Seventy one percent of UK employees say managers aren’t offering the support needed to develop people’s careers according to data from MHR, the HR, payroll and finance software provider.
The research, commissioned ahead of National Career Development Month (November), also found employees feel as though they don’t have control of their career pathways, as two-thirds say it would progress their careers faster to have more ownership of their own development. And with 56% saying their skills could be better used across other departments, people’s potential is not currently being maximised by employers.
Another challenge for employers to overcome is the continued skills gap, with 57% of employees saying they feel vulnerable to making mistakes in their job due to a skills gap, and over half (53%) of employees saying they are thinking of leaving their job in the next 12 months because their skills aren’t being used properly. With the UK government recently re-confirming its dedication towards addressing the skills gap, through initiatives such as establishing Skills England and upending the Apprenticeship Levy into a Growth and Skills Levy backed by a £40 million investment, businesses must now work with government to use this investment wisely.
Jeanette Wheeler, Chief HR Officer at MHR commented on the research, “As business leaders prepare their 2025 talent management programmes, this data underlines that organisations must do better in supporting their people's development and maximising their potential.
“Organisational leaders risk continuing to lose staff unless they provide employees with the ownership they desire over their progression, while putting the right structures in place to control how employees progress, and ensuring a standardised approach to learning and development remains intact across the company.”
In addition to today’s findings, research from MHR earlier this year found that 70% of employees feel underappreciated within their organisation, and 20% so much so that they are considering leaving. Employees are feeling uneasy against geopolitical shifts and the constant evolution of workplace expectations, so businesses need to put the right tools in place to identify skills shortages and flight risks across their company. Leaders must provide upskilling or reskilling training to ensure people can better leverage their potential in the business by either advancing in their current position or being enabled to take on entirely new roles.
Wheeler added: “Having open and honest conversations, the right expertise and an empathy-led approach will ultimately lead to sustainable, high-performance organisations. It is paramount leaders prioritise creating a culture where their workforce feels valued and empowered to realise their ambitions. A workforce who has access to an intuitive system that provides them with personalised learning outcomes will likely stay for the long-term, which can be a true competitive advantage in today’s market.”
This latest data from MHR is a timely reminder that if employers evolve the way they approach work and see employees as project-based rather than role-based, they are more likely to attract, develop, engage and retain talent.
Wheeler concluded: “Every manager must be equipped with the knowledge to implement a development framework that accurately assesses people’s strengths and weaknesses; analyses the skills employees currently have and want to develop; and ensures they feel comfortable equipping their reports with an understanding of the active role someone can play in their own progression across the company.”
To help identify a skills gap in your organisation and the tailored recommendations you can use to mitigate this, click here.
