Creating a Winning Workplace Culture: A Guide for Supporting Career Advancement for Veterans
8 min. read.
Want to boost veteran employee retention, productivity, and attract top talent? Focus on career advancement. Here’s how to build a culture that supports the growth of your military veteran team members:
- Provide clear career paths
- Offer ongoing learning opportunities
- Implement mentorship programs
- Have regular performance discussions
- Celebrate achievements
Key benefits of prioritizing career development:
Benefit
|
Impact
|
---|---|
Better retention
|
94% of employees stay longer at companies investing in their careers
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Higher engagement
|
82% of employees with monthly career talks are highly engaged
|
59% of millennials prioritize development opportunities when job hunting
|
|
Cost savings
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Promoting internally is often cheaper than external hiring
|
To create this culture:
- • Set up personalized growth plans
- • Offer diverse learning options (online courses, job rotations, workshops)
- • Use regular feedback and skill assessments
- • Track progress with measurable goals
Remember: A career-focused workplace isn’t just good for employees – it’s great for business success.
How to Implement a Career Pathing Plan at Your Organization
What Makes a Career-Focused Workplace
A career-focused workplace isn’t just a fancy term. It’s a smart way to keep your best people around and attract new talent. Let’s look at what makes a workplace great for career growth.
What Career Support Looks Like
Good career support matches what the company needs with what employees want. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Instead, it’s tailored to fit both individual goals and company objectives.
Effective career support usually includes:
- • Talking openly about job opportunities in the company
- • Regular feedback on performance
- • Access to training and development
- • Mentoring programs
- • Help with continuing education
4 Key Parts of Career Support
To really help employees grow, companies should focus on these four areas:
- Management Support
Managers are crucial for employee growth. They should:
- • Talk about careers with their team often
- • Spot and develop talent
- • Give helpful feedback
- • Push for growth opportunities for their team
Here’s a fact: Gallup found that 82% of employees who talk about their careers with managers more than once a month are highly engaged. Compare that to only 53% for those who have these talks once a year or less.
- Skill Assessment and Development
Companies need to:
- • Check what skills employees have and what they need
- • Offer specific training programs
- • Let people learn skills from different departments
- Clear Career Paths
Employees should be able to see how they can move up in the company. This means:
- • Clear job levels and what skills are needed
- • Open information about how to get promoted
- • Examples of different career moves (both up and sideways)
- Learning Resources
Companies should invest in:
- • Online learning platforms
- • In-house training
- • Support for outside courses and certifications
Why Internal Growth Matters
Helping employees grow isn’t just good for them – it’s great for business. Here’s why:
Benefit
|
Impact
|
---|---|
Better Retention
|
Companies that invest in employee growth are 11% more profitable and keep employees twice as long.
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Higher Productivity
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Employees who see a future at the company work harder.
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59% of millennials say growth opportunities are super important when job hunting.
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Saving Money
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Promoting from within can cost less than hiring from outside.
|
How Leaders Shape Growth
Leaders set the tone for a career-focused culture. Here’s what they can do:
- Show, Don’t Just Tell: Keep learning and growing yourself.
- Put Money Where It Matters: Make sure there’s budget and time for career development.
- Create Chances to Grow: Scott Scully, CEO of Abstrakt Marketing Group, says:
“We offer general business training – covering management, leadership, communication, HR, and more – as well as position-specific training. This ensures our team members grow no matter what path they choose.”
- Make Learning Cool: Encourage sharing knowledge and celebrate when people grow.
Personalize Growth Plans: Work with HR to create flexible career paths that fit different employee goals.
Demonstrate concrete proof that you’re the real deal – the one that star applicants would love to work for!
Setting Up Career Growth Programs
Want to boost employee growth and retention? Let’s dive into creating effective career development programs.
Making Clear Career Paths
Employees need a roadmap. Here’s how to give them one:
Path Type
|
What It Is
|
Real-World Example
|
---|---|---|
Vertical
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Moving up the ladder
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Junior Dev → Senior Dev → Team Lead → CTO
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Lateral
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Switching departments
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Marketing → Sales → Customer Success
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Specialist
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Becoming an expert
|
Data Analyst → Data Scientist → AI Guru
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Job sharing
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Two part-timers share one full-time role
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Work-life balance for those who need it
|
Kaiser Permanente nails this with their PathSavvy tool. Employees input their skills and interests, and boom – they get matched with internal roles. It’s like a career GPS.
How to Check Employee Skills
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Try these:
- • Self-assessments: Let employees rate themselves
- • 360-degree feedback: Get the full picture from everyone
- • Skills matrices: Map out what each role needs
- • Performance reviews: Track progress over time
Pro tip: Use a digital system to keep tabs on skills in real-time. It’s like a fitness tracker for your workforce.
Tools for Job Growth
The right tools can supercharge your career development:
Tool
|
What It Does
|
Check Out
|
---|---|---|
Learning Management Systems
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One-stop-shop for training
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Career Mapping Software
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Shows possible career moves
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Skill Assessment Platforms
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Spots skill gaps
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Mentorship Matching Tools
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Pairs mentors and mentees
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Progressive Auto Insurance has a cool internal database. Employees can explore different roles and even test-drive them temporarily. It’s like a career buffet.
Starting a Mentoring Program
Mentoring can be a game-changer. Here’s how to kick it off:
- Set clear goals: What do you want to achieve?
- Make some rules: What should mentors and mentees expect?
- Mix it up: Get mentors from all over the company
- Play matchmaker: Use surveys or AI to create great pairs
- Train your mentors: Give them the tools to guide others
Buffer‘s two-path framework is a great example. They offer both vertical and horizontal growth, with experienced team members showing the way. It’s like having a career sherpa.
Supporting Each Employee’s Growth
Want to create a culture of continuous learning? Here’s how to help your employees grow and track their progress.
Making Personal Growth Plans
Personal growth plans are roadmaps that connect an employee’s career dreams with what the company needs. Here’s how to make them work:
- Figure out what they’re good at (and what they’re not)
- Set goals they can actually achieve
- Find ways for them to learn new stuff
- Break those goals down into steps
- Check in regularly to see how it’s going
Here’s what a growth plan might look like:
What
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Details
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Example
|
---|---|---|
Current Job
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What they do now
|
Marketing Coordinator
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Dream Job
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Where they want to be
|
Marketing Manager
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Skills to Learn
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What they need to improve
|
Leadership, project management
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Next Steps
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How they'll get there
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Take a leadership course, run a marketing campaign
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When
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Deadlines for each step
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Q3 2023: Leadership course, Q4 2023: Lead campaign
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Types of Learning Options
People learn differently, so mix it up:
- Online courses (like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning)
- Mentorship programs
- Job rotations
- Workshops and seminars
- Tough assignments that push their limits
Amazon‘s doing this right. Their Associate2Tech program helps warehouse workers become tech pros, even if they’ve never touched a line of code before.
Getting and Giving Feedback
Feedback is like a GPS for career growth. Here’s how to use it:
- Get the whole picture (ask everyone they work with)
- Chat weekly about what’s going well (and what’s not)
- Do big reviews once or twice a year
- Get them to think about their own performance
“The more you can tell your team what’s working and what’s not, the easier it’ll be to help them crush their goals.” – Best Practice Institute
Tracking Results
How do you know if all this growth stuff is working? Here’s how to measure it:
- Set targets they can hit (and measure)
- Test their skills regularly
- Ask them if the learning programs are actually helping
- Keep an eye on who’s moving up in the company
Here’s what that might look like:
What to Track
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What It Means
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Goal
|
---|---|---|
Training completion
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How many finish their courses
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90%
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Internal promotions
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How many open jobs go to current employees
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60%
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How happy they are
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Do they like their growth opportunities
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4.5/5
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Closing skill gaps
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How much they're improving each year
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25%
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Making Learning Part of Work
In today’s fast-paced business world, learning can’t be a one-time event. It needs to be part of everyday work. Here’s how to make that happen:
Sharing Skills and Knowledge
The best learning often comes from coworkers. Here’s how to tap into that goldmine:
Create a culture where sharing know-how is part of everyone’s job. At Intel, they found that 60% of product performance issues had already been solved by other teams. By sharing solutions, they saved time and boosted innovation.
Set up peer-to-peer learning programs. Google’s “G2G” (Googler-to-Googler) program is a great example. Employees teach each other skills, with 80% of all Google’s training coming from this program as of 2020.
Use tech to connect people. Set up an internal wiki or use tools like Slack to create channels where people can ask questions and share insights.
Here are some popular methods:
- • Lunch & Learn: Informal sessions where employees share expertise (like TED’s “Learning Wednesdays”)
- • Skill-sharing platform: Online tool for employees to offer or request help (like Google’s G2G program)
- • Mentorship program: Pairing experienced staff with newer employees (like Intel’s knowledge transfer initiative)
Help with Further Education
Learning shouldn’t stop at 5 PM. Here’s how to support after-hours growth:
Offer tuition reimbursement. Many companies pay for relevant courses or degrees. It’s a win-win: employees gain skills, and the company gets a more qualified workforce.
Provide learning stipends. Leapsome gives each team member an annual budget for coaches, conferences, and learning resources. This empowers employees to drive their own development.
Create a learning library. Build a collection of books, online courses, and other resources employees can access anytime.
Getting People to Learn More
Sometimes, people need a nudge to prioritize learning. Try these tactics:
Make it fun. Use badges, leaderboards, or friendly competitions to make learning engaging. One study found that gamified learning made people 20 times more likely to retain and apply new knowledge.
Link learning to career growth. Show clear paths from skills to promotions. 53% of employees say transparent growth frameworks motivate them at work.
Make time for learning. Google’s “20% Time” policy lets employees spend a fifth of their work week on learning and side projects. It’s led to innovations like Gmail and Google Maps.
Celebrating Progress
Recognition is a powerful motivator. Here’s how to shine a spotlight on learning:
Share success stories. Highlight employees who’ve used new skills to solve problems or innovate. This shows the real-world impact of learning.
Create learning awards. Recognize top learners or those who’ve made significant progress. This could be a simple shout-out in a team meeting or a more formal award.
Make learning part of performance reviews. Include continuous learning as a key part of how you evaluate employees. This sends a clear message that growth matters.
Keeping Programs Working Well
Career growth programs need ongoing attention to stay effective. Here’s how to keep them fresh and impactful:
Checking Program Results
To gauge your career programs’ success, you need to measure their impact:
Metric
|
What It Measures
|
Example
|
---|---|---|
Retention Rate
|
Employee staying power
|
70% to 85% jump post-program
|
Internal Promotion Rate
|
Career advancement
|
10% to 20% yearly increase
|
Happiness with growth chances
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Survey score up from 3.5 to 4.2/5
|
|
Skills Gap Reduction
|
Training effectiveness
|
46% of L&D pros saw bigger gaps in 2022
|
But numbers aren’t everything. Use surveys and focus groups to get the full picture. As one expert notes:
“Measuring training is pointless unless you use the insights to improve the program, find a better provider, or even scrap it altogether.”
Updating Programs as Needed
The business world doesn’t stand still, and neither should your career programs:
- Set up quarterly program check-ins
- Make it easy for employees to suggest improvements
- See what other companies are doing (like LinkedIn’s monthly “InDay” for growth)
- Work with department heads to predict future skill needs
Keeping People Interested
Even great programs can get boring. Here’s how to keep employees engaged:
- • Use badges or leaderboards to make learning fun (one study found this made people 20 times more likely to remember stuff)
- • Break content into bite-sized chunks (like Udemy’s monthly “Drop Everything and Learn” program)
- • Let employees teach each other (Google’s “G2G” program covers 80% of their training)
Getting People to Stay Longer
Career growth can be a powerful retention tool:
- Show employees where they can go in your company (Kaiser Permanente’s PathSavvy tool matches employees with internal roles)
- Have managers talk about career goals with their team at least monthly (Gallup found 82% of employees who do this are highly engaged)
- Share success stories of employees who’ve moved up
- Make it clear how new skills lead to new opportunities (53% of employees say clear growth paths motivate them)
Most Loved Workplace®
Want to stand out in the job market? Being known as a great workplace can give you an edge. That’s where Most Loved Workplace® comes in. This program, created by Best Practice Institute, Inc., helps companies boost their workplace culture and make employees happier.
What’s on Offer?
Most Loved Workplace® gives you tools to make your work environment better:
This survey checks how your employees feel. It shows you what’s working and what needs fixing.
- Culture check
They look at your current workplace culture and give you tips on how to improve.
- Comparison with other companies
See how you stack up against other certified organizations. This helps you spot your strengths.
- Certification
Get recognized in different areas like diversity or wellness. It’s great for your company’s image.
- Marketing help
They give you branding tools to show off your certification. This can help you attract top talent.
Want to try it out? They offer a free initial assessment. It’s a good way to test the waters before diving in.
Workplace Survey Tools
The star of the show is their Love of Workplace Index® survey. It’s not just about job satisfaction. This tool measures how emotionally connected your employees are to their work and your company.
Here’s how it goes:
- Your employees fill out a detailed questionnaire.
- Most Loved Workplace® crunches the numbers.
- You get a report showing what you’re doing well and where you can improve.
- They compare your results with other certified companies.
The survey looks at things that make a workplace great, like:
- • How well leaders are doing
- • Chances for employees to grow
- • Work-life balance
- • How well company values match employee values
- • How well teams work together
These tools can give you a clear picture of your workplace culture. And they can help you make it better.
Demonstrate concrete proof that you’re the real deal – the one that star applicants would love to work for!
Conclusion
A workplace culture that supports career growth is key for success in today’s business world. Let’s look at the main points we’ve covered:
- Culture matters
A strong culture based on shared values keeps employees engaged. Just look at Zoom – they won “happiest employees” awards two years running by focusing on workplace satisfaction.
- Talk often
Regular check-ins make a big difference. Companies that do weekly check-ins see twice the sense of belonging, trust in leadership, and clear growth paths.
- Say “good job”
Companies that recognize employees see 4x higher engagement. Don’t wait for annual reviews – make recognition a habit.
- Help people grow
Career programs keep people around. One tech company boosted retention from 75% to 90% in a year with targeted development initiatives.
- Keep an eye on progress
Track your KPIs. One company doubled their internal promotion rate (from 10% to 20%) after rolling out a solid career growth plan.
Building this kind of culture isn’t a one-time thing. It needs buy-in from the top, clear communication about opportunities, and flexibility to change based on feedback and market shifts.
When you get it right, you create a place where people want to stay and grow. That’s good for them and for your business.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one company might flop at another. Tailor these ideas to fit your unique needs and culture.
With some effort and the right tools, you can build a workplace that not only brings in great people but keeps them around and helps them thrive.
FAQs
How do you develop culture in the workplace of your organization?
Developing a strong workplace culture isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential for career growth and organizational success. Here’s how to do it:
- Set clear values
- Lead by example
- Engage employees
- Embrace change
- Focus on growth
- Recognize good work
Take Zappos, for instance. They’re famous for their killer culture, built on 10 core values that shape everything they do. Their CEO, Tony Hsieh, put it this way:
“Our belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff – like great customer service, or building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers – will happen naturally on its own.”
It’s not rocket science, but it does take commitment. Get your culture right, and you’ll see the benefits across your entire organization.
How do you structure a mentorship program at work?
A solid mentorship program can supercharge career growth. Here’s how to set one up:
- Know your goals
- Create a roadmap
- Pick the right people
- Make smart matches
- Give them tools
- Show appreciation
Let’s break it down:
First, figure out what you want to achieve. Then, map out how you’ll get there. Choose mentors and mentees carefully, and match them up thoughtfully. Give them what they need to succeed, and don’t forget to say “thanks” along the way.
Here’s what a good program might look like:
Program Element
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Description
|
Example
|
---|---|---|
Purpose
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Clear objectives
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Leadership development, skill transfer
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Duration
|
Set timeframe
|
6 months, 1 year
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Meeting Frequency
|
Regular check-ins
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Bi-weekly, monthly
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Evaluation
|
Measure success
|
Surveys, career progression tracking
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Randstad‘s got this figured out. Their mentorship program is crushing it. Marina Illerhues, a Partnership Manager there, says:
“Feedback from my mentee is very positive. We’ve spoken about her long-term goals and how her current role at Randstad feeds into them.”
The results? A 49% lower turnover rate for those in the program. That’s the power of good mentorship – it boosts careers and builds a stronger workplace culture.
Building a Thriving Workplace Culture!
Discover how to leverage the right technology and implement a proactive strategy that cultivates talent and facilitates team collaboration.
Louis Carter is the founder and CEO of Best Practice Institute, Most Loved Workplace, and Results-Based Culture. Author of In Great Company, Change Champions Field Guide, and Best Practices in Talent Management, as well as a series of Leadership Development books. He is a trusted strategic advisor and coach to CEOs, CHROs, and leaders of mid-sized to F500 companies – enabling change and steering employer brand development together with highly effective teams, leaders, and organizations as a whole.
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