In today’s world of work, employees are increasingly striving for growth and development. They want to build new skills, deepen their expertise and find meaning in their work. Yet, despite their own personal ambition, many lack the clear support and guidance needed to turn these goals into reality.
Our research found that 41% of employees are disengaged at work, despite the majority of leaders believing the contrary. This organisational misunderstanding has resulted in sub-par career support initiatives and has left people without a reliable roadmap or trusted partner to help navigate their careers. Most employees are now having to rely solely on self-direction and chance opportunities rather than intentional development.
Not only has this led to 4 in 10 people being without any form of career plan, but the number of individuals with a clearly documented and structured plan sits at just 4%. Employees simply aren’t receiving the support they need to effectively identify and achieve their goals. And in a new-look environment where the classic career ladder is no longer the main route to success, people need help understanding how to pursue lateral moves and skill-based pivots that align with their aspirations.
Unfortunately, many employees have found this help difficult to come by.
A lack of clarity and guidance from above
Our latest research found that only 1 in 5 employees say their manager supports them in mapping their career path, meaning the majority are having to learn new skills independently (29%) and figure things out through trial and error (19%). The appetite for growth is undoubtedly there from employees, but without clear guidance from their organisation, many are unable to identify and pursue relevant opportunities that will help them fulfil their potential.
This lack of direction and subsequent do-it-yourself approach to career development tells us two things: employees have a strong desire to grow and adapt in a workplace transformed by AI and ongoing change; and organisations have failed to equip their people leaders with the skills to support careers within their teams.
In fact, only half of organisational leaders say they’ve had all their managers trained to coach others in their careers, with nearly a third of organisations (29%) relying solely on performance reviews and individual development plans to drive career growth.
Understandably then, managers feel ill-equipped to conduct meaningful career conversations and lack the confidence to truly guide their teams. They want to help, but simply do not have the capacity nor training to make the development of their team members an ongoing priority.
Clearly, something needs to change.
It’s time to embrace a new model for career enablement
In order to facilitate career development for their entire workforce, organisations need to rethink their talent strategy. They need to shift away from investing all their budget on feedback and performance measurement and refocus it on what employees actually want – opportunities for internal mobility (20%) and formal development programmes (19%).
Here are just a few of the actions organisational leaders can take to better empower careers:
Create experience pathways – With the corporate ladder a thing of the past, leaders need to help employees understand how they can grow across teams and functions. Facilitate opportunities for them to learn new skills, lead exciting projects and gain varied experiences that they can use to move up or sideways as needed.
Empower managers to support career navigation – Providing them with practical guides, real-time skills data and the authority to support creative shifts. Only then can they conduct meaningful career conversations and work with employees to create personalised growth plans that enable successful transitions within the organisation.
Take a bolder approach to career development – Avoid rigid plans and instead, design small, intentional experiments that let employees explore alternative roles and skills to see what fits. These experiences will then feed into employees identifying and pursuing pathways that match both their goals and the needs of the business.
“Employees need space to test out new roles and skills to shape their own future, and you need aligned and engaged teams that contribute to the longevity and resilience of your business. Now is the time to build a more dedicated workforce and make career conversations and opportunities a living, breathing part of your culture.”
- Carole Pfeiffer Marinho – Global Business Leader, Right Management
To find out more about how you can support greater career growth and mobility into 2026 and beyond, download and read our latest report.
