With career pathing, organizations are now able to put more focus on helping employees plan & develop their careers. 

Career pathing goes beyond helping each employee individually but has wide reaching benefits for your entire organization.

If you would like to introduce career pathing in your organization but are having trouble finding support for your project, here are some key benefits. 

Career Pathing Builds Commitment and Engagement

Most organizations would like to improve on or maintain high levels of engagement and retention. By providing employees the tools they need to grow their careers within your organization they are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere. When your employees see that the organization is taking an interest in helping them grow and invest in their development they are more likely to feel a sense of commitment to their work.

Uncover Hidden Talent and Attract New Talent

By using career pathing managers may discover things that they didn’t know about their employees, such as hidden ambitions or skills.

Sometimes an employee is in a position that is below their ability, and by using career pathing and competencies it is easy to evaluate an employee’s qualifications against a job. This ensures that you have the best people in each role.

Also, job seekers are likely to hear that your organization is exemplary in supporting and developing talent. This means that your organization will attract more qualified employees to fill job and skill gaps in your organization.

Improved Succession Planning

Today’s work environment is more fast-paced than ever, meaning organizations are having a harder time with long-term workforce planning. By using career pathing, you can avoid having to suddenly fill roles with employees who aren’t qualified and are forced to deal with a short learning curve.

With career pathing, you will know where each employee stands in terms of their competencies, and you will know how qualified everyone is to move into a leadership position.

By having regular conversations with employees, you will also know who wants to move into a leadership role and will allow you to focus on developing these employees. This also shows employees that you are thinking about their future with your organization, leading back to improved engagement and retention.

In today’s work environment, career development is no longer a personal issue, it is a professional one. By using career paths, the entire organization as well as each individual employee can benefit.

Post last updated: June 20, 2019.