A lack of opportunities for promotion is the number one cause of resignations, according to a 2021 study conducted by the Pew Research Center in the United States. 63% of respondents who had left their job cited this reason, in the same proportion as a too-low salary. For companies wishing to hold on to their employees in the context of a taut job market, the message is clear: the support of career development must be improved.

Too often, the reflex is to entrust career development to local managers. Are they not the ones who best know their team members and who are therefore best equipped to assess their potential? In reality, this approach has proven to be rather misguided. On the one hand, managers are often poorly informed about potential career paths. On the other, they want to hold on to their best people and tend to dissuade them from leaving the team.

The highest performing companies in this regard entrust career development to a dedicated team, with three key missions: making careers paths more visible to all, providing the means to pick up new skills, and offering opportunities for feedback and coaching beyond the immediate support of the person’s N+1.

Source: Why Companies Should Help Every Employee Chart a Career Path, George Westerman, Abbie Lundberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, March 2023.