Career Progression: Lunch and Learns | Just Eat for Business

Whether in an entry-level role or a senior position, every office worker has skills they’d like to develop and build upon in order to progress in their career. But just how much are organisations fostering the personal and professional development of their employees, and how does this impact their overall work satisfaction? 

Just Eat for Business’ Career Progression study surveyed over 200 office workers across the nation to reveal what training opportunities organisations most often provide, and how office workers feel about their current progression. 

Career Progression Opportunities 

While some organisations cite training and career development opportunities as perks when recruiting, it’s difficult to determine how extensive these provisions are, and what impact they have on employees.

It appears that many office workers are left wanting more, as a shocking 2 in 3 employees claim that they aren’t offered any training opportunities at work - therefore leaving them to take responsibility for their own career progression.

This, however, does not mean that there is a lack of demand around training and skills enhancement, as the survey also revealed a fifth (21%) of office workers wish they had more opportunities to progress. 

Of those who do receive training, the topics most often covered in sessions proved to be team building skills (45%), internal operations (42%), tools and platforms (35%) and industry news (27%). While these are relevant, it seems many organisations are opting to promote internal culture, news and processes over things that may otherwise further employees’ careers.

When it comes to where in the UK employees receive the most opportunities, office workers in the East Midlands accounted for the highest proportion, with 79% having access to training, while office workers also reported a 100% satisfaction rate with their progression within their current role. 

On the other end of the scale, there’s room for improvement across organisations in the North East, as only 19% of employees in the region report being provided with training, whilst the region’s workers are the least satisfied in the UK when it comes to progression (20%). 

Despite this, the survey appears to show that career progression satisfaction doesn’t perfectly correlate with training opportunities, as 89% of employees in Yorkshire are happy with their progression, despite the lack of training (20%). This could be because workers already hold all the qualifications necessary to advance in their role and therefore don’t require this training to progress.

Progression looks different for every office worker, as we all have different priorities when it comes to our careers and ambitions.

The survey revealed that the most common area of progression experienced by office workers was personal development, as almost half (47%) of UK workers improve on their knowledge - whether it be industry or skill-based - most often.  Other common forms of progression include job roles (47%), an increase in salary (38%) and a boost in seniority (35%).

Work Satisfaction

As a large portion of office workers don’t feel satisfied with their current progression trajectory, this can have a real impact on job satisfaction on the whole. A lack of training opportunities and support can leave workers feeling overlooked or undervalued, causing them to seek opportunities elsewhere.

The survey supports this, as 1 in 4 office workers revealed that they would leave their current role in pursuit of progression, seeking training opportunities elsewhere, if they felt stalled.

When it comes to who is responsible for providing training and opportunities for progression for employees, there appears to be room for improvement as many office workers are left to their own devices.

The survey revealed that two thirds (64%) of workers don’t have regular check-ins or 121s with their manager, suggesting that there is a lack of discussion around career progression or even job performance. This is bolstered by the results which show that more than 1 in 10 workers feel unsupported when it comes to career progression.

A gap in conversation around goals and ambition can leave employees feeling unmotivated in their current role, and even tempted to look elsewhere for other opportunities. This is especially prevalent when it comes to a financial reflection of their progress, which may not correlate with potential leaps and bounds in their  personal development at work.

Given that almost a third (29%) of workers feel that their salary does not reflect their current skill level, the survey suggests that some organisations may view markers of progress differently to their employees

Summary

Progress and goals look different for every office worker, whether due to seniority level or individual career priorities. However, it’s evident from the survey that UK office workers would like to be supported more in their development and progression at work, across all aspects of their role.

At Just Eat for Business, we encourage organisations to provide opportunities for their teams to grow and develop in their respective roles - whether it be a team building day or a catered lunch and learn hour. We believe that bringing the team together and sharing skills or knowledge over an office lunch will help employees feel more supported on their career paths, and feel more unified with colleagues - improving office culture overall.