Establish a career development path for each employee
If you’re concerned about employee retention, you’re in good company. According to the 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 88% of organizations are concerned, too. Career development has become a top priority for distributors because it can keep employees engaged, fill a succession pipeline, and build business impact.
Here are some things to keep in mind when establishing career development paths for employees:
1) Employee-centric approach: Since developing a career path is personal to each employee, the employee must remain involved every step of the way. Check-in with each employee regularly to understand their short- and long-term career goals. Assess performance regularly so employees know what they need to do to reach their professional goals and feel supported by additional training and mentorship.
2) Craft a personalized skills development plan: Based on each employee’s career goals, identify skills gaps. For example, if you have an accounts receivable associate who aspires to become the CFO, they might benefit from leadership training or a rotational program that gives them insight into every department. Consider coaching, online learning courses, certifications, and mentorships.
3) Don’t dismiss lateral and cross-functional moves: Not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder. Some of your employees might be interested in lateral moves that better align with their goals.
4) Tie rewards to professional development: As employees gain new skills through career development, acknowledge their accomplishments. This not only encourages the employee but sends a message to the rest of your team that your organization values and supports professional development.
Industry Perspectives
“Another initiative that we're working on is career development. We ask: What are we offering each employee as career development? Where are they going to move up? How do they get there? How long will it take to get there? And certainly, we have to have flexibility when creating these programs. It’s about the person that we are moving through this path and what they want and need to be successful.”
– Sandy Hernandez, Human Resources Manager, Insco
In the Field: Stories & Examples from Distributors
Some employees are new to career development, so they might need more support than others. While the process is collaborative, this resource from Indeed is a good starting point to share with employees to help them start thinking in the right way about career development plans so that when you meet with them, they have some thoughts to share.
This "Tip of the Week" is provided by the Talent Development Council | Texas A&M University.