Career Pathing

Have you heard this joke?

CEO asks his CFO: “What happens if we invest in our staff training and then they leave?”

CFO says: “What if we don’t and they stay?”

As any manager knows, it’s crucial to provide professional development for employers. It shows you are committed to investing in their skills.

Deloitte research shows that more than half (53.7%) of Generation Y stated that employees should provide them with opportunities for advancement in order to retain them.

So consider “Career Pathing”.  The idea is to plot out career moves along an employee’s career, depending on their ultimate goals.  Once the path is in place, it becomes more obvious what the missing skills, necessary mentoring or trainings are required to meet the end goal.

We’ve talked on this blog before how important it is for an employer to understand the ultimate professional goals of every employee, regardless of their generation.  But career pathing is something especially relevant to your younger or newer employees, likely members of Gen Y.  Gen Y want to take their career to the next level, and they will appreciate being given the tools to do that.

Gen Y are ambitious and not necessarily loyal.  Yet they will appreciate if their employers take an active interest in their long term goals, and support them in achieving them.