According to a study conducted by MIT Sloan, 67% of survey participants want to advance their careers. However, 49% said they lack good career advice and that it has hurt their professional trajectory. 

One effective way to address this trend and enhance employee satisfaction is career pathing. This structured approach aligns employees’ career aspirations with the company’s goals. Let’s take a closer look at what career pathing entails and why your business should implement it. 

What Is Career Pathing?

Career pathing is the process of creating a roadmap for employees, outlining potential roles and progression opportunities within the organization. To create the path, the employee and their mentor will need to examine the person’s skills, interests, and career objectives. 

It serves as a roadmap to help employees visualize their future within the company and understand the steps they need to take to make their goals a reality. 

The Importance of Career Pathing

Career pathing plays a key role in your employees’ professional journeys. You can accomplish several benefits through career pathing.

Enhance Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

When employees have a clear understanding of their career trajectory, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. Career pathing provides a sense of purpose, showing employees that your organization values their growth and is invested in their future. 

Aligning individual aspirations with the company’s objectives creates a more engaged and committed workforce. 

Improve Retention Rates

Employees are more likely to stick around if you offer clear advancement opportunities. Career pathing shows team members what’s possible and how to achieve their long-term professional goals. Through career pathing, you can reduce turnover rates and the costs associated with recruiting and training new staff. 

Attract Top Talent

Over time, your business will gain a reputation for nurturing in-house talent and promoting from within. This change in reputation can make the business an appealing destination for top talent and up-and-coming professionals. Showcase your career pathing program in your employer value proposition and recruiting content. 

Address Skill Gaps and Succession Planning

Career pathing helps identify and develop internal talent to fill critical roles. You should align career pathing with succession planning efforts to ensure you have the in-house talent to address future vacancies and avoid skill gaps. The goal is to have a pipeline of qualified candidates ready to step up when someone leaves or retires. 

Implementing Career Pathing in Your Organization

Adding career pathing to your talent management strategy is a wise move. However, it also requires proper planning. Some tips can get you started. 

Choose Your Where and Why 

The entire business can benefit from career pathing. However, it’s best to figure out which departments would benefit most. Make a list of departments or specific positions you can enhance with career pathing. 

You should also figure out why you want to implement this talent management tool. For example, if turnover among customer service reps is higher than any other position, you may view career pathing as a way of reducing churn. 

Map Out Realistic Paths

Outline paths from a line-level employee to a supervisor or upper-level manager. These paths should be realistic and clear. You want employees and potential new hires to see their advancement opportunities. 

Establish a Coaching Program

Use the list you created during step one to implement a pilot coaching program in one of the key areas of need you identified. Assign mentors or career coaches to guide employees through their career development. Conduct regular check-ins, which should be similar to academic advising meetings. 

Provide Continuous Learning

Give your team members the tools and resources they need to explore their chosen career paths. Offer training programs and workshops so team members can acquire new skills and position themselves for advancement. Encourage a culture of continuous learning to keep the workforce adaptable and prepared for changing industry demands. 

Regularly Review and Update Career Paths

The business landscape is continually changing, and so are employees’ career aspirations. Regularly review and adjust career paths to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with both organizational goals.

Team Up With AssetHR and Nurture Next-Gen Talent 

Implementing career pathing is a great way to empower your employees and support the long-term needs of your business. 

At AssetHR, we understand the importance of aligning individual growth with organizational success. Our tailored human capital management solutions can assist your company in developing and implementing high-impact career pathing strategies. 

Explore our human capital management services and learn how AssetHR can help your business prepare for the future through career pathing.