Research from Willis Towers Watson shows that a lack of career development has continued to be a problem for workers across all sectors, including those with critical skills and those demonstrating the highest potential. Almost half (44%) of employees in EMEA feel they have to leave an organisation to advance their career.The 2016 Willis Towers Watson Global Workforce Study shows that employers in the EMEA region continue to risk losing their best employees to competitors by failing to provide adequate growth opportunities. Individuals name the chance to advance as one of the top considerations when choosing to join a new organisation, but also the second biggest reason to leave a job. This indicates a significant gap between pre-employment expectations and the actual work experience for many people.
Angel Hoover, EMEA Region Talent Management and Organizational Alignment Practice Leader at Willis Towers Watson, said: "The cost of recruitment is a significant factor for any organisation. Companies are missing out on a key retention driver by not improving their career management offerings. The term "dead-end job" used to refer largely to unskilled, low-paid, long hour's roles but, this term can now apply to a high percentage of professional positions, where individuals feel there are limited opportunities to progress and achieve greater financial success within their current organisation.
"An important component of attracting and retaining the most talented staff is for employers to be actively supporting employees in achieving their objectives and rising to new heights in their career. Without this, ambitious individuals can become disengaged and start looking around for a new role even when other aspects of the job - such as pay, benefits and company culture are meeting expectations."
According to a simultaneous survey of EMEA employer opinions, the aptitude of managers in delivering career development programmes is a key part of the issue. The latest Willis Towers Watson Talent Management and Reward Study shows two thirds (69%) of employers believe they are effective at providing traditional career advancement opportunities, and 46% say that compared with last year, career advancement opportunities are improving.
Angel Hoover continues: "Companies recognise the opportunities career management gives in strengthening an employee's long-term commitment to a company. The contradiction in results from employee and employers may relate to poor internal communication about career-management programmes. We often see where communication is done, it normally focusses on the processes and not the motivational and emotional content of why and how an employee can navigate the organisation to access growth experiences, mentor relationships and developmental assignments.
"Many companies leave the bulk of the responsibility with managers for ensuring strong progression for their team members, but this will continue to be dependent on managers' capability and resources they have to support employee discussions on the topics of career and development. Increasingly, employers can use technology to deliver a more compelling and targeted employee learning and development experience, but managers need to guide the discussion that leads to technology-based career-planning support."
About the surveys
The Willis Towers Watson Global Workforce Study covers more than 36,000 employees selected from research panels that represent the populations of full-time employees working in large and midsize organizations across a range of industries in 29 markets around the world. It was fielded online during April and May 2016.
The Willis Towers Watson Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey was conducted from April to June 2016 and includes responses from 2,004 companies worldwide. The participants represent a wide range of industries and geographic regions.