Career advice is sought by younger employees from friends, rather than their colleagues

According to a Right Management study, British office workers between the ages of 18-24 are more likely to ask their friends who work in similar positions for advice than they are to consult their manager or other team members (older or young).

After two years, when remote and hybrid work has had an impact on office life, young workers are more likely to (38.1%) seek advice from friends who have similar jobs. All other age groups (those over 25) prefer to get their career advice from their immediate managers.

Right Management’s study of 1,500 UK workers suggests that the traditional water-cooler moments are disappearing. This poses a challenge to employers in financial, professional, and administrative fields who want to bring people back into their offices.

What are the implications of this?

Sarah Hernon is Principal Consultant at Right Management. She said: “While all people will occasionally turn to friends for advice on their career, our study shows younger workers are much more likely to seek out their friends and less likely to depend on their immediate managers or co-workers for guidance and assistance in the workplace.

This could be a problem in terms of effective workforce development, because, despite their good intentions, friends and colleagues may give the wrong advice, based on their emotional attachment to the individual, rather than focusing objectively on career opportunities. Managers and team leaders should all take an active role in ensuring that their younger colleagues are comfortable asking their immediate managers for help.

Hernon continues: “It is often safer to talk to friends who have similar jobs. This is especially true for newcomers to the industry. It’s not helpful to anyone to be less inclined to talk to a senior manager. “We should look at what is stopping younger people from talking to their managers.

Skills shortage

Right Management data shows that 67 percent employers believe there is a shortage of skills in the ManpowerGroup Skills Shortage Survey 2022. Nearly two thirds (63.6%) of employees also identify a gap between their skills. Over half of British workers (53,9%) also said they were eager to learn from and gain knowledge from more experienced members of the team.

Hernon states: “It seems that employers, in their fight to retain employees on a market that is highly competitive, are also hiring people who do not necessarily have the skills needed to fill positions that are open.

They want to have conversations and they want to upskill but they need to be encouraged – younger workers especially – lean on their senior team members. They want to talk and they want upskilling, but they must be encouraged to lean on senior team members .”

How does the future look?

Over half (52,4%) of employees believe that mentors should be provided to their colleagues. With the continued global talent shortage and employers struggling with retaining the necessary skills, businesses are at risk of having an overworked staff, as many people fill in gaps alongside their regular jobs.

This is a problem that affects both businesses and their employees. Managers and senior leaders need to be more aware of their workload, capacity and talent development in order to strengthen and control their organisation.