Boosting Culture Through Career Pathing

In today’s rapidly evolving economic and business environment, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) face the dual challenge of shaping the future of work while fostering a robust organizational culture where employees feel valued and included. This is an urgent area for improvement, as Gartner Research found that just one in four employees are confident in their prospects for having a successful career at their current organization. 

Career pathing has emerged as a vital strategy to engage employees, enhance job satisfaction, and improve retention rates. Recently, the Boston CHRO Community convened virtually for a town hall to share insights from their career pathing experiences and discuss strategies for enhancement.

The Governing Body Host for the session was Joe Sangregorio, CHRO at Curia. Alicia Austin, SVP, People & Organization, North America at Puma North America; Alexandre-Pierre Mery, CHRO at PerkinElmer; and Stephanie Soto, CHRO at Breakthru Beverage Group helped facilitate the town hall as discussion leaders.

During this interactive town hall, HR leaders participated in a live poll and small group discussions, delving into strategies for providing growth opportunities when promotions are not available, evaluating employee performance, and cultivating a transparent organizational culture.
 

Career Pathing Level Set

To initiate the meeting, CHROs engaged in an interactive poll designed to evaluate their progress in implementing career pathing initiatives and to highlight their primary challenges.

Regarding the implementation of a career pathing framework within their organizations, 80% have started in some capacity. Twenty-four percent of CHROs reported having a framework in place, while 56% indicated they are currently in the process of rolling out a framework. Twenty percent have yet to begin this journey. One CHRO commented, “Today’s world has changed, and we need to create a culture where we keep them engaged.” 

CHROs were then asked to consider how organizational change impacts career pathing, resulting in two predominant perspectives. Fifty-four percent of CHROs believe that organizational change creates opportunities for growth, whereas 46% view it as a catalyst for career redesign, often leading to the creation of new roles.

Reflecting on these insights, one executive noted, “In 2025, we do not have a linear path for growth opportunities.”

When discussing the responsibility for career pathing and development, an overwhelming 88% of CHROs identified it as a collaborative effort between employees, managers, and HR. Only 13% saw it as a partnership exclusively between employees and managers, with none believing the responsibility should rest solely on either party. One CHRO emphasized, “HR should be setting up the framework and tools, but the partnership is between the employees and manager. HR is the primary driver providing the tools available to them.”

CHROs were also asked about the extent of employee insight into career pathing. Approximately 76% reported their employees have partial visibility, only 4% stated their employees have either full visibility or no visibility into career pathing, and 16% have not yet established visibility at their organizations.

Finally, CHROs were asked to identify their most significant challenge in their career pathing framework. The foremost challenge cited by nearly every HR leader was limited opportunities for advancement. Approximately half of the CHROs pointed to issues such as inadequate mentorship or guidance, unclear career paths or goals, and workplace politics and office dynamics. Around one-third mentioned a lack of access to training and development programs, and roughly one-quarter selected difficulty in acquiring new skills.
 

Key Takeaways

The executives divided into small groups to dive further into their experiences and challenges. These are the key takeaways from their discussions.
 

Defining Career Pathing

With various employee development opportunities already in place, CHROs recognized the need to clearly define what career pathing entails. One CHRO remarked, “Everyone needed to take a step back. Career development, professional development, and career pathing are all different things, and we need to define them clearly.” 

Another HR leader candidly shared the challenges of communicating this concept to employees, emphasizing that it’s not about titles but about experiences and opportunities. They noted, “This has been hard to do. We have to explain to employees what this is – and that it doesn't always include promotions every six months. But, it creates experiences for them to take on new things or showcase their skills so they can advance over time.”

Some CHROs offered advice for those struggling or yet to begin their career pathing initiatives. One suggested, “You need to have it in place. Start with succession planning, but then provide tools for career pathing across the board.” Another recommended starting with building a skill library or competency frameworks.
 

Manager Involvement

There was consensus among HR leaders that heavy manager involvement is crucial for successful career pathing. Enhancing manager capabilities and building their confidence in engaging with employees were identified as key priorities. Additionally, many CHROs expressed a desire to support mentorship and buddy programs “beyond the traditional sense” to expose employees to broader opportunities within the organization.
 

A Focus on Cross Functional Advancement

CHROs agreed on the importance of creating opportunities for cross-functional training and mobility for employees lacking advancement opportunities in their current roles. One CHRO highlighted, “It’s a shift from traditional ladders to a lattice to provide growth opportunities.” Another HR leader emphasized the need to better identify these employees in order to offer them opportunities, stating, “Many people have long-term, loyal employees who hold a lot of roles – the frozen middle. Do we have a lot of people there, and how do we help them with what's next?”
 

The Opportunities and Challenges of Technology Solutions

While many CHROs are still early in their career pathing journey, they are increasingly looking to technology solutions for scalability. One CHRO shared, “We’re using AI agents as a strategy. We want to be on the cutting edge to experiment with what that looks like with career growth frameworks.” However, the rapid pace of change presents challenges, making it difficult for HR leaders to strategize and plan their investments. Another HR leader noted, “With technology and AI, it’s hard to develop where employees should be at points in the future.”

CHROs can continue this discussion with peers at an upcoming in-person Inner Circle or Executive Summit. Members can sign in to the Gartner C-level Communities app to find events and register with one click. If you are not yet a member, apply to join your local CHRO community to connect with peers on your mission critical priorities.
 

By CHROs, For CHROs®
 

Join the conversation with peers in your local CHRO community.