The HR Checklist for Employee Development & Retention 

Without opportunities for professional development and a clear trajectory for promotion, good employees often resign well before the employer can change their mind. 

By Nadia Lambo, CHRP, CHRL

Canadian employers have made great strides with their hiring practices by shortening the interview process and the “must-have” list of skillsets in job descriptions. Hiring managers are more fastidious with selecting candidates to interview and have a vision towards hiring for the longer term. Smart business owners also skillfully employ gig workers to fulfill short-term or highly technical projects. Business owners and managers have also improved methods of onboarding and helping new hires embrace the company culture. 

One area that still seems to be lacking is employee professional development and a clear path to career growth within an organization. It’s a well-known fact that withholding these two HR foundations dramatically affects not only the employee’s performance, but engagement, retention and the bottom line.

Without opportunities for professional development and a clear trajectory for promotion, good employees often resign well before the employer can change their mind. According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Learning Report, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career. 

A recent research study by Gallup concluded that millennials currently make up half of the workforce. By 2025, millennials will make up 75 per cent of the global workforce. This cohort born between 1980 and 1996 is more connected, more highly educated, and more likely to change jobs frequently than any generation before it. A majority of millennial job seekers (59%) reported that opportunities to learn and grow were extremely important to them when applying for a job. By comparison, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of Baby Boomers felt the same.  Moreover, Gallup reported that 87% of millennials rated "professional or career growth and development opportunities" as important in a job. 

For a business owner of a small-to-medium-sized enterprise, it is a constant juggle to manage cash flow, increase revenue and manage relationships for the company. The people keeping the business engine alive are often made to feel like the lowest priority. 

A survey by Workopolis showed that the most common reasons given by an employee for a change in their career path were:

(35%) discovering a new field they were passionate about;

(24%) becoming bored or disillusioned with their original work; and

(19%) setbacks such as lack of advancement and/or cutbacks, layoffs in a career path.

In the survey, nearly three quarters said they do not expect to remain in the same profession for life. If the trend continues, Canadians expect to change approximately 15 jobs throughout their career lifespan. 

While the above statistics seem high, the reality is that with career transitioning and the fluidity of skills rapidly changing, we are moving toward a “role-less” future of work (Talent Economy). As industries evolve and increasingly automate processes and tasks previously managed by humans, many jobs will become obsolete.

Where does this leave employees who are satisfied with the company they work for, but don’t see an avenue for their own professional growth and development? The answer is simple, and all too well known: a disengaged team leads to a less than envious bottom line, a vicious cycle of high turnover, costly training and low morale. 

Developing a well-structured career development ladder is therefore paramount for every business, big or small. Career ladders or paths to career development incentivize employees over the long term to enhance their skills and knowledge. This can lead to a mastery of their current role, or promotions and transfers to new and different positions within the organization. Being prepared with a defined career ladder can also prevent unforeseen and often messy succession planning and maintain a competitive market advantage.

In addition, implementing career ladders can have a direct impact on the entire organization by improving morale, career satisfaction, motivation, productivity, and responsiveness in meeting departmental and organizational objectives. To incentivize employees and help build out a professional development plan, LDHR has provided the following checklist to help business owners start one for their team:

Keep communication lines open.

According to WORKBOARD [infographic], 72% of employees think their performance would improve with more feedback. Keeping an open line of communication with the staff who seem interested in career progression is the first step towards preparedness. Understanding what their goals are, and how that will affect the organizations long-term objectives are both important aspects of developing a career ladder. While it should go without saying, the leaders of the organization must be aligned with this plan to experience the full benefit.

Set clear milestones.

Career ladders cannot be climbed overnight. Set milestones with your team. Clear expectations hold both employer and employee accountable to ensure success is attainable as each rung is climbed.

Encourage mentoring and coaching.

Businesses can look internally to support employee growth and professional development through mentoring and coaching programs. According to GlassDoor, the modern workforce has changed, and employees no longer respond well to demands or orders. Rather, managers must learn to work in tandem with their employees, similar to a coach or mentor. Most managers relish in the opportunity to pass on skills or knowledge to their employees.

Provide feedback regularly, and in real-time.

Millennials, in particular, are a savvy generation who are used to an always-on connected culture of likes, follows and commenting seconds after posting to social media. It is no surprise then that comprehensive feedback practices translate directly to employee engagement within an organization. Highly engaged workers outperform other companies by as much as 200%. 

Defining the career ladder takes time, energy, focus and commitment. In the end, nothing lasts forever, and an employee may still switch companies or their career, as the statistics demonstrate. By providing employees with the resources to grow professionally, and by equipping them with the knowledge and experience to continue progressing in their career, you may just be setting up your own masterful succession plan. Need help creating a learning and development process for your employees? 

About the Author

Nadia Lambo is an HR consultant with LDHR and senior level manager with over 15 years’ experience in management and human resources. She has proven success working with executive teams developing and integrating the human resource function with the organizational strategy. When not working, you can catch Nadia enjoying “the now” with friends, family and a glass of wine!