A strong theme in the recently published 'The Times
best companies to work for list 2011' is career ambition.

Danger is imminent. Unless employees have their career ambitions realised, many will jump ship.

What is so new about this you might ask? Many employees have been sitting tight and surviving through the downturn. There has been little budget to reward them financially and promotions may have been blocked by people staying rather than moving employers. 

The impact of the downturn has made many people reassess what is important to them and think about their values.  Many are now clearer about what they really want and more are looking for meaning and purpose and a sense of direction from their work. With the removal of management layers, there are less opportunities to progress.  If their employer cannot help them to realise what they want for themselves and support them to develop their qualities and skills via new challenges, they will go elsewhere.  

This is one of the themes explored in an interesting 4 part TV series on BBC2 (9 pm Thursdays)  'The British at work' which explores how work has changed over 7 decades:  The British at Work

It shows how we spend a lot of time at work and now have high expectations about what it will give us. It is not just about what we do but who we are. Employers need to factor this in to what they offer their employees, how they influence the psychological contract and rethink career management strategies.

The worry is that line managers who are feeling under huge pressure may not be equipped to do this effectively or feel threatened by the career ambitions of their direct reports so avoid addressing this issue. With pension security under threat, many people will have to work longer and have a range of work interests to fund their futures, so this issue is growing in importance.