Retention Dimensions 2023 - The Suspension Dimension
RETENTION DIMENSIONS 2023
Retention Dimension #2: THE SUSPENSION DIMENSION
How Can I Retain Employees Who Feel Suspended in Their Careers and/or Don’t See the Prospect of Career Movement?
Hopefully you read part one of my Retention Dimensions series about the status of the Great Resignation and have begun to have those Stay Interviews with your most prized, talented, and potentially-at-risk employees. I hope those conversations have been enlightening and empowering. I am sure your employees have appreciated them.
In Part 2 of the series, we are looking at the second Retention Dimension: The Suspension Dimension. In this article we are addressing that precarious position some of your best people can find themselves in…floating in mid-air with little or no hopes for the future career with you.
Let’s think about career advancement. What image comes to mind? Odds are it’s a ladder. Which may explain why so many employees see themselves stuck on one rung and unable to move until the one above is vacated. By now, most people know the ladder is an outdated and unrealistic model of career development and has been for some time. Careers consist of a range of experiences that ultimately come together to form a cohesive whole. So, if you want to stem the tide of both great and innate resignations, you’re going to have to offer alternatives to the “up is the only way” career model.
Over decades of studying careers around the globe, I’ve learned that career mobility can mean growing, stretching, learning, and transforming without ever changing job titles or cubicles. Career mobility is the responsibility of each individual to define and to live out. And it’s up to you as thier manager to you’re your employees to understand that there are more directions to move than “up.” It’s one of management’s greatest challenges, but it is doable. And it’s a critical part of your job, especially if you want them to stay and continue to grow with you. To prepare for addressing the Suspension Dimension, ask yourself these preparatory questions:
Career mobility patterns are flexible. Like the small, colorful beads in a kaleidoscope, which tumble and reshuffle, development experiences can happen in different sequences tailored to individual preferences, abilities, timing, and tastes. When a slight change happens, new patterns and possibilities surface. A merger or reorganization can produce a whole new landscape of possibilities. Managers need to help employees adjust their vision to see not just the ladder but also the multitude of adjacent possibilities for growth, development, and alternative career moves. They need to understand that flattened organizations and limited career ladders don’t spell the end of growth or careers. Opportunities are there — different and varied, but very much still there, and even more plentiful. The next change frontier, then, is people’s mind-sets and that means changing the conversation, especially about careers.
THE ACTION DIMENSION:
Notice when your talent lights up and ask them what they like about what they are doing. Together create more opportunities to do this kind of work. Ask them what they want to learn, to get better at, or to do more or less of. Discuss changes coming down the pike that could provide new career opportunities. Help them plan their growth and learning experiences so they are ready to step into new roles as they emerge. Expose them to other parts of the organization so they can see the bigger picture and recognize new, exciting ways to move if, and when, they outgrow where they are right now. Small, on-the-spot conversations are rich with potential for understanding how to support your employees career growth. How can YOU retain employees who feel suspended in their careers? Start a conversation today!