Employees want more than a job that works today. They want to know that the organization they work for can also help them build the career they want tomorrow.
Work Institute’s Q2 Quarterly Workforce Trends Report found that Career remained the leading reason employees left their organizations, accounting for 19.6% of separations. Among career-related departures, the most frequently cited drivers included:
- Different career paths
- Promotion opportunities
- School
- Development
The message for employers is bigger than simply creating more promotions or job titles. Employees want to see that they can improve, evolve, and continue to move forward with the organization and their careers.
When employees can see a future where they are with a company that is invested in their career growth, there is reason to stay and contribute. When that future becomes difficult to see, they may begin looking for it somewhere else.
Career Growth Is About More Than The Next Promotion
A promotion is one form of career growth and it is not the only one.
Employees develop when they learn new skills, take on new challenges, expand their responsibilities, move into new areas of the organization, or gain access to opportunities they couldn’t see when they started.
That is why organizations should think beyond traditional career ladders.
A career path doesn’t always move straight up. Sometimes it moves across. Sometimes it starts with a new skill or experience. Sometime an employee isn’t looking for a promotion at all. They simply want to know they aren’t standing still.
The goal is not to promise every employee a promotion. It’s to make growth possible and visible.
The Retention Question Isn’t “Are You Happy Here?”
An employee can still be satisfied with their job and still quit because they can’t see what is next. They can like their manager and enjoy their team while still wondering:
- What am I building toward?
- What can I learn here?
- What could my role become?
- Is this organization invested in my future?
- Where could I go next?
Those question matter because retention isn’t only about whether employees want to stay today. It is about whether they can envision themselves wanting to stay tomorrow.
Make The Future Visible
Ask employees what they want with their careers, what they want to learn, where they want to go, what opportunities they are looking for, and what is preventing them from moving forward.
Then connect what you hear to development opportunities, career conversations, manager support, internal mobility, and meaningful work.
Because employees don’t need to know exactly where their career will end.
They need to believe it can keep moving forward.
Career has been the leading reason employees leave since Work Institute began tracking in 2013. The opportunity for employers is to make career growth part of the reason employees choose to stay.
Want To Know What Your Employees See As Their Future?
You don’t have to guess what employees want from their careers. Work Institute helps organizations listen to employees, identify what is influencing retention, and turn those insights into strategies that help people choose to stay.
Learn how Work Institute can help you understand what your employees need to grow and stay.