In today’s competitive job market, companies are finding it more challenging than ever to motivate and retain top talent. With unemployment rates low, employees have ample options and are continuously evaluating whether their current role provides opportunities for advancement. Now more than ever, organizations need to prioritize professional development in order to engage and incentivize their people.
Managers play a pivotal role in championing employee’s career growth. But with limited positions available, how can they motivate the team? While you may not have a promotion to offer every employee, you can cultivate engagement and loyalty by focusing on long-term career development.
Implementing strategies to support professional growth and advancement will equip your people to thrive in the years ahead. Here are some best practices for managers to motivate employees in their careers, even when job openings are scarce.
Incorporate Development into Performance Reviews
The annual or bi-annual performance review meeting provides the perfect opportunity to discuss career development and collaborate on growth goals. Managers should make it a priority to have meaningful conversations about what each employee wants to accomplish in the next 12 months and beyond. Ask insightful questions to understand their interests, strengths, and aspirations. Then, work together to outline 2-3 concrete objectives that will help the employee gain new skills, take on additional responsibilities, or work toward a promotion. Make sure to document these objectives and check in regularly to track progress. Setting aside dedicated time to focus on career advancement during reviews demonstrates the company’s commitment to professional growth.
Create Individualized Development Plans
While managers should provide guidance, each employee needs an individualized plan tailored to their goals. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach by getting to know what motivates each person. Some may want to move up to leadership roles, while others are interested in expanding technical expertise. Validate all career goals and discuss what it will take to get there.
Map out targeted training programs, stretch assignments, mentorships, and other growth opportunities that align with the employee's unique aspirations. Ask for their input and ideas while you work together to build the plan. Revisit it often to update progress and adjust as needed. Customized development plans show employees their professional growth is a priority.
Assess Long-Term Potential
It’s short-sighted to look at employees just in their current role. Great managers take a big-picture perspective and consider what employees could achieve in the next 5-10 years. Assess strengths they can continue leveraging. Identify untapped skills to cultivate or new areas where they could excel. Share your perceptions of their potential and ask for their own self-assessment.
Have candid conversations about capabilities, passion areas, and how they envision their futures at the company. This assessment enables more strategic career planning based on growth potential, not just immediate job performance.
Maintain Records to Identify Internal Candidates
Documentation is key for identifying your top in-house talent when opportunities arise. Keep detailed records of each employee’s career development plans, training completed, and project histories. When the time comes for promotions or high-visibility assignments, you’ll be able to easily recognize qualified internal candidates. They’ll appreciate you advocating for their advancement. Prioritizing and rewarding growth motivated employees to continuously improve
their skills.
Make Professional Growth a Company Priority
For optimal motivation, professional development must be woven into the culture, not just discussed annually. Company leaders should implement mentor programs, training initiatives, tuition reimbursement, and other resources to provide ongoing support. Managers need to have advancement criteria built into their own evaluations. When the entire organization rallies around career growth, employees are empowered and inspired to take charge of achieving their goals.
With some strategic planning, managers can champion professional development and motivation even when job openings are limited. By incorporating it into reviews, creating customized plans, assessing potential, documenting progress, and making it a company-wide priority, you can enable employees to thrive for years to come.
About Jennifer Morehead
Jennifer Morehead is the CEO of Flex HR as well as an entrepreneur, sales and marketing expert, and an independent board member. Morehead prides herself on building strong teams that exceed expectations for their clients. She is the co-author of Make Your Business Social and the author of CEO From Home.
Before Flex HR, Morehead successfully launched and ran a company that created marketing solutions for local businesses throughout the country. She created a high-growth environment for her business while also running human resources in addition to her duties as CEO. Before her marketing solutions business, she helped run a sales department at a media company that included roles in recruiting, hiring, and putting together new employee training sessions.
Morehead has always been passionate about human resources and finding new ways to improve efficiency in the workplace. This passion led her to create Flex HR, a company that provides custom human resources solutions for businesses of all sizes. Through her years of experience and expertise, Jennifer Morehead has become a leading authority on the management of human resources and the creation of a productive and thriving workplace.
About Flex HR
Flex HR is a human resource outsourcing and consulting firm that offers a wide range of services to its clients. The company is located in the Metro Atlanta area and specializes in providing high-level strategic consulting, HR back-office administration, regulatory compliance, organizational development, benefit solutions, recruiting, training, payroll, employee websites, and more. Flex HR is committed to customizing plans for each client and providing the best possible service. Flex HR delivers intelligent HR expertise that allows companies to concentrate on their internal resources that will grow their core business. For more information, visit flexhr.com and follow Flex HR on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
