Career Plateau | Meaning and Definition

What is Career Plateau?

A career plateau occurs when an individual has achieved the company’s top job level and has little to no opportunity for lateral advancement. Due to a lack of skills, business reorganization, or other circumstances, there is a minimal possibility of continued advancement.

The employee’s position becomes stagnant with the same repetitive tasks and duties when they reach a career plateau. The slump in a career is not a good situation for both the employer and the employee. 

Managing Career Plateaus

The core reason for a career plateau, such as the ones outlined in the preceding section, determines how to handle it. If an individual has gained a higher degree of experience at a firm but has nowhere else to go or has surpassed their job, they can simply seek a new job in a different market or at a different company with more career options.

Employees who are unsatisfied with their present position and feel caught in a professional slump should speak with the company’s human resources department, which is responsible for providing possibilities for lateral mobility or making the employee’s present job more relevant and interesting. 

Alternate methods of overcoming professional plateaus include development training or incentive schemes. It’s important to take care of career plateaus as it can lead to the loss of good employees within the firm.