Career Development Driven by “DIY” Approach

A new international survey of leaders and employees at many of the world’s largest employers, across a range of industries, shows that while today’s workers are hungry for growth, too many are on their own when it comes to career development.

The results of “The State of Careers Report” survey by Right Management, released by Right Management Great Lakes in Southfield, shows that for workers, career planning is broken.

Four in 10 workers say they do not have any career plan, while 16 percent of employees see growth defined by climbing the traditional ladder. The survey also shows 12 percent of workers are seeking management roles.

Most common among workers with a career plan is a “DIY” approach to career building.

The most cited current career plans are:

— Following their own interests and personal priorities (32 percent)
— Self-directed training or learning (29 percent)
— Seizing opportunities that happen to be in front of them (27 percent)

Right Management believes the survey should sound a new alarm for employers.

“The future of work isn’t something happening down the road, it’s developing now. The success of any business is directly determined by the strength and performance of your workforce,” says John Bourbeau Jr., president of Right Management Great Lakes. “Career support is too often seen as an annual event, rather than an ongoing strategic priority.”

The survey also shows that when bosses describe their organizations’ approaches to supporting employees and defining their career plans, the most common example cited is regular performance reviews (15 percent), followed by standard individual development plans (14 percent).

“Across industries, today’s skills are at risk,” says Bourbeau. “To prepare for the skill shift driven by AI, employees need support to know which skills to focus on and how to build them. That means providing workers with career navigation that allows them to actively explore, adapt, and grow amid this change.”

The study included 1,029 leaders and 2,402 white collar employees at 1,403 companies with more than 1,000 workers across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, and Australia.