Employers fail staff when it comes to career development

Despite having the best intentions, employers are failing to provide the right support for employees wishing to enhance their careers, according to research from global HR consultancy BlessingWhite. The State of the Career Survey found that only 30 per cent of respondents feel existing approaches to career development are hitting the mark, even though 48 per cent believe their company is committed to helping staff achieve personal goals.

BlessingWhiteís research assessed the impact of varying career progression tools at an individual level. The findings reveal a stark difference between the perceived value of different methods, with impersonal, generic techniques deemed the biggest waste of time.

Printed resources such as brochures or career guides, career centres and online communities were found to be least useful in supporting progression. In fact, of the 15 career development tactics investigated by BlessingWhiteís survey - ranging from job posting boards and published career paths to online career information - nine were considered somewhat or very unhelpful by around half of respondents.

In contrast, the most effective tools can be personalised to meet employeesí specific requirements. Over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) found training workshops and secondments to be very or extremely helpful. A further 26 per cent praised the value of career coaches and consultants, while 25 per cent felt mentoring programmes were useful in supporting progression.

Tom Barry, UK managing director of BlessingWhite, hopes employers will take these findings as a wake up call and pay greater attention to the needs of staff. He comments: Many organisations are all too quick to blithely state that employees are their greatest asset. However, in our experience this often not reflected in the level of effort put into developing talent and retaining the best workers.

If employers fail to establish a genuine connection with staff then they will continue to suffer from a high turnover and the associated problems this brings. Weíve all heard the old adage that itís more cost effective to retain an existing client than win a new one, and the same can be said for employees. Rather than simply ticking boxes with a range of potentially useful - if sometimes expensive - information tools, companies must find a way to offer more personalised career support that meets peopleís personal, and professional, goals - as well as those of the organisation.