Many Employees Left In The Dark About Growth Prospects At Work

Professionals Want to Discuss Their Career Path, but Often Don't Get the Chance

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Oct 22, 2015, 08:10 ET

MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey shows employees want more feedback on their future from the boss. In research from Robert Half Finance & Accounting, 40 percent of professionals said their managers never discuss their career paths with them. The data also suggests professionals are hungry for this information: 37 percent said they would like to discuss their career paths at least quarterly; another 45 percent want to review their options annually.

View an infographic of the survey findings.

Many Employees Left in the Dark About Career Paths

Finance and accounting professionals were asked, "How often would you like your manager to discuss your career path with you?" and "How often does your manager discuss your career path with you?" Their responses:

	*How Often Respondents Would Like* to Discuss**	How Often Manager Discusses
Never	7%	40%
Annually	45%	44%
Quarterly	37%	11%
Monthly	9%	3%
Weekly	2%	2%
	100%	100%

"Supervisors who are not discussing career progression with their staff are missing an opportunity to engage and retain their team," said Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half. "Employees who don't know when they'll earn a promotion or raise, or understand how they fit into a company's long-term strategy aren't likely to stick around long."

Robert Half Finance & Accounting offers three tips for managers on conducting career path discussions:

Ask employees about their objectives. Never assume you know where team members want to take their careers – not everyone wants to follow a linear path to the top. If you don't know where staff members want to go, you can't help them get there.
Be up front about expectations. Educate your employees about the experience or skills needed to reach their goals, and then lay out a specific plan – including leadership development, mentoring and training opportunities – to help them achieve success.
Don't wait for the annual performance review. Set periodic check-ins with your employees to discuss their progress or where they need to make improvements to move up within your organization.

Survey Methodology
The online survey was developed and conducted by Robert Half Finance & Accounting. It includes responses from more than 1,200 finance and accounting professionals in the United States.

About Robert Half Finance & Accounting
Founded in 1948, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a division of Robert Half, is the world's first and largest specialized financial recruitment service. The company has more than 340 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at roberthalffinance.com. For finance and accounting career and management advice, visit our blog at blog.roberthalffinance.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151021/279432-INFO

SOURCE Robert Half Finance & Accounting