Despite Its Rising Importance, HR Research Indicates Career Planning Remains Ad Hoc

Although career planning has become more important over the last three years, it is the rare organization that takes a serious and systematic approach to it, according to new research conducted by HR.com in partnership with Harrison Assessments, a talent management solutions provider.

The research report, “Boosting the Impact of Career Planning: Strategies for getting the most out of your programs”, is based on responses from 590 HR professionals responding to a survey fielded in early 2017. It found that nine out of ten respondents said employee career planning is either more important (48%) or as important (43%) compared to three years ago.

However, it also found that few organizations approach employee career planning
systematically. In fact, just 11% of participants say that in their organization employee career planning is a “serious initiative with published career ladders and widely available resources.” In most organizations, career planning is something that happens in pockets for those who request it (38%) or as a process that’s handled as a general subject (28%) in training courses on setting goals, preparing for interviews, etc.

“Most HR professionals say career planning has a high impact on employee retention and engagement, so it’s odd that it’s not handled in a more systematic way,” said Debbie McGrath, Chief Instigator and CEO of HR.com. “It’s especially important if companies want to develop and retain leaders. We found that most organizations say they either have a leader talent gap today or will experience one within two years. Career planning is one of the tools needed to address such shortages.”

The study also found that assessments are routinely used for career planning in 22% of firms and sometimes used in another 45%.

DOWNLOAD REPORT: “Boosting the Impact of Career Planning: Strategies for getting the most out of your programs”

About Harrison Assessments
Harrison Assessments was founded to help companies optimize their human capital by leveraging their deep understanding of human resources and psychology. The company focuses on providing the most trusted and accurate science-based employee assessment tools in the industry. The tools help managers throughout the entire HR process, helping companies become more productive and efficient, leading to increased profitability.
www.harrisonassessments.com

About HR.com
HR.com is helping create inspired workforces by making HR professionals smarter. As the largest global social networking and resource site for over 290,000 members, HR.com helps HR professionals reach their goals, be innovative, and embrace and drive change by providing the best possible content and tools and resources including: a global Leadership annual event, featured research programs, Leadership Excellence Awards, HR certification/recertification credits and programs, certification exam preparation courses with guaranteed pass, 12 monthly interactive HR themed epublications, HR Genius learning modules, hundreds of monthly webcasts and virtual events each year, community networks, blogs, and industry news. www.HR.com

For more information, contact:
Debbie McGrath
Chief Instigator and CEO
HR.com
[email protected]
1-877-472-6648, ext. 104