UK employees are dissatisfied with their career advancement and skills. 71 percent feel that their managers do not provide the support they need to advance in their careers.
According to research conducted by MHR, a provider of HR, payroll and finance software. MHR conducted a separate study earlier this year that found 70 percent of employees felt underappreciated by their employers, and 20 percent were considering leaving. Geopolitical shifts, changing workplace demands and evolving expectations are all contributing to this unease. Businesses feel more pressured to take action.
Employees Seek Greater Control Over Career Pathways
Recent findings indicate that employees want more autonomy to shape their career journeys. Two-thirds said they would be more likely to advance their careers if they had greater control over the development of themselves. 56 percent of respondents believe that their skills can be used better across departments, indicating a talent pool within the workforce which businesses are yet to discover and utilize. Leaders are urged to provide upskilling or reskilling programs, which will help employees reach their full potential.
Jeanette Wheeler commented on the study: “As business executives prepare their talent management programmes for 2025, these data highlight that organisations need to do better at supporting their people’s growth and maximising potential.
“Organisational Leaders risk losing staff unless the give employees the ownership over their progress they desire, while putting in place the right structures to control how employees advance, and ensure a standardised learning and development approach remains intact throughout the company.”
Skills Gap And Retention Challenges
The survey shows how the skills gap continues undermine employee satisfaction and confidence. Insufficient skills make employees feel vulnerable. 57% of respondents report that they are worried about making mistakes.
Wheeler continued, “Open and honest conversations will lead to high-performance, sustainable organisations. The right expertise, coupled with an empathic approach, is the key.” Leaders must create a culture in which their employees feel valued and empowered. “A workforce that has an intuitive system which provides them with personalised outcomes is more likely to stay in the company for a long time, and this can be a competitive advantage today.”
The findings are in line with the renewed efforts of the government to close the skills gap on a national scale. The onus is however on the businesses to complement these efforts by integrating tailored programmes that meet their organisation’s needs. In order to address the gap between employee expectations, and what organisations are offering, a proactive approach in identifying skills shortages combined with meaningful investments in employee development will be crucial.
Wheeler concluded that “every manager must have the knowledge and skills to implement a framework for development which accurately assesses the strengths and weaknesses of people; analyzes the skills they currently possess and wish to develop; ensures they are comfortable informing their reports about the active role one can play to progress within the company.”
