A career plateau is defined as "the point in a career where the likelihood of additional hierarchical promotion is very low."" Career plateauing takes place when an employee reaches a position from which she or he is not likely to be promoted further. Virtually all people reach a plateau in their careers; however, some individuals reach their plateaus earlier than others. Plateaued employees are those who "reach their promotional ceiling long before they retire.
Certain factors in today's work environment help explain why plateauing may become more prevalent. The fact that employers are now depending more on older employees may well cause plateauing problems. Also, today's employees are generally educated and thus enter organizations at higher positions. These situations ultimately mean that fewer promotion possibilities exist.