The New Career Ladder Might Just Be a Lattice
The adage that Millennials (and younger generations) don’t want to work is false. It can, however, be corrected by adding one addendum:
Millennials don’t want to work without palpable returns.
A combination of factors have contributed to this. For instance, they inherited a job market on the brink of collapse (many of them entering the workforce just before or during the 2008 financial crisis). The economy since has been fraught with periods of stability and instability, culminating in the Covid-19 Pandemic and its subsequent fallout.
Because of this, only 17 percent of 18-34 year olds actually believe that their employers offer fair career advancement opportunities. Unfortunately, the evidence does tend to agree. A majority of workers expect to receive responsibilities in relation to the amount of time they’ve spent at a company, but only 46 percent of employers actually provide them with the progressive load of tasks and job training they need to advance.
In retaliation to this, many young workers have taken to snubbing the idea that they should allow their employers, supervisors, and managers, to dictate the use of their talents. More often than not, people are “owning” their skillsets and exercising more control over their utilization. Likewise, if they feel that their talents are not being respected or nurtured appropriately they will not hesitate to leave a company. 43 percent of millennials actually plan to leave their current place of employment some time within the next two years to seek better opportunities elsewhere. A slightly smaller percentage(42 percent) expect to change careers entirely at least three times over the course of their lives.
There is, however, evidence that shows millennials and gen z have a strong desire for continuous learning. A survey conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2023 found that 90 percent of respondents communicated as much. So much so that some were even willing to minimize monetary potential in order to pursue further intellectual advancement.
Another study found that 90 percent of respondents said they would be willing to stay with their company if they invested in their growth. Young workers, despite popular assumption, do want to remain loyal to their employers. They are willing to put forth effort to prove their worth, but only if the same willingness to invest is demonstrated in return.
These facts have encouraged many companies to shift their progression models away from the traditionally structured career ladder and toward that of a career lattice.
What is a Career Lattice?
A lattice is a gardening tool with a cross-hatch pattern that is used to encourage vining plants to grow. A career lattice is similar in that it allows for easier lateral, cross team or department, moves while still keeping upward trajectory the ultimate goal.
This structure appeals to the modern worker (and employer) for a number of reasons:
Promotes internal mobility, preventing stagnation and encouraging the retention of top talent.
Creates career moves that are more skill based, as opposed to hierarchical.
Results in employees with a broader range of experience, making for more valuable and insightful workers.
Encourages interactions between employee and employer, thereby promoting a better understanding of prospective career opportunities and skillset comprehension.
Causes employees to make vertical moves at a slower rate. While this might initially seem counterintuitive, lateral moves provide the opportunity for employees to accept soft career advancements at a greater frequency than their ladder bound peers. This mitigates the expectation of the traditionaladvancements that most businesses (especially small ones) can’t provide at the rate at which Millennials and Gen Z expect them.
How Does a Career Lattice Work?
Where a career ladder only allows for vertical mobility and discourages moves across teams or departments, a lattice grants employees the opportunity to move in any direction within an organization—even downward if they are interested in pursuing an alternate career course.
How do I Structure a Career Lattice?
The most successful lattices are built on matrices of competencies and responsibilities.
A competency is an observable, objective skill or quality that an employee brings to a job. There are general competencies (e.g. teamwork and communication) and there are role-specific competencies (e.g. critical thinking skills and project management). General competencies are usually used to determine if someone is a good fit for a company, while role-specific ones are used to determine if someone is a good fit for a specific position. With this in mind, when advertising a job opening internally, make sure that its competencies and responsibilities are clearly indicated.
Remember to keep it simple. A career lattice is inherently more complex than a ladder, and in order to keep it productive the steps to reaching each point need to be as clear as possible. Additionally, a job position with too many competencies or responsibilities can muddy the waters for an employee looking to expand their toolkit.
Make an effort to have specialized training opportunities available across all departments and be open to allowing your employees to invest in job coaching related to any field they are looking to pursue, but not necessarily the one they are working in now. Having someone who is already prepared to fill a role in case of emergency can save a company thousands of dollars in revenue.
Finally, communicate and invest. To keep the gardening metaphor alive, it’s important to remember that your company is your garden, your employees the plants, and your lattice their roadmap to success. You need to invest time and attention so that your workers can grow in the right direction for them and thrive to the best of their abilities. A surefire way to do this is to engage in career-pathing to assess what a worker wants out of their employment. This encourages a symbiotic relationship between employer and employee, allowing a chance to more accurately gauge strengths and weaknesses.
How Can This Apply to a Small Business?
When just starting out, a small business owner is primarily going to be looking for employees who are comfortable performing a wide variety of tasks. However, as a company grows those roles will become more specialized, and teams or departments will have to be made to be responsible for each of those deliverables.
If you haven’t reached that point yet but are approaching it, now is the time to assess if your company needs a strict hierarchy or a more flexible dynamic. It is easier to take the time now to figure out what your business needs to succeed than it is to make a drastic change after your shareholders have settled into a rhythm.
Finally, finding ways to diversify your employees’ contributions to your business can help contribute to growth. Your newest employee might end up being a company leader one day if you give them the opportunities to invest and grow in your business. It’s up to you to take the time and make the effort to find the right career structure that is best suited to you.
