Career paths

Sommaire:

1. Career path?
‍2. Why so important?
3. How can we help managers develop better career paths for their teams?
4. Career paths can open up new avenues for internal recruitment‍

1. Career path?

A career path refers to the sequence of jobs an individual aims to occupy within a company or throughout his or her career. It's about creating a strategic plan, similar to a roadmap, rather than a simple list of job titles. The route an employee must take to reach his or her goal, including diversions, challenges and development opportunities, is called the career path.

Each career path is distinct, as is the individual who follows it. While it's advantageous to have a general path that describes how a new employee can progress to a management position, it's not as advantageous as a personalized path based on the employee's background, skills, knowledge and experience.

It's worth noting that not all career paths are vertical, which means that not all employees want upward mobility. A horizontal career path, less common, maps out the possibilities for employees who wish to change departments or roles without fundamentally altering their duties or responsibilities.

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‍2. Why so important?

In short, employee satisfaction has become increasingly critical. The current trend of the Great Resignation shows that individuals are considering leaving an organization if it doesn't match their values and aspirations.

To avoid high Turn Over rates, which cost US companies billions of dollars a year, organizations must give priority to maintaining employee satisfaction. Replacing an employee is not only costly, but also time-consuming and has a negative impact on team morale. Conversely, engaged and satisfied employees foster a more productive and profitable business, and professional development potential is an important factor in overall satisfaction.

According to IBM research, employees crave opportunities for career advancement, which rank above other factors such as compensation and organizational stability. By offering clear career paths to their staff, companies of all sizes can retain their best talent.

An effective career path is a 'win-win' - for both employees and employers. Employees gain clarity on the actions required to advance their careers, as well as access to training and development opportunities. Employers benefit from a more engaged workforce. This mutually beneficial approach leads to optimal results for business growth.

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‍3. How can we help managers develop better career paths for their teams?

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A solid career development strategy starts with effective management. A direct superior is in the best position to understand an employee's skills and limitations, as well as the steps required for career advancement.

In this regard, managers should initiate one-on-one discussions with team members to determine their career goals, asking direct questions such as:
- What is your short- and long-term career direction?
- How can you have a more impactful impact?
- Are your skills and strengths being fully utilized?‍

After defining a career goal, the manager can work with the employee to formulate a roadmap that leads from their current position to their destination. The plan may involve promoting achievable goals, developing relevant skills .To ensure that the roadmap is available and easily accessible to employees, managers and the HR team, it should be documented and stored in a central location. Managers can motivate and track employee progress by regularly monitoring the roadmap, with dedicated discussions scheduled during performance reviews. ‍

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‍PALM is a SaaS that reinvents Talent development and retention. PALM's raison d'être is to enable everyone to reveal the uniqueness of their potential to take control of their career path. Its Talent Marketplace model works instantly and at the click of a button, connecting talent with the best internal career opportunities (projects, positions, training...), by revealing the power of HR data!
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A competent manager continually looks for potential opportunities that can benefit either his or her team members, or the organization as a whole. Identifying growth opportunities for employees is an essential responsibility of effective management, and demonstrates the manager's commitment to his team's success.

Finally, it is essential to ensure that job descriptions are accurate and complete at all levels of the organization. Clear job descriptions enable potential candidates to better understand the expectations and responsibilities of the position, ultimately increasing the chances of attracting qualified candidates.

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4. Career paths can open up new avenues for internal recruitment

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Indeed, this can be a highly effective method of filling vacancies and strengthening a team. This strategy offers several advantagesFirstly, it is more cost-effective, as existing employees are already familiar with the company, its culture and operations, reducing training time and expense.

Secondly, it can boost morale by demonstrating that the organization values its employees and is willing to invest in their professional development. This heightened sense of value can lead to improved engagement, higher productivity and better performance, ultimately leading to improved financial performance.

Finally, internal recruitment can reduce Turn Over rates by creating a culture of growth and opportunity, encouraging employees to stay with the company for the long term. To identify candidates for promotion, management can review available positions and their associated criteria while evaluating team performance.

Developing clear career paths for each position can help management identify potential candidates for promotion, even if the generic path doesn't exactly match each employee. Taking a proactive approach with internal recruitment can enable management to approach employees with exciting new opportunities and position the right team members in the right roles, leading to the development of a much stronger organization.

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