This case shows how a clear framework for talent development can make employees’ potential visible and create concrete pathways forward within the organization. The result was both stronger internal mobility and increased retention, with employee turnover decreasing from 40% to 24%.

The Challenge

Both part-time and full-time employees felt they wanted more. They could see themselves staying with the company in the long term, but they did not know what they wanted to do or how they could develop in order to get there.

This created a classic but often overlooked challenge: the potential was there, but the path forward was invisible, both to the employee and to the organization.

For employees, this meant that ambitions and potential were not necessarily translated into concrete development opportunities. For the organization, it meant that talent risked going unnoticed because there was no shared language or clear framework for identifying, understanding, and developing it.

As the store’s HR Manager, I therefore decided together with the Store Manager that we wanted to take active action. Not another generic development program, but a program built specifically for our employees, their potential, and the reality they were facing.

The Program

We developed a talent program consisting of smaller workshop modules, each with its own perspective on the business and the organization. The program was built around four key elements over approximately six months:

• Practical assignments throughout the program that connected learning directly to everyday life in the store
• Knowledge sharing and exposure to new areas, giving participants concrete insight into departments and functions they otherwise would never have encountered
• Individual coaching sessions about the future with each participant, where direction and opportunities were discussed one-on-one
• Short professional workshops for learning and inspiration

The program gave participants a language for their own development and a realistic understanding of how many paths were actually open to them, whether in another department, as a specialist, or even as a leader.

The Results

Over several years, the program became a permanent part of the store’s talent development efforts:

• 90% of participants were still with the company after 3 years
• 80% had progressed into a new role, either on a leadership path, as a specialist, or into a new function or department across the store
• The store’s employee turnover decreased from 40% to 24% over a period of 3 years

The program demonstrated that when employees are given a concrete space to experiment, learn from others, and openly discuss their future, they find their own path forward and remain with the company.

Testimonials

"Participating in the Next program has had a huge impact on my career. It helped lead me to my dream job, a journey that also gave me tremendous confidence in myself and challenged me to reflect on what I truly want and what my values are, both personally and professionally." Rikke, Sales Assistant

"The Next program gave me, as an ordinary employee, the opportunity to get to know every part of the business while also developing my own talents for the benefit of both myself and the company. I remember it as something that gave me a network and a sense of confidence and initiative that I still draw on today." Marie, Sales Assistant