Lauren Mason
US Workforce Solution Leader
A staggering 82% of employees feel at risk of burnout this year (up from an already concerning 63% in 2020). They say the top reason for burnout is financial strain.
Unfairness – whether real or perceived – particularly in base pay and rewards, is a key factor in employee disengagement.
A job architecture with clear job analysis and evaluation can help mitigate that risk. Job architecture provides a consistent and transparent framework for development activities and career paths for all employees in your organization. It is the baseline for fair and equitable enterprise-wide job and title evaluation, which are essential in successful reward and development programs.
A global job architecture is important, because:
of organizations saved time on grading requests.
of companies saved time on the grading process.
years for most organizations to recognize measurable ROI.
Mercer IPE is a proprietary global job evaluation methodology based on a series of business-related factors and dimensions that represent core job attributes.
Application of the IPE methodology provides an organizing framework based on a job's value within the context of an organization – and the wider commercial environment.
IPE implementation follows a simple process focusing on organization structure, the complexities of the business, and the alignment of jobs to the business.
In a world filled with opportunities, how do you ensure talent chooses you, and then choose to stay with you?
One of the drivers of resignations is that people don’t see long-term career progression in their organization or see better external options. This risk can be managed with a strategic career framework.
Compelling internal professional development and career pathways form a critical part of talent attraction and retention. Not only does a well-designed and publicized career progression framework attract new talent, but it also allows your people to grow and thrive with you – creating engaging employee and experiences.
Career frameworks also enable better strategic workforce planning, and faster internal backfilling of business-critical roles by mapping all possible career paths to each role.
When viewed in such a light, a career progression framework should sit at the core of every HR strategy, touching on all workforce initiatives. Yet, our research shows that, surprisingly, only one in two companies have a career framework. The absence of one is likely posing challenges for attraction, retention, and internal backfilling of business-critical roles. Other common problems we see include:
In some organizations, there are distinct discrepancies between business units when defining their job and career architecture. The vast majority are reactively creating new job levels and/or adding steppingstone roles, frequently, there are also regional variations.
Career progression frameworks need to be intentionally designed at micro and macro levels. In this talent demand economy, the onus is on the organization – and direct managers – to architect and inspire career experiences and paths that have intentional and meaningful movement.
Great career opportunities drive talent retention. Let your people grow with you.
A career framework is a strategic centerpiece that sits at the core of every HR department and touches on all workforce initiatives. This significance is evident across organizations. According to Mercer's 2024 Global Job Architecture Pulse Survey, over three-quarters of companies have already established a job architecture or career framework. Among the remaining companies, nearly all have plans to implement one within the next 12 months.
Mercer invests in job architecture methodologies. We conduct ongoing research to ensure alignment with the global marketplace, and we are committed to providing organizations with a leading platform for managing diverse talent populations.
Our job analysis and evaluation methodology allow organizations to understand the internal comparability and external value of jobs while facilitating the rapid development of new roles and responsibilities.
Building on our expertise and best practice, we can help you create a job architecture without investing too many resources.