AS the annual performance review and promotion season gets under way, new research shows employees in the West Midlands have little faith in career prospects at their current organisation.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of employees feel they deserve to be promoted within six months, but 60 per cent say they will have to switch organisations to progress their career. The research, conducted by Investors in People (UK), suggests that secrecy and poor communication surrounding the promotion process could be to blame for employee frustration in the region.

More than half (54 per cent) of employees questioned said that their organisation's approach to promotion remains a mystery, and 80 per cent were unsure of how development in their personal role was linked to promotion prospects.

Highlighting just how frustrating the promotion process can be, the research found that 38 per cent of employees believed they had been overlooked for promotion in the past.

For two thirds of these the knock-back was compounded by the fact that the reasons weren't explained to them.

June Williams, director at Investors in People (UK), said: "This research clearly highlights the dangers of bad communication.

Employers aren't always in a position to offer promotion, but the way they handle this can have an impact on employee motivation. Bosses in the West Midlands need to be much clearer about the opportunities available and create a plan of action to help employees achieve their goals."

When asked how their bosses could improve the process for promoting people, 55 per cent of employees called for clear guidelines for staff at all levels. 54 per cent cited individual development plans and 44 per cent pointed to a robust appraisals process as being important.