Why Progression Plans Are Important In Management

In the space of good management, one factor will always stand out: the progression plan. 

This is one of the 5 components of performance management, the 4 being:

1. GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

2. PROGRESS MONITORING

3. CONTINUOUS MONITORING

4. REWARD AND RECOGNITION

This is something many HR (Human Resource) teams use to create a tangible, effective system that helps employees track performance to in turn support employees in progression and overall satisfaction at work. This can’t be complete without the progression plan.

But the reality is, 99% of employers promise progression, and many of these employers promise a clear progression plan… but it never comes to fruition. 

Instead, employers play things by ear and loosely track employee performance and decide to promote them as and when they feel suitable – usually without including the employee in the process.

For many bosses, that’s a reasonable way of going about it, but without creating a well-thought-out progression plan, ideally, one that’s individual to each employee, these employees will find it difficult to know exactly what you want them to work on because – news flash – they can’t read your mind. This means longer periods between promotions – which frustrates the employee – and longer periods of you waiting for improvement – which frustrates you. 

So yes, going out of your way to strategise with your HR department and come up with progression plans will take time, but it will be beneficial in the long run to both you and your employees. Here are 5 reasons why:

IT GIVES EMPLOYEES DIRECTION

Your employee wants to feel like they’re working towards something. They have ambitions to climb the career ladder and become more financially stable. But how can they work towards better when that ‘better’ hasn’t been mapped out by their boss?

Direction is what breeds motivation. If an employee feels like they’re endlessly reaching for the stars with no assurance that they’re getting closer, it’s going to feel underwhelming and quite frankly, like there’s no point in trying hard.

With direction, employees won’t just know where they’re aiming for, they’ll also know where they are now and how to get to the next step. Humans are target-driven by nature, and these targets may not be as numerical or objective depending on the job, but targets can be flexible enough to suit the person, but also clear enough so they can work with clarity towards the next step.

IT RETAINS EMPLOYEES

Good culture, a great industry, with managers that care should surely be enough to retain employees, right? Wrong. 

Stagnancy is such a demotivating thing to experience in a job and this will not only encourage disengagement in your employees, it will encourage resignation. 

According to a study by CareerAddict.com, 82% of participants say that a lack of progression would influence them to leave their jobs.

If you want your employees to invest in your company and feel like they could see themselves staying for a long period, you need to invest in their future. 

Giving them a solid and clear plan will give them a solid and clear goal to look towards, where they don’t just feel motivated to achieve, but valued by their employer who wants them to achieve.

IT HELPS MANAGERS IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EMPLOYEES

As I said above, employees need to feel valued by you. They also need to feel like they can trust you, they can communicate effectively with you, and that you know them.

All these things will develop with a strong progression plan in place. This is going to give you a chance to speak 1-1 with them, understand their goals, and what hurdles they’re facing. 

Although there will be things that are standard procedure, a progression plan isn’t supposed to be a carbon copy for each person. It’s supposed to allow you and your employee to work together to identify what needs to be worked on and how it can be improved.

By doing it this way, an employee feels appreciative that you’re taking time out of your day to support them and that you genuinely care about them as an individual. Far too many employees don’t feel valued by their managers so if you want to avoid that with your team, this is a great place to start.

IT GIVES MANAGERS SOMETHING TO TRACK

How can you know it’s the right time to promote that employee? Look at the progression plan.

Are they ready for additional responsibility? Look at the progression plan.

You won’t ever have full clarity and assurance of an employee’s success if you haven’t got a plan that provides full clarity and assurance of where they are.

You’ll either overestimate how well they’re doing when a few meetings with them will reveal areas they need to improve - or you’ll underestimate, leaving them frustrated that you’re not recognising how well they’re doing.

IT HELPS MANAGERS IMPROVE THEIR MANAGEMENT STYLE

Performance management as a whole is yes targeted towards employees to ensure they succeed and feel supported, but it also has a natural impact on the management team. 

You’ll learn so much about:

• Communication and how to relate to people

• Your team: how they feel and how they’re individually progressing

• What strategies and training you can develop 

• Your own progress and how you can improve your management

It’s a win-win.

A manager can’t truly manage without being committed to continually developing a strong understanding of those who work for them. You’ll end up blindly putting things in place that are irrelevant to your employees and missing out on opportunities to identify areas of growth.

- Written by Oliver Howson

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