Sleep walking through work

Almost two-fifths of UK employees have never discussed their career plans with their line manager, leading to a lack of engagement.

A survey by career management firm Fairplace found that 39% of respondents were “sleep walking” through their careers, with no long-term plans in place.

Up to a quarter of staff said they did not wish to talk to their manager about their long-term development, and this figure went up to 41% among young workers aged between 18 to 24.

Among staff who had talked to their managers about their future, only 13% of them found it helpful.

Only one in ten workers felt they had opportunities for long-term development with their current employers, while just 16% felt their current job was in line with their long-term career plan.

Penny de Valk, chief executive of Fairplace, said: “Our survey paints a picture of a workforce taking a passive attitude to their careers. People are staying in their current jobs not because they are genuinely satisfied, but because they have not set themselves targets for progression or because they are unsure of where their skills and qualifications could take them.”

She added that such an attitude was not only damaging to an individual’s happiness, but groups of directionless employees were likely to hamper business productivity and affect organisations’ bottom line.