Career Development is Critical to the Survival of your Business

November is National Career Development Month — a timely reminder for employers to encourage and empower employees to strive toward their career goals.

Putting your people first isn’t just good for individual development. It’s essential for the growth, sustainability, and future talent pipeline of your business.

RIP: Jobs for Life

The job for life is dead. Kaput. It simply no longer exists.

Even staying within the same industry for an entire career is no longer guaranteed. In fact, more than a fifth (21%) of UK working adults say they do not expect to be working in the same industry by 2030.

This creates an uncomfortable question:

If people are going to leave anyway, what’s the point in developing them?

The reality is that we must accept our talent is only ever on loan to us. But if we’re smart, we can ensure that when people leave, they become ambassadors and champions of the organisation. If we’re really smart, they may even become part of the ever-growing “boomerang” workforce, returning with deeper experience and broader business insight.

The Power Shift: Employees in Control

Following the pandemic-driven shift to remote work and the Great Resignation, employers are increasingly recognising how much power employees now hold.

People can:

• Demand greater flexibility
• Redefine how and where they work
• Leave quickly, taking valuable knowledge with them

Against the backdrop of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, organisations must give employees compelling reasons to stay.

The Law of Attraction: Rethinking Retention

Retention is one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today — and a genuine threat to long-term survival.

To thrive, businesses must move beyond short-term financial incentives. Consider this:

• 80% of employees who accept a counteroffer still leave within six months

No wonder so many industries are experiencing a talent crisis.

Industry skills are evolving rapidly, with 50% of all employees needing to be reskilled by 2025. Failing to invest in learning and development puts future business success at serious risk.

On the flip side:

• 94% of employees say they would stay longer at a company that invested in their careers

Positive Employer Branding Through Learning

A Korn Ferry report found that 69% of the world’s most admired companies value learning potential over experience when hiring.

At the same time, July 2021 saw the highest-ever number of unfilled roles in the US.

Could your learning and development strategy be part of the solution?

By focusing on:

• Internal mobility
• Upskilling existing employees

You not only retain current talent but also become more attractive to external candidates. A strong L&D program delivers multiple business benefits:

• Higher engagement and productivity
• Improved retention rates
• A culture where innovation thrives

In short, your employer brand gets a significant boost.

Flexibility Is Key

People now demand greater flexibility and autonomy over their lives — and that extends to career development.

Flexible learning approaches:

• Attract more diverse talent
• Offer greater choice and personalisation
• Reduce pressure on departmental budgets

Career development doesn’t have to be expensive. Options include:

• Mentorship programmes
• Peer-to-peer learning
• Cross-department exposure
• Book allowances
• Online learning platforms

Many platforms also create a shared learning community — a “hive mind” — that encourages collaboration, creativity, and knowledge-sharing back into the workplace.

Final Thought

A strong career development programme doesn’t just retain internal talent — it attracts high-calibre external candidates too.

When it’s time to hire, ensure your Talent Acquisition teams are embedded in your learning initiatives. This enables them to deliver a best-in-class candidate experience and reinforces a strong, consistent employer brand.

Invest in your people, and they’ll invest in your organisation — whether they stay, leave, or one day return.