As revealed in the Financial Times, only 15% of Britons aged 45-54 have received career advice in the past three years, compared to two-thirds of those aged 16-24. For younger people entering the workforce for the first time, career advice can prove invaluable in helping identify potential career pathways; but what about those who are already well established in their career?
Does the value of said advice diminish with age, or are the connotations of being “midlife” blinding businesses and individuals to the potential scope of a career beyond the age of 50? With over 2 in 5 Gen X (aged 43-58) employees suffering from imposter syndrome, personal misconceptions around inadequacy and an unwillingness to discuss vulnerabilities could be resulting in a generation missing out on key support and guidance.
That being said, there could also be more to the issue than meets the eye.
Our research has found that 1 in 5 people never have career conversations with their line manager, and over two thirds are without a written plan in place to map their professional development. Without having clear sight of potential development and progression pathways, employees can quickly find themselves with a career that’s become stagnant – doing the same job they’ve been doing for a number of years and never thinking about what they actually want from their working life.
Our recent survey found that 80% of Gen X employees are not considering retirement for their next career step, and that 28% feel trapped in their current role due to a fear of pursuing something new or unknown. So how can they overcome this fear and pursue fulfilment in the second half of their career, and what can businesses do to support them?
Career advice plays a key role.
Career advice: a three-pronged approach
For an employee to get the most out of their career, businesses, line managers and the individual must work in alignment with each other. However, with fewer than 1 in 6 Gen X employees having benefitted from career advice in the last three years, it seems that responsibilities are being neglected by all parties.
Business: Organisations are responsible for creating an environment that fosters ongoing development, where employees are encouraged to actively pursue learning opportunities and embrace the concept of internal mobility. Employees should feel comfortable speaking with their line manager about career aspirations, in the knowledge that their employer wants to support their professional growth. Only through facilitating these conversations will businesses acquire insight into what their employees want and need – enabling leaders to make more informed decisions about who to invest in.
Line management: Key to creating this culture are line managers, who must ensure they have sight of each team member’s goals and skills, conducting regular 1:1 conversations to better understand how they can support their direct reports’ careers. With so many Gen X employees missing out on career advice, there is a suggestion that managers could unconsciously overlook certain individuals based on their age and subsequent status within an organisation. They may be unintentionally focusing support on younger employees, under the presumption that older, more experienced team members won’t want or need advice. The key for managers is to let go of any assumptions and ensure that all employees have access to ongoing support and guidance.
Employee: However, individual employees must also take responsibility for their own careers. People aged 45+ will likely have responsibilities outside of work that influence their decisions inside of work. Whether it’s a mortgage, a family, or caring responsibilities, it can seem outlandish to pursue career change at a time when stability is sought after. It’s also very easy to fall into the trap of becoming overly comfortable in a specific role or function and failing to recognise the transferability of a skillset. Change will always be daunting, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be worth it. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone and being positively challenged by new responsibilities can help build self-confidence and reignite any lost motivation; which is why employees must remain proactive in managing their careers, engaging in regular self-reflection and actively seeking advice. Only then will they see the full picture in terms of where they are in their career, where they could and would like to be, and how to get there.