According to a University of Phoenix study conducted last May, only 37 percent of American workers are satisfied with their career path. Employers should take note of this sobering statistic. Lack of career satisfaction can have significant influence over an employee’s level of engagement, their motivation, and their levels of productivity. If an employee doesn’t see a future for themselves at their company, they have little reason to be fully present in their work, and they will be far more likely to look for opportunities elsewhere. “Career-planning is an essential part of employees’ growth and development. Helping employees reach for their goals is impactful to career satisfaction, engagement, retention, and productivity,” says Thomas Greek, vice president of learning, development, and communications at the Navy Federal Credit Union. Since 2005, the credit union has offered employees a wide variety of career-development tools, including job shadowing, personal development plan assistance, and many other resources. “We continue to add new resources and explore new ways to support our employees' career development,” Greek pointed out. “As a result, our engagement scores for career development are more than 20 percent higher than the industry benchmark.”