Why Employees Don’t See a Future in Your Company (and What to Do About It)

“Career development” is more than an HR buzzword—it’s critical for employee satisfaction, long-term retention, and business growth. Employees with clear career paths often have a stronger sense of motivation and direction, especially when their personal goals connect with their company’s broader goals. Effective career development strategies (everything from soft skills training to mentorship programs) promote a culture of learning and innovation, which reduces turnover and strengthens talent pipelines.

Seramount has captured thousands of employees’ beliefs about career advancement and job satisfaction through our anonymous employee listening platform. When asked about their career journeys during an Employee Voice Session℠ (EVS), most participants said their skills and talents were not fully leveraged in their current role, and only 22% of participants believed there were adequate advancement opportunities available to them.¹ Three specific obstacles continuously bubbled up:

1. Uncertainty about the path to promotion
2. Not receiving actionable, timely feedback
3. Limited access to people leaders willing to advocate for them

Career development is a shared responsibility to make professional growth intentional and sustainable within the organization. Without accessible tools to support internal mobility, organizations risk losing high-performing employees who don’t envision a future with the company.

Professional Development Opportunities Need to Be Easily Accessible

Feeling stuck in a dead-end role leads to greater disengagement and turnover. People want to know that their efforts matter and that they’re working toward something specific. Without clarity on promotion processes and advancement opportunities, employees struggle to see how their roles can evolve. In fact, only 19% of EVS participants understood what it takes to succeed at their organization.¹

In today’s talent marketplace, employees with undefined career paths won’t hesitate to look for better options outside their organization. To motivate employees and keep them on their current career trajectory, people leaders must share internal career resources and job opportunities equitably. Make sure employees at every level know how to find and use your resources so they can build a career development action plan. Standardized processes for posting or applying for a job ensure that all employees can learn which competencies and responsibilities are required for their desired roles—regardless of tenure or location.

The Art and Science of Giving Effective Feedback

Fewer than half of EVS participants reported that they received adequate feedback about their career development, and barely a third of EVS participants had received adequate feedback on their career goals.¹ Vague, inconsistent feedback frustrates employees, but guidance for future progress shows that managers value employees’ efforts and want to see them grow.

Employees who want to move up need a strong understanding of their strengths and opportunities for further growth. Managers often play a big role in developing this level of awareness, but most of them aren’t taught how to provide clear and actionable feedback at an appropriate time. Managers should be coached on the difference between performance and career-related feedback and trained to deliver each type constructively.

Fact or Fiction: Who You Know Matters More than What You’ve Done

The truth is, career growth typically depends on more than individual performance. Relationships with the right people play a critical role, but only 29% of EVS participants reported having a strong network in the workplace.¹ That’s why employees must connect with different types of leaders across the organization who can support their development goals or identify new opportunities. Mentorship and sponsorship programs can foster mutually beneficial relationships across lines of difference and close equity gaps between talent groups. 

While employees need to learn how to leverage their professional relationships, leaders need to become more inclusive advocates or sponsors to employees from all backgrounds. Seramount research found that 78% of corporate leaders tap their inner professional networks for vacant roles, yet for 91% of White executives, those networks don’t include a single person of color. Without access to influential people in other departments—high-potential employees could be overlooked for future promotions.

Want to Empower Career Growth at Every Stage? Ask Your Employees! 

Recent productivity trends have proven that if your organization isn’t willing to meet their needs, employees won’t hesitate to find an employer that will. Top employers invest in well-defined, inclusive career development strategies to nurture talent and improve performance at every level. The best way to retain high-performers is to address their specific concerns, but it can be hard to identify what employees need in order to thrive at work before they have one foot out the door. Sometimes, you can find actionable intel in employee relations hotlines, engagement surveys, or employee resource groups, but the best approach is to ask directly.

Do your employees feel like they have access to the right knowledge, feedback, or people to advance their careers? Do they see your company as a place where advancement is possible for someone like them? Our anonymous, online listening technology—Employee Voice Sessions—gives employees a safe space to share nuances about work experiences and career development needs, which helps leaders address opportunity gaps in their organization.

Connect with our team of experts to find out what your employees believe about career advancement with Seramount’s Employee Voice Session technology.

¹Seramount Consulting analyzed 3,362 employee records describing how employee networks, sponsors, and managers can affect a company’s engagement and retention efforts. Participating companies spanned technology, pharmaceutical, legal, and financial services industries. Data was collected using Seramount’s Employee Voice Session (EVS) platform, a virtual tool used to moderate and guide employees through a series of quantitative and qualitative questions. The anonymous nature of the live session allows a deep dive into the anonymous responses and allows employees to share openly with one another.