WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR EMPLOYEE’S CAREER GOALS
You may be wondering what’s there to know? Surely their career goals would just be to:
Make loads of money
Have loads of influence
Manage loads of people
And yes, for some people that may be the case. But a career is much more vast than the surface level rewards.
Careers are a big part of life and in life, people want different things.
I recently did a LinkedIn post about business owners needing to understand their people in order to truly succeed. Employee retention relies on employee’s feeling engaged, valued, and rewarded in ways that are relevant to them.
This is why speaking to your employees is so necessary. Assuming what they want won’t get you very far and then you’ll wonder why people feel frustrated.
NOT EVERYONE WANTS MONEY
Let’s just get this one out of the way.
Everyone wants money, meaning everyone wants to be paid fairly and have the opportunity to succeed. But some want way more money and way more opportunities than others.
For your employees that do want money:
Although you should be setting clear progression paths and having catchups with employees about their performance, be extra goal driven with those that want that pay rise.
Let them be honest about what their current salary goal is and be honest about what they need to achieve to get there, how long it will take, and what responsibilities they’ll take on when they get promoted.
For your employees that don’t want money (as much):
Don’t go overboard with the money driven targets to hit in order to progress.
It may overwhelm them and make them feel anxious to succeed, not for their own benefit but to ensure they’re pleasing you.
After hearing certain employees don’t see money as the top factor, you may be hesitant about their career future in case they lack motivation. But unless you find out what they DO want, you won’t ever know what motivates them. See here for my take on quiet quitting.
SOME WANT WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Did you know a recent study found work-life balance beat salary as the top factor in choosing a new role? (Aviva)
Here’s what motivates a lot of your employees.
If you’re a manager that is strictly against any form of flexible or hybrid working, this can be very unappealing to a large amount of your employees.
Want flexible working.
And in 2022, this isn’t something that’s considered a huge benefit anymore (check out the blog I wrote recently about the future of flexible working). As a result, in order to keep these employees engaged – and keep them in the business – offering some level of flexible working may have to be something to strongly consider.
However, flexible working isn’t the only way to ensure employees feel satisfied with their work-life balance. Creating an environment that doesn’t shame employees for not working overtime and allowing them to enjoy their lives outside of work.
SOME WANT SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITY
It may not just be a senior title or the thought of “climbing up the ladder” that excites every employee. It may be a specific title or the thought of climbing up a specific ladder that excites them.
Each person has their own passions and interests and as an employer who sees true potential in a certain employee, they should be willing to support them in their ventures and show them the right steps to take. Whether it be a true interest in client relations, more creativity, or managing staff – help them to get more involved by giving them certain opportunities to do these things and learn from others.
This will give them motivation to keep going because they know their role will evolve into something not just senior, but senior in a role they love.
Recognising these things will benefit your business just as much as it will benefit the people in it.
- Written by Oliver Howson
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