Experts urge HR to treat building a workplace culture as more than ‘apples on desks’
Four out of five (81 per cent) workers have experienced a ‘career slump’ at some point in their working lives, according to research seen by People Management.
Of the 1,200 employees polled by training platform Course Library who had struggled with a career slump, a third (33 per cent) blamed lack of career progression, while 17 per cent said lack of training and development was responsible and 12 per cent cited repetitive tasks.
When asked how they dealt with these issues, 41 per cent of employees said they had left their job. Some 42 per cent felt the best way to overcome negative feelings at work – such as boredom, lack of motivation and lack of enthusiasm – was to apply for a new role.
The research also revealed that only around a quarter (23 per cent) took positive action to overcome their career slump, such as speaking with their manager about career progression. A similar proportion (28 per cent) felt the best way to get over a slowdown in their career was to learn new skills through online courses, and 20 per cent said they had requested a mentor within their workplace to help them rediscover their passion.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, 50th anniversary professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, told People Manangement that many employees experience career slumps because they are not receiving tailored development. Combining this with a wellbeing culture and flexible workplace policies could help organisations “retain their best talent” he said.
Cooper added that employees “need to be challenged” early on in their career if their employer thinks they are capable. “Take a risk – we need workplace cultures where people feel valued and trusted,” he said. “Line manager training in soft skills is central to all of this, especially experiential training regarding the impact they may have on other people in the workplace.
“It’s got to be more substantial than putting apples on employees’ desks.”
Lee Biggins, co-founder of Course Library, said: “Employees need to feel as if they are moving forward in their careers and this can only be achieved if organisations are offering the right opportunities and helping members of staff to expand their skillsets, and develop and grow alongside the business.”
The survey also discovered that the most common negative emotion felt in the workplace is boredom, with 30 per cent of respondents citing it as the one they most frequently experience.
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