Engage your Workforce

How career pathing and continuous learning can benefit your employees

BY BONNIE MONYCH

GONE ARE THE DAYS of the typical employee career path. It used to be all about climbing the corporate ladder, which had specific rungs and a clearly defined path. Now, more people are working from home and growth options don’t seem as visible.

Also, some employees just aren’t interested in learning something new to climb the ladder. This can lead to complacency not just with employees, but within your company. Defining career paths as well as instituting a continuous learning culture is key to keeping your company competitive.

Discover when career pathing is most useful

While it’s good to map career paths for employees and keep them engaged, certain situations can make career pathing even more valuable.

For example, if your organization needs people for hard-tofind positions, such as data scientists, or people with specific certifications, like social workers, career pathing is ideal. That’s because you can set up an internal pipeline just for those careers. Plus, career pathing can be beneficial when advancing team members from entry-level and junior roles.

Also, consider the recruiting advantages when clear-cut career maps are in place. If candidates see room for growth, it can help them visualize their future with your company for the long haul.

5 tips for planning employee career paths:

1. Get familiar with the career paths available in your company. Start by looking at your organization chart and explore the many different roles.

2. Make sure your career pathways are as fair and consistent as possible across the board. Look at your company’s compensation policy as you map paths.

3. Lean on your HR team for help so you can determine the training and support necessary for each pathway.

4. Remember, career paths aren’t always a straight line. Sometimes employees may want to make a lateral move.

5. Realize an employee’s career path can have a ripple effect – how will moving them affect the rest of the company?

Create a learning culture

Continuous learning is key for employees who want to progress on their career path. That’s why building a learning culture is essential for helping your team surpass their current capabilities.

Here’s how:

• Demonstrate your company’s commitment to learning: From including it in job descriptions to your core company values, your dedication to learning should be crystal clear.

• Provide easy access to training: Webinars, online training, onsite resources, and more are all great ways to help employees get the educational resources they need.

• Encourage peer learning: It’s sometimes easier to learn from peers. Promote internal knowledge sharing and encourage your people to pair up.

• Support mentorships: Passing along knowledge from more seasoned employees to other team members is a must – especially as employees move forward on their career path. A solid mentorship program is essential.

The typical corporate ladder concept may be fading, but career fulfillment hasn’t. By defining career paths, fostering a learning culture and supporting individual goals, you empower your employees to grow with your company.

Bonnie Monych, CPC, CM, is a performance specialist at Insperity, a professional employer organization offering scalable HR solutions.