5 signs your organisation needs a career path framework

We all want to achieve… to move forward in life, as well as in a career. It can be rewarding, lucrative, even ground-breaking.

But what’s the best way to do this?

If your organisation has a demotivated workforce or finds it hard to retain top talent, this article could be the answer to your problems.

We’re talking about career planning, and how to move staff up through the company, so they’re fulfilled and content and have a proper structure to help them along the way. This is called a career path framework, and Progression, Careerminds’ new brand, can help with that.

Let’s start off with a definition of what a career path framework actually is.

It’s a structured plan outlining the process that members of staff need to go through in order to move up the career ladder. It often involves upskilling and working their way through a series of related positions that ensure each staff member is provided with increasing levels of responsibility as they journey through the career pathway.

The stages typically include:

• Position level and title – so roles from entry level to executive level are clearly defined.
• Competencies and skills – denotes each particular skill, behaviour, and competency needed to reach each level.
• Performance metrics – these are benchmarks set out that assess performance and when staff are ready to move up.
  
  

• To develop employees: it helps workers truly understand where they currently are in their career, and maps out a defined path of advancement that mirrors their professional goals.
• To retain employees: by providing clear growth opportunities, companies can reduce staff turnover and capitalise on staff loyalty.
• To align with company objectives: a well structured career path framework will mean that the development of employees tallies with business targets, which, in turn, fosters a strategy for growth of both the business and its employees.
  
  

With that in mind, let’s look at the 5 signs that point towards your organisation needing a career path framework for your employees.

According to latest statistics, a mere 31% of employees feel engaged at work, with the UK seeing  engagement levels at all time low over the past two years. A demotivated workforce can be traced back to the dearth of career progress opportunities that are available.

Introducing a career path framework can help workers see progression and their future within that company, which should then increase their levels of engagement. After all, when staff can see that the glass ceiling can be broken, they will be more motivated to remain committed to their jobs and so perform at a higher level.

The average employee turnover rate in the UK currently stands at 35%, a figure that’s been steadily rising over the last decade. And when turnover is high, it stands to reason that staff retention is low. This is especially true in the hospitality and retail industries, as well as the technology sector, where workers are continually moving in order to snag better roles elsewhere.

If you’ve got staff moving on all the time, it costs your company money and time in training newbies. Replacing staff reportedly costs between 20% and 200% of their annual salary, depending on their skill level and experience. For example, for someone earning between £30,000 and £50,000, it will cost 20% of their earnings to replace them.

A clearly defined career path framework will show workers that they are valued, and that there is the potential for internal mobility within the company. Staff tend to leave because there’s no way for them to advance upwards. Installing a career path framework goes a long way to rectifying this issue.

Planning ahead to future-proof your business is vital so you don’t go under. That means if you aren’t succession planning – i.e. you don’t have steps in place to identify and develop potential leaders within your organisation, so they can fill crucial roles when current leaders leave – you could be shooting yourself in the foot. A resourcing and talent planning survey from CIPD notes that 56% of employers have found it more challenging over the past year to retain talent.

Just “9% of businesses have succession plans fully integrated, while 6% have given it no thought at all,” according to a 2024 survey.

Career planning with an established framework will provide clarity on how your employees can move into leadership roles with dedication and hard work. For the company, mapping out defined career pathways for members of staff means potential leaders can be pinpointed early on, and provided with vital development programmes.

Why would this be? Could it be that, when researching your company, potential employees see that there is no career progression available?

The same CIPD survey states that “Competition for well-qualified talent has increased over the last year, according to 69% of respondents. Overall, 84% had tried to fill some vacancies and 64% of these experienced difficulties attracting candidates.”

Attracting top UK talent is competitive. For millennials – those born between 1981 and 1996 – who currently make up the majority of the workforce, a massive 91% “regard the potential for career progression a top priority when choosing a new job.” The data also revealed that 53% of millennials were disappointed by the lack of personal development training when starting a new job. Yet despite this, only 15% of employers deemed personalised training a priority to keep employees engaged.

To differentiate your company from others, offering a structured career pathway will help to attract, and potentially keep, skilled talent within your business, without the need to look elsewhere.

If there is no leadership support, it’s really difficult for the HR department to introduce a career path framework that will help develop employees. Having leadership buy-in is crucial, as this undertaking will need effective use of resources and time, excellent communication, and training, all for a sustained period.

If companies fail to promote from within, or employees can’t see any room for progression, they can feel under-valued or stuck in a rut. That’s where true leadership can make a difference, and clearly communicating how a career path framework will work can go a long way towards solving these issues.

Not only is a career path framework a tool that boosts employee satisfaction, it also grants you a strategic business advantage by setting you apart from the competition. Alongside this point is the fact that the Equality Act 2010 stipulates there should be equal opportunities for career progression, leading you down the path of a structured framework for members of staff.

Consider taking these next steps:

• Review your current career development programmes
• Consider introducing a formal framework
• Carry out employee surveys to find out what they would like
• Collaborate with the HR department to identify and map out a suitable career path within your organisation

Is your organisation considering developing career path frameworks for your employees? If so, we can help. Progression is our new tool, complementing the Careerminds offering by adding extra depth and knowledge to our ever-expanding wealth of expertise in outplacement and career path frameworks. Get in touch today to find out more.

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Elizabeth Openshaw

Elizabeth is a diligent, articulate, and versatile Blogger and CV Consultant with over 13 years of experience in the job search sector, including extensive expertise in outplacement services and CV reviews, supporting job seekers and all of those involved in the recruitment process. With a personable and self-assured outlook, Elizabeth consistently produces work to a high standard and hits deadlines 100% of the time. Showcases excellent organisational and time management skills, proven by 17 years as a Journalist on numerous national publications including as Features Editor on a monthly glossy magazine and as a regular contributor to Men’s Health, Slimming World and Candis. As Director of her own company, OpenDoor CV Expertise Ltd, Elizabeth displays a high level of professionalism, demonstrated by the positive recommendations and testimonials from many previous clients. Additionally, she is an active member of both the British Association of CV Writers (BACVW) and the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP), supporting people to gain work, progress in work, and retain work.