sector is only 3.5 years.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 44% of companies do not provide career pathways to employees. Meanwhile, more than 75% of employees look at positions at other companies. This indicates that a perception of limited to no opportunities to progress within companies could be a significant driver of turnover.
For employees to remain engaged and fulfilled, they need to understand what their future could be at your company. Abundant opportunities translate to a reason for employees to stay put. Perceived lack of opportunities compels employees to look elsewhere – outside your company – for their next move.
Frequently asked questions
What are some key elements of career pathing?
Effective career pathing includes clearly defined growth paths, skill and competency expectations for each role, ongoing manager-employee conversations, and access to development opportunities such as training, mentorship and cross-functional experience. It also requires transparency so employees understand what it takes to progress.
How does career pathing differ from employee development?
How does career pathing increase employee engagement and retention?
Key takeaways
- Career pathing is mapping out an employee’s future at your company, including each step involved in getting them toward their ultimate professional goals.
- It is a one-on-one conversation that takes place regularly between managers and employees to assess progress and make necessary adjustments.
- It is essential for reducing costly turnover while strengthening employee engagement and retention.
Ready to turn career pathing into clear, structured growth opportunities? Download our organizational design template to map roles, define progression and create the visibility employees need to see their future at your company.