Look closely at your organisation. Do you see something strange happening?
Long-serving employees are working hard, contributing consistently and holding the organisation’s memory and standards. Yet many of them are feeling and experiencing something quiet and discouraging.
Opportunities seem harder to come by.
New hires seem to benefit more quickly.
Development conversations feel less clear.
Is this the price of their loyalty? Over time, keeping the faith can feel like a disadvantage. When employees feel forgotten, they disengage.
This is what we call “progressive devaluation”. It shows up in the lived experience of work, rather than a well-intentioned strategy for those working for your business. The longer someone stays, the more their career slows or stalls. The result is a gradual erosion of trust and confidence in the organisation’s future.
Here and now, this really matters. As 2025 draws to a close, many organisations are working through restructuring, hybrid complexity and shifting skill priorities. Experienced employees are key – they anchor culture, continuity and performance. When they stop believing, the consequences ripple through the workforce.
There is a better way. Organisations can send clear and positive signals that experience still matters. They can make careers visible. They can support mobility. They can help managers have confident career conversations that recognise contribution.
The BBC worked with The Career Innovation Company to develop a future-focused career strategy that helps employees understand how careers work inside the organisation, what future opportunities look like, and how they can take ownership of their development. The work also supported managers to have clearer and more confident career discussions.
The result was a more transparent and empowering career environment where employees could navigate options with confidence and curiosity. It was a way to help employees see possibility, direction and ownership in their careers, supported by managers who felt confident to guide those conversations.
Progressive devaluation fades away when organisations make careers feel visible and supported. When employees see that their experience is recognised and connected to future opportunity, their trust is strengthened.
So, ask yourself this: do your long-serving employees feel encouraged and equipped to see their future with you? If that question makes you feel uneasy, now is the moment to act.
Jon Matthews is CEO of The Career Innovation Company. Email him now on jon.matthews@careerinnovation.com to build a more positive future through careers.
