Investing in employees and employee development is a necessity these days. Demand for skilled workers is on the rise and it is more difficult to fill key positions through recruitment. The most sensible ways for companies to maintain growth is by helping employees grow alongside the business, mainly through development programs.
Promoting development in the workplace is a challenge on its own, but it is a challenge worth overcoming for the future of the company. There are a lot of things that can be done to further enhance employee development. Here are three ways to promote development in your workplace.
Clear Individual Development Program
The first way to promote better employee development is by helping employees plan for their growth. The process begins with determining each employee’s interest and passion, the current skillset the employee possesses, and the best way to promote development over a certain period of time.
It is a time-consuming process and it requires the development team within the company – usually a function of the HR department — to sit down with each employee and talk things through. However, the process is well worth the results it can produce. There are added benefits of having this type of discussion too.
For starters, the company can identify potential employees based on their personal interests. You can also figure out your employees’ career goals and personal objectives, and then devise a plan to help them achieve those goals as part of their development plan, including through programs like www.teamtactics.co.uk/corporate-events-london/team-learning-and-development. It is an integrated plan that begins the cycle of both the company and the employee growing together.
Track the Right Metrics
Another way to encourage employee development is by rewarding employees for their efforts. To be able to implement this correctly, there are metrics to track. Some companies reward employees for the personal projects they do. Others keep track of training programs and external courses taken by their employees; the new skills picked up by employees are a way for them to grow.
There are multiple approaches that can be taken, but tracking the right metrics is a must. The company needs to set clear goals and figure out performance indicators to monitor according to those goals. At the same time, employees must also figure out their development paths and the objectives they want to achieve.
Another benefit of tracking metrics related to employee growth is better succession. When an employee earns an MBA degree, for instance, the company can add that employee as a potential candidate for key roles in the future. Since you already monitor the employee’s growth from the beginning, this too can be done early.
Provide More Opportunities
One last effective employee development method we are going to cover in this article is providing opportunities. This is a growing trend and an approach that a lot of companies now use to motivate their employees to learn new skills.
Employees are given a certain amount of time to participate in other projects within the company. Those working in marketing, for instance, can participate in projects related to production or other functions in the company. These types of off-role opportunities give employees a chance to really explore their interests.
You can even go a step further and allow employees to use the allocated time for external or personal projects. Many companies now encourage their employees to actively take part in community schemes. The purpose of this is so that employees can learn from the experience and bring back new skills as part of that experience.
You can use any of these three methods to encourage better employee development. You can also utilise these strategies in a comprehensive way for a more profound effect. In the end, encouraging employees to grow alongside the business is a great way to invest in the company’s biggest asset.
