According to a report by Randstad RiseSmart, an outplacement and career mobility provider, employees aren’t optimistic about getting promoted within their current company, with 43.2% saying they don’t have enough opportunities for internal mobility.
The Randstad RiseSmart’s Career Mobility Report, which surveyed 150 companies and 150 employees, shows that 48% of employees say their managers don’t seem open to them switching roles within the organization. However, 86% of employers are looking to hire internally to fill open positions. Similarly, 90% of large employers said that employees had enough opportunity to job-hop within the company.
This study highlights the clear disconnect in perception around development opportunities between employers and employees. Despite 73.5% of employers believing that they offer their employees enough training and career development opportunities, only 53.2% of employees believe the same. and, in wake of The Great Resignation, a company’s ability to communicate effectively is key to maximizing worker satisfaction and retention.
“Individuals are telling us that they want to learn new skills to be able to grow and develop their careers, and businesses want to train their employees so they can advance within the company. But for some reason, they can’t get on the same page,” said CEO Dan Davenport in a press release.
Randstad RiseSmart’s data also found that half of all Americans feel undervalued at work. With over 34 million employees quitting their jobs this year, the pressure is on businesses to provide the tools necessary to combat high employee turnover. While companies claim to want to fill open positions internally, they either aren’t communicating this sufficiently to their workers or aren’t implementing the right talent strategies to spark internal mobility and career development.
According to Davenport, there are several mobility strategies businesses can implement to increase employee morale, career coaching being one of them.
“We think coaching is a great tool to leverage,” Davenport tells CNBC Make It. “Particularly external coaches who can come in and provide a safe place for employees to have discussions about what’s important to them and how can they grow and build successful careers inside the company. We find that has a big impact.”
With increasing uncertainties due to the latest omicron variant and the current labor shortage, employees and companies alike are nervous about future business challenges. Less than 50% of employers have a positive outlook on the U.S. economy, with 14.8% of employees sharing that same view. However, regardless of these circumstances, both employers and employees believe their workforces are ready to handle business obstacles, especially when it comes to internal reskilling opportunities.
“Employers are trying to do whatever they can to keep their employees engaged and try to keep down attrition by investing in their workers,” Davenport says. “Employees have a lot of options right now, not only to go work at other companies but to pursue things that are more important to them. Businesses have to take an employee-centric approach and make sure they’re providing highly personalized opportunities to help their employees move around their organization.”
Check out:
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